Hipcamp
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | June 2013 in San Francisco, California[1] |
| Founder | Alyssa Ravasio |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
Area served | |
| Services | |
Number of employees | 80 |
| Website | hipcamp |
Hipcamp, Inc. is an American company operating an online marketplace for booking campsites, RV parks, glamping stays, and private land camping experiences via a mobile app and website.[2] Landowners and campgrounds list tent sites, RV spots, and lodging directly to Hipcamp's marketplace for users to find and book based on their location, amenities, and activities offered.[3]
History
[edit]Hipcamp was created by Alyssa Ravasio in 2013 prompted by her frustrating search for an available campsite near Big Sur, California. Ravasio built a platform that would aggregate available data for public campgrounds in one place.[4] Ravasio enrolled in Dev Bootcamp, a 12-week coding crash course in San Francisco, California to teach herself how to code and launched the first version of Hipcamp that same year.[5]
In September 2014, Hipcamp raised $2 million in seed funding led by O'Reilly Media's AlphaTech Ventures and Slow Ventures, with participation from Dave Morin, Sam Shank, Gregg Brockway, AngelList's Syndicate Fund and Maiden Lane Ventures.[6][7]
Product
[edit]Hipcamp allows users to search for and book campsites and rv spots based on location, natural features (beach, waterfall, forest, etc.), activities (biking, hiking, rock climbing, etc.), and amenities.[8]
The COVID-19 pandemic led to Hipcamp seeing substantial growth in 2020; that summer, they generated three times the leads that they did in 2019.[9]
In May 2025, Hipcamp doubled the inventory on the platform, by adding thousands of RV parks, camping resorts, and public lands to reach a total of 565,000 campsites available via the Hipcamp website and mobile app.[10][11]
Mergers & Acquisitions
[edit]In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hipcamp expanded internationally by acquiring Youcamp, an Australian-based camping platform focused on private land camping[12][13]
In 2021, Hipcamp acquired Pitched, a Canadian online marketplace startup.[14][15]
In 2023, Hipcamp acquired Cool Camping, a United Kingdom-based camping platform focused on glamping.[16][17]
In 2024, Hipcamp acquired BookOutdoors, a United States-based booking platform focused on RV resorts and holiday parks.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "How Hipcamp Became the Airbnb of the Outdoors". The New Yorker. January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Hipcamp Raises $9.5 Million for Campsite Booking: Travel Startup Funding This Week". Skift. June 15, 2018.
- ^ "I let campers rent part of my backyard for $70 a night. It helps pay our high home maintenance costs". Business Insider. September 30, 2024.
- ^ Palamountain, Olivia (31 March 2021). "Hipcamp is on a mission to become the 'Airbnb of the outdoors'". Globetrender. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Lewin, Tamar (2014-10-14). "Web-Era Trade Schools, Feeding a Need for Code". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Crook, Jordan (2014-09-30). "Hipcamp Cooks Up $2M Seed To Get People Camping". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Garland, Russ. "Hipcamp Hits Trail With $2 Million, With Help From Path's Dave Morin". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Leo, Jen (2014-07-27). "Hipcamp.com wants to be handy for even inexperienced campers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
- ^ Kelso, Stirling (2021-03-09). "Why Hipcamp is the most innovative travel company of 2021". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ Dreier, Frederick (2025-05-20). "Looking for a Campsite? Hipcamp Now Has Half a Million to Choose From". Outside Online. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ Magazine, Woodalls Campground (2025-05-21). "'Hipcamp' Expansion to Help Grow Campground Bookings - Woodall's Campground Magazine". Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ^ O'Neill, Sean (2020-08-27). "U.S.-Based Hipcamp Acquires Australia's Youcamp as Travelers Heed Call of the Great Outdoors". Skift. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ "Hipcamp Lets You Throw an Outdoor Party and Make Some Noise Without Disturbing the Neighbours". www.broadsheet.com.au. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ "With Canada Launch, Hipcamp Creates New Options for Outdoor Stays". Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ "Tegh Singh Bedi Interview - General Manager, Hipcamp". Marketing News Canada. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ O'Neill, Sean (2022-01-03). "Hipcamp Buys UK Booking Brand Cool Camping". Skift. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ Stevens, Paul (2022-05-11). "Hipcamp launches in the UK and finalises Cool Camping acquisition". Short Term Rentals. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
- ^ "Hipcamp Acquires BookOutdoors, Seeing Significant Growth - RVBusiness - Breaking RV Industry News". 2024-10-30. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
