A year’s plan starts with spring. As the beautiful season of spring has just arrived, forward-thinking and action-oriented individuals have begun their new year’s endeavors. Leading brands across various industries have also released important brand activity updates at the start of the year. The outdoor and off-road leader, the CAMEL brand, is one such representative, having unveiled a series of major moves at the beginning of the year that have been overwhelming.
Starting with the official signing of outdoor king Bear Grylls as the brand’s image ambassador, which surprised the industry, to participating in the 10th ISPO Beijing Asia Outdoor & Sports Fashion Exhibition in February and making a stunning debut by announcing the launch of a professional high-end outdoor product series within the year. These two heavyweight brand announcements in the outdoor industry have made CAMEL the focus of attention among outdoor enthusiasts recently.
The 10th ISPO BEIJING 2014 – CAMEL Outdoor Exhibition Hall
Secret Weapon: Professional High-End Outdoor Products
The professional high-end outdoor product series that CAMEL plans to launch in 2014 is named the Himalaya Series, and it was publicly unveiled for the first time at the 2014 ISPO BEIJING Outdoor Products Exhibition. The Himalaya Series is highly anticipated by CAMEL Outdoor, and judging by the audience's reactions at the exhibition, the excitement is equally strong. It has even been jokingly referred to by outdoor netizens as the “main firepower-level” product in CAMEL’s battle for 2014.
Undoubtedly, Bear is the most important brand asset for CAMEL in 2014. Through his globally popular outdoor adventure TV show "Man vs. Wild," Bear has attracted a large fan base and the admiration of those who love outdoor adventures, showcasing an image of a brave, crazy, witty, and fearless outdoor enthusiast. After signing Bear, it became only natural for CAMEL to launch a professional high-end outdoor product series.
As the first professional high-end outdoor product launched by CAMEL, the Himalaya Series possesses absolute intrinsic strength. The inspiration for the Himalaya Series comes from innate biological principles and extraordinary adventurous spirit. Its creation aims to provide the greatest level of comfort for outdoor sports and to promote and popularize the concept of safe outdoor activities through its products. The materials used in the development of the Himalaya Series are all independently developed technologies, as well as collaborations with the best product suppliers in the global industry. With Bear’s powerful star effect and CAMEL’s strong brand investment, the Himalaya Series is expected to become CAMEL Outdoor’s secret weapon in the next three years to dominate the outdoor market.
Lu Xingzhe @ Xiaoma, Who Loves the Outdoors: Deputy Secretary-General of the China Outdoor Adventure Alliance, Outdoor Training Instructor
Product Line Upgrade, Infused with Powerful Technology
The professional high-end outdoor product series launched by CAMEL has its own independently developed product line. To meet the production requirements of professional high-end outdoor products, CAMEL upgraded its product lines. For outdoor enthusiasts, the key to choosing an outdoor product lies in its excellent outdoor performance and functional fabrics, so the focus of CAMEL’s product line upgrade naturally lies here as well.
Over the years, CAMEL Outdoor has developed its own unique methods for collecting consumer feedback on product performance. The data collected has been continuously applied to the independent research and development of outdoor materials. CAMEL-HEAT and CAMEL-TEX are outstanding representatives of this. The biological inspiration for CAMEL-HEAT comes from the snow leopard living in the Himalayas. The snow leopard has multiple layers of dense fur, unafraid of the cold even in icy lands, earning the title of the king of snowy territories. A 3M Thinsulate high-warmth filling layer, combined with a heat-reflective aluminum foil lining, reflects body heat at multiple levels, maintaining a constant body temperature. CAMEL-TEX, on the other hand, focuses on material innovation. Its 3D-structured high-strength, dense, soft waterproof tech film balances the waterproof and breathable functions of the garment’s surface. The outer fabric instantly condenses surface liquid water, achieving initial water resistance. The inner composite dense soft film bonding layer provides deep waterproofing, ensuring no internal seepage. Thanks to their outstanding performance in warmth, waterproofing, and breathability, these two materials have become the preferred choices for CAMEL Outdoor jackets.
Lu Xingzhe @ Iron Wing Soaring: Outdoor Club Trainer, Trail Running Expert
In addition to strengthening its independent R&D capabilities, CAMEL also actively collaborates with top global outdoor product suppliers, integrating other cutting-edge technologies from the industry into its product development. For example, eVENT, known for its active moisture-wicking function, is one of the world’s best waterproof materials. Its membrane contains tens of thousands of breathable pores, offering an average breathability of 5,300 grams per square meter per day, excelling in both waterproofing and breathability. COOL-MAX, known as the fabric for the strong, offers wear resistance, tear resistance, cut resistance, and puncture resistance twice that of ordinary nylon, three times that of polyester, and ten times that of cotton fabric. In addition, industry-leading materials such as Teflon, TORAY, and YKK are widely used in making CAMEL Outdoor hiking shoes, softshell jackets, and windbreakers.
Lu Xingzhe First Review, Growing Together
At the 10th ISPO Beijing Asia Outdoor & Sports Fashion Exhibition in 2014, CAMEL not only chose to launch the Himalaya Series here but also invited a group of Lu Xingzhe participants to visit the exhibition. At the event, everyone gathered to share their outdoor experiences while also getting the chance to test and review the Himalaya Series products. It is believed that in their upcoming outdoor activities, the Lu Xingzhe participants will truly experience the outdoor enjoyment brought by CAMEL’s professional high-end outdoor products.
Lu Xingzhe @ Traveling Jack: Photographer, Outdoor Team Leader, Hiking Through the Kubuqi Desert
Lu Xingzhe originates from the “Lu Xingzhe Program” launched by CAMEL Outdoor in 2013, a program that provides free year-round outdoor gear sponsorship to professional outdoor enthusiasts. Members of the Lu Xingzhe program use CAMEL Outdoor gear on the platform created by the brand. The product reviews they regularly provide help with the research, development, and updates of CAMEL Outdoor equipment. These professional outdoor enthusiasts, who identify with and love CAMEL Outdoor products, get to know each other through the Lu Xingzhe program. They also gain more opportunities to enhance their outdoor skills through the communication platform built by the program and the many sponsored outdoor activities.
Lu Xingzhe has always been the main force in CAMEL Outdoor gear reviews. During the more than half a year of the review period, Lu Xingzhe participants from all over the country provided a large amount of product and gear review information. Among them, two Lu Xingzhe participants who hiked and climbed in a volcanic park shared their review experiences: “Camel withstood the severe test of -13°C outdoor temperatures; a medium-thickness fleece-lined jacket kept us completely warm!” Another Lu Xingzhe participant who hiked through Shennongjia recorded: “Wearing it, I completed a trek through the primitive forest of Shennongjia at an average altitude of over 1,700 meters. There was a lot of sweating during the climb, but the clothes didn’t accumulate body heat or sweat odor. The clothes dissipated the heat and remained dry throughout. Even heavy mountain fog and rain did not penetrate the clothing.”
Lu Xingzhe Participants in the First “Camel-Taobao Sports” Outdoor Festival – Kubuqi Desert Crossing Race
CAMEL consistently strives for continuous improvement. By providing a pure outdoor sports exchange platform for Lu Xingzhe participants, it attracts more people who love outdoor sports to join in, jointly promoting outdoor sports culture and the development of the domestic outdoor industry.