Cat Sherbourne loved camping with her family when she was young, but as she got older, she realized the logistics of making such a trip happen weren’t all that simple.
Throughout her 20 years of camping experience, Sherbourne has met many busy parents who have regretted missed adventures with their kids, whether they lacked the gear or were turned off by time-consuming preparation. She was determined to make the pursuit as convenient as possible.
Sherbourne’s solution is Lazy Camper, an online service that she launched with her husband Chong Sun, a data scientist at Amazon who has a background in machine learning and AI.
Lazy Camper provides the necessary gear and instructions for, as the name entails, a lazy camper’s outdoor trip. Users can choose from assorted packages, from single camper to family of three. The packages range in price from $119 to $32 and include such essentials as a tent, sleeping bags, camp chairs, head lamps, cooking items, bug spray and more.
The company offers same-day delivery for spontaneous adventures and picks up the used gear from your doorstep.
“It feels like not just delivering gear but delivering an experience for people,” Sherbourne said.
The couple has found that working together has made the job easier, with Sun often helping to deliver gear to customers during the commute to his day job.
“We’re building each other up and building a better product all the time,” Sherbourne said.
The biggest challenge has been the time involved in sanitizing used gear, especially during the pandemic.
Lazy Camper differentiates from other camping gear rental services because of its affordability and convenience, according to Sun. He said many competitors rent high-end gear specialized for longer camping or backpacking trips, whereas Lazy Camper provides gear for family oriented adventures, which helps them keep costs down.
The startup has big plans to grow its team, build out the customer base, and expand to other states.