Listen to the full episode here:
There’s a story behind every stitch, seam, and seat — and Zempire’s James is here to tell it.
Fresh from filming some new gear in the wild, Ben and Lauren sit down with Zempire’s brand engagement guru James – a Toronto-born, bad-weather-loving New Zealander – to unpack the why behind the brand’s kit. This isn’t a spec-sheet sales pitch; it’s a candid chat about building to a priority, not a price point. From the pioneering air-textured yarn behind the Shape Shifter to the pop-up ease of the Aerospeed, the return-rate maths on air poles versus hard poles, and a sneak peek at a brand-new chair range, a redesigned multi-gas cooker, and a pint-sized Hexolite table — our gear gurus get to the heart of what makes Zempire tick.
Be it packability, durability, or camping that’s for everyone — tune in for the philosophy behind the products!
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome back to the Snowys Camping Show
00:47 – Meet James, Zempire’s brand engagement guru
01:28 – Why Zempire went all-in on air
04:36 – From Toronto to New Zealand: James’ backstory
07:22 – What ‘brand engagement’ actually means
08:02 – Talking the ‘why’, not the spec sheet
10:29 – Designing the new chair range from scratch
11:53 – The Hyperfold: one bag, a lot of chair
16:24 – Cooker 2.0: slimmer, multi-gas, smarter burners
21:52 – Hexolite tables and the new compact 60
31:05 – Shape Shifter: the tent that grows with you
32:30 – Building to a priority, not a price point
43:28 – Future-proofing your kit and the base system
47:37 – Air poles vs hard poles: the return-rate reality
51:11 – What’s next in Zempire world
Other Zempire episodes
Ep16 – Tent Waterhead Ratings with Zempire
Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire
Ep40 – All About Air Tents with Zempire
Ep138 – Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf
Products mentioned
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleeping mat
Zempire two-burner and double-wide camp cookers- no longer available
Zempire cooker 2.0 (multi-gas, single / double / double-wide) – Coming soon
Zempire beach trolley (140kg+ capacity)
Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show Podcast. Don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, or Podcast Addict so you never miss an upload.
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Catch you out there!
Trekker, swimmer, surfer, climber, mountain biker, runner, camper.
Participator in most things… master of none.
Also a co-host on the Snowys Camping Show podcast and Snowys team member for a very long time.