{"id":66507,"date":"2026-09-11T09:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T23:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/?p=66507"},"modified":"2026-09-11T09:06:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T23:36:50","slug":"podcast-the-future-of-camping-inside-zempire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/podcast-the-future-of-camping-inside-zempire\/","title":{"rendered":"Ep 208 &#8211; The Future of Camping: Inside Zempire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to the full episode here:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-video-popup-wrapper\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-video-popup-close\"><\/div>\n\t\t<iframe class=\"wp-video-popup-video is-hosted is-landscape is-resizable\" src=\"\" data-wp-video-popup-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DCpwdlMXTJI?autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\">\n\t\t<\/iframe>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-19623465\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t <script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1259564\/19623465.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-19623465&amp;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There&#8217;s a story behind every stitch, seam, and seat \u2014 and Zempire&#8217;s James is here to tell it.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fresh from filming some new gear in the wild, Ben and Lauren sit down with Zempire&#8217;s brand engagement guru James &#8211; a Toronto-born, bad-weather-loving New Zealander &#8211; to unpack the <em>why<\/em> behind the brand&#8217;s kit. This isn&#8217;t a spec-sheet sales pitch; it&#8217;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 \u2014 our gear gurus get to the heart of what makes Zempire tick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be it packability, durability, or camping that&#8217;s for everyone \u2014 tune in for the philosophy behind the products!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327966_hyperfold-camp-chair-10x10.jpeg 10w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1327985_hexolite-60-10x10.jpeg 10w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Timestamps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>00:00<\/strong> &#8211; Welcome back to the Snowys Camping Show<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>00:47<\/strong> &#8211; Meet James, Zempire&#8217;s brand engagement guru<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>01:28<\/strong> &#8211; Why Zempire went all-in on air<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>04:36<\/strong> &#8211; From Toronto to New Zealand: James&#8217; backstory<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>07:22<\/strong> &#8211; What &#8216;brand engagement&#8217; actually means<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>08:02<\/strong> &#8211; Talking the &#8216;why&#8217;, not the spec sheet<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>10:29<\/strong> &#8211; Designing the new chair range from scratch<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>11:53<\/strong> &#8211; The Hyperfold: one bag, a lot of chair<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>16:24<\/strong> &#8211; Cooker 2.0: slimmer, multi-gas, smarter burners<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>21:52<\/strong> &#8211; Hexolite tables and the new compact 60<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>31:05<\/strong> &#8211; Shape Shifter: the tent that grows with you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>32:30<\/strong> &#8211; Building to a priority, not a price point<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>43:28<\/strong> &#8211; Future-proofing your kit and the base system<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>47:37<\/strong> &#8211; Air poles vs hard poles: the return-rate reality<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>51:11<\/strong> &#8211; What&#8217;s next in Zempire world<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Zempire episodes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/podcast-tent-waterhead-ratings-with-zempire\/\">Ep16 \u2013 Tent Waterhead Ratings with Zempire<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/podcast-camp-furniture-setups-with-zempire\/\">Ep21 \u2013 Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/podcast-all-about-air-tents-with-zempire\/\">Ep40 \u2013 All About Air Tents with Zempire<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/podcast-zempire-innovating-the-outdoors-richard-knauf\/\">Ep138 \u2013 Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Products mentioned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/camping-tents#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;brands=34&amp;type=263\">Zempire Air Tents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/airbeds#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;brands=34\">Zempire Monster Beds<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/gazebos#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;brands=34\">Zempire base system<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/hiking-sleeping-mats#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=11&amp;brands=38&amp;type=2153\">Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleeping mat<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/camping-tables#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;specIds=76&amp;brands=34\">Zempire Hexolite tables<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/camping-tables#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;specIds=1647&amp;brands=34\">Zempire Kitpack bamboo tables<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/camping-chairs#?pagenumber=1&amp;orderBy=0&amp;brands=34\">Zempire chairs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zempire two-burner and double-wide camp cookers- no longer available<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zempire cooker 2.0 (multi-gas, single \/ double \/ double-wide) &#8211; Coming soon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/minimax-camp-wagon\">Zempire beach trolley (140kg+ capacity)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week&#8217;s episode!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-3fc1e5f8-10be-4b09-998a-70c6506a24fc\">Thanks for tuning in to this week\u2019s episode of the Snowys Camping Show Podcast. Don\u2019t forget to subscribe to us on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCgpO6k-UyaYgwyLg0ESceCg\">YouTube<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0wy9b822eekXe00bAIqPbX\">Spotify<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/au\/podcast\/snowys-camping-show\/id1527530990\">iTunes<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/db56692e-96e7-418d-929d-88c5fde70b1a\/Snowys-Camping-Show\">Amazon Music<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/269-snowys-camping-show-79675943\/\">iHeartRadio<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/z1mx2k64\">Pocket Casts<\/a>,&nbsp;or <a href=\"https:\/\/podcastaddict.com\/podcast\/3281467\">Podcast Addict<\/a> so you never miss an upload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-087cbd57-77e9-4533-b8fc-12f45f86e371\">If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/snowys\/\">Facebook group<\/a>&nbsp;and let us know as we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-78e4097f-2fbd-446d-a99b-9a3d09f52d17\">Catch you out there!<\/p>\n<div class='watch-action'><div class='watch-position align-left'><div class='action-like'><a class='lbg-style1 like-66507 jlk' href='javascript:void(0)' data-task='like' data-post_id='66507' data-nonce='910f46e44c' rel='nofollow'><img class='wti-pixel' src='https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wti-like-post\/images\/pixel.gif' title='Liked it' \/><span class='lc-66507 lc'>0<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div> <div class='status-66507 status align-left'><\/div><\/div><div class='wti-clear'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to the full episode here: There&#8217;s a story behind every stitch, seam, and seat \u2014 and Zempire&#8217;s James is here to tell it. Fresh from filming some new gear &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":41612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1569,854],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast-camping","category-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66507"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66514,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66507\/revisions\/66514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snowys.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}