OXO and REI’s new line of outdoor cookware is designed for camping
Stoke the coals: OXO, the 30-year-old housewares brand known for its ergonomics and accessibility, has teamed up with REI on the OXO Outdoor collection, which redesigns 10 of the company’s core products for outdoor use.
To create the collection, OXO surveyed campers of varying experience, its sister brand Hydro Flask, and the experts at REI to identify key campsite kitchen tools. The collection includes a cutting board, grilling tongs and a spatula, and cleaning tools. The company then looked at how each product could be improved to meet the specific needs of campers.
Several items received a red accent color, making them easier to spot among a campsite for easy pack-up at the end of the night. OXO also found that effective, efficient cleaning was another pain point for campers. Its solution? The Cast Iron & Grill Pan Brush ($9.95) and Pots + Pans Scraper ($5.95). The problem is two-fold, explains senior product manager Shannon Ballantyne: campers need tools that’ll help with a quick and easy cleanup after long day in the elements (dirty dishes, after all, attract bears), but they often lack additional water.
“[These tools] reduce people’s water consumption, which was a common theme that kept coming up,” she said. “It wasn’t just because [people] didn’t have access to enough water, but [they wanted to] leave no trace by dumping soiled water.”
OXO also added a protective sheath to a $14.95 8-inch Chef’s Knife. Ballantyne says they found that people were “wrapping their blades in tin foil or cardboard,” before throwing it in a backpack. And OXO introduced a Campgrounds version of its French Press ($24.95), using Tritan Renew recycled plastic. Because, coffee. And naturally, a $14.95 Can and Bottle Opener.
As Ballantyne added:”You only forget a can opener once.”
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