The Dyrt

Last updated
The Dyrt
The Dyrt logo.png
Type of site
Outdoor/travel service
Available inEnglish
Founded2013
Headquarters Portland, Oregon, United States
Founder(s) Sarah Smith and Kevin Long
IndustryTravel, Outdoors
Employees60
URL www.thedyrt.com
CommercialYes

The Dyrt is consumer subscription software for camping, and the largest source of information for campgrounds throughout the United States, via a website and mobile app. [1] The content on The Dyrt is user-generated as campers post photos, videos and reviews about campgrounds in the US. This content draws in 30 million visits per year. [2] Campers can also book campsites on The Dyrt, which is commission-free for campground owners. [3] The Dyrt PRO, a premium service that costs $36 annually, allows campers to access PRO maps that show free camping on public lands, download maps for offline use and plan camping road trips. [4]

Contents

History

Sarah Smith first had the idea for The Dyrt in 2013. She and her husband, The Dyrt co-founder and CEO Kevin Long, were both avid campers who went camping every weekend, but finding information on campgrounds was always a source of frustration and they would end up fighting every week about where to go. [5] Smith had a career in international education but decided to focus full time on building The Dyrt. The first iteration of The Dyrt was a simple WordPress site. [6] The vision was to make the Yelp for camping. [7]

In 2015, Smith earned a coveted spot and spent six months at the Telluride Venture Accelerator. Not long after, Long left his job to join Smith and fully commit to The Dyrt. [2]

One of the strategies employed to populate the website with photos, videos and reviews was to gamify the experience for users. The Dyrt partnered with 27 outdoor brands and held competitions in every state and offered prizes to the top-ranking users for submitting content. [1] Campers who are regular visitors to The Dyrt post reviews and photos and climb the ranks. Members of The Dyrt community become “Rangers,” “Guides” and “Legends” on the site. [8] The Dyrt now has over 4 million campground reviews, photos and tips. [6]

When the Covid pandemic hit in March 2020, The Dyrt employees began to work remotely. This ended up becoming a permanent situation in 2021 when the lease on the office space was allowed to expire. The Dyrt employees can work from anywhere in US timezones if they have strong internet service for a video call. They can also be paid bonuses for using The Dyrt to find camping and documenting the experience. [2]

Smith was named to the 2022 Inc. Female Founders 100 list of the top women entrepreneurs. [9] The Dyrt was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2022 and 2023 [10] and was recognized in the app category of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards in 2023. [11]

The Dyrt PRO

The Dyrt PRO is a premium service that costs $36 annually and provides additional features to The Dyrt's free app. The Dyrt PRO members can access PRO Maps that show free dispersed camping on public lands, download maps for offline use and plan camping road trips. PRO members can also book campsites on The Dyrt without paying any extra bookings fees. [12] The Dyrt partners with more than 1,000 campgrounds across the US at which PRO subscribers get a 40 percent discount. [1]

Due to increased traffic to National Park destinations and tourist areas, The Dyrt focuses on relieving pressure on the country's most popular camping sites and being committed to the Leave No Trace set of outdoor ethics. [13]

Commission-free bookings and Instant Book

In 2021, The Dyrt launched its Instant Book feature in which campers can reserve campsites on The Dyrt, which does not charge a commission to campground owners. Sarah Smith explained the new program in an interview with Glamping Business Americas Magazine.

As we began opening up our marketplace to campgrounds, we saw an entirely different segment of campground owners from non-traditional campgrounds. These were individuals with private land looking for ways to generate passive or active income by hosting campers. They don’t have a built-in base for demand and they were actively looking for ways to market their properties. We designed our campground product to be inclusive for all hosts. [3]

Cross-country vanlife trip

In 2021, Smith and Long embarked on a cross-country vanlife trip in their camper van during which they managed The Dyrt and fundraised remotely. [14] During this trip, The Dyrt secured $11 million in Series B funding to support a new round of hiring. [8]

Smith and Long left Portland in July 2021 and headed east, stopping and working at campgrounds and RV parks along the way. Smith and Long were able to continue running the company from their van by using an antenna to pull in nearby cellular service with SIM cards in the van acting as mobile hotspots. [14]

Camping Report

In January 2023, The Dyrt released its 2023 Camping Report based on a survey of its users and camping property hosts. Called "the statistically most meaningful picture of what it’s like to go camping in America" by RV Travel, key findings included: [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camping</span> Outdoor recreational activity

Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or an educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campsite</span> Place used for overnight stay in the outdoors

Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping. The usage differs between British English and American English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreational vehicle</span> Types of vehicles

A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans, fifth-wheel trailers, popup campers, and truck campers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RV park</span> Place where people with recreational vehicles can stay

A recreational vehicle park or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true campground also provides facilities for tent camping; many facilities calling themselves "RV parks" also offer tent camping or cabins with limited facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Guntersville State Park</span> State park in Marshall County, Alabama, United States

Lake Guntersville State Park is a public recreation area located on the far north side of the city of Guntersville in Marshall County, Alabama. The state park occupies 5,909 acres (2,391 ha) on the eastern shore of Guntersville Lake, a 69,000-acre (28,000 ha) impoundment of the Tennessee River. The park features resort facilities and is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airstream</span> American brand of caravan

Airstream is an American brand of travel trailer easily recognized by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminum coachwork. This body shape dates back to the 1930s and is based on the Bowlus Road Chief, an earlier all-aluminum travel trailer designed and built by Hawley Bowlus, the same designer and engineer who also oversaw the construction of the Spirit of St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOA</span> Chain of campgrounds in the US and Canada

KOA is an American franchise of privately owned campgrounds. Having more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, it is the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds. It was founded in 1962 and is based in Billings, Montana, United States. The current president and CEO of KOA is Toby O’Rourke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yelp</span> Directory service and online review forum

Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow Lake Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Saskatchewan, Canada

Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen and Cold Rivers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park was founded on 10 March 1959, is the largest provincial park in Saskatchewan, and encompasses over 25 lakes in an area of 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi). The park was named Meadow Lake after the city of Meadow Lake and Meadow Lake. The city and the lake are not in the park and are located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of the nearest park entrance, which is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Dorintosh. The length of the park stretches about 113 kilometres (70 mi) from Cold Lake on the Saskatchewan / Alberta border in the west to the eastern shore of Waterhen Lake in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts</span>

Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts are a chain of over 80 family campgrounds throughout the United States and Canada. The camp-resorts are franchised through Leisure Systems, Inc. (LSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Park River Corporation, based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The current President of Leisure Systems, Inc. is Robert (Rob) Schutter, Jr.

Crooked Lake is a recreational lake located in the south-eastern region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is part of a chain of lakes in the Qu'Appelle Valley and, like many of the other lakes in the valley, there's a dam at the eastern end that controls water levels.

DuPuis Management Area is a 21,875 acre protected area in northwestern Palm Beach County, Florida and southwestern Martin County, Florida. Recreational opportunities include hunting, horseback riding, cycling, camping, hiking, auto touring, and fishing. During hunting periods it is closed to other use. The property includes a visitor center. Dogs are not allowed on the property. The park includes 22 miles of hiking trails, including a stretch of the Ocean to Lake Trail. There is also an equestrian campground and 40 miles of horseback riding trails. The park is located off State Road 76. It is along the Ocean to Lake Trail.

Hipcamp is an online marketplace company that offers outdoor stays and camping experiences via a website and mobile app. Private landowners primarily list campsites, glampsites, RV spaces, cabins for users to discover and book based on listing type, location, landscape, activities offered, and amenities. In addition to offering overnight stays on private land, Hipcamp also displays real-time availability, details, user reviews, and user photos of public campgrounds in national parks. Hipcamp was founded in San Francisco, California, United States, in 2013, by CEO Alyssa Ravasio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zorin OS</span> Linux distribution based on Ubuntu LTS

Zorin OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. It uses a GNOME 3 and XFCE 4 desktop environment by default, although the desktop is heavily customized in order to help users transition from Windows and macOS easily. Wine and PlayOnLinux are supported, allowing users to run compatible Windows software, like Microsoft Office. Its creators maintain three free editions of the operating system, and sell a professional edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Discovery State Park</span> State park in Caledonia County, Vermont

New Discovery State Park is a state park near Marshfield, Vermont in the United States. It is one of seven state parks located in Groton State Forest. The park is on Vermont Route 232, offering camping, picnicking, and access to forest trails. The park was developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps; its major CCC-built facilities, located mainly in western Peacham, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Oregon</span> Summary and analysis of homelessness in the state of Oregon

In 2016, a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that the U.S. state of Oregon had an estimated homeless population of 13,238 with about 60.5% of these people still unsheltered. In 2017, these numbers were even higher. As of January 2017, Oregon has an estimated 13,953 individuals experiencing homelessness. Of this homeless population, 1,083 are family households, 1,251 are veterans, 1,462 are unaccompanied young adults, and 3,387 are individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. As of 2022, 17,959 people total experienced homelessness in Oregon, with 2,157 individuals being youth under 18, 6,671 being female, 10,931 being male, and 131 being transgender. Also among the 17,959 total homeless in 2022, 15,876 were Non-Hispanic/Non-Latino, 2,083 were Hispanic/Latino, 13,960 were white, 1,172 were Black, African American, or African, 101 were Asian or Asian American, 880 were Native American, and those of multiple race were 1,619. Oregon has seen an increase in its total homeless population consistently every year since 2010. In last three years specifically Oregon has seen a 98.5% increase 2021-2022, 22.5% increase 2020-2021, and a 13.1% increase 2019-2020.

Tentrr, which was founded in 2015 by Michael D'Agostino and is based in New York City, is the camping equivalent of air BnB with more than one thousand properties in 43 states, especially in the northeast. Many of their sites are fully-furnished with a standard kit, with campers only needing to bring firewood and bedding. Others are so-called back-country locations and are more rustic in their offerings. Many are also dog-friendly.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End</i> Book by Jeff Kenney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End is the 15th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was published on October 27, 2020. The story follows protagonist Greg Heffley and his family as they vacation in a recreational vehicle (RV). It received many positive reviews and was a best-seller for several weeks following its release. The book was promoted with a pool-party themed drive-through event. The book was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced the writing.

Makwa Lake Provincial Park is a recreational provincial park in the west-central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the transition zone between parkland and boreal forest. The park was established in 1986 and is centred around the lakes of Big Jumbo, Little Jumbo, and Makwa. Prior to its establishment, the park was a provincial recreation site. The main entrance to Makwa Lake Park is at the south-east corner of Makwa Lake about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the village of Loon Lake. Access is from Highway 699.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AutoCamp</span> American hotel company

AutoCamp is a hotel company that allows customers to rent Airstream trailers to glamp near popular recreational areas, such as national parks. Its has six locations in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Utah. AutoCamp Yosemite was listed by Time magazine as one of the "World's Greatest Places" in 2019. AutoCamps are known for their luxury aspect, sometimes costing over $500 per night for a normal trailer. It is in a partnership with the Airstream company itself.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "On The Dyrt road: Co-founders of camping app gain valuable startup insight while living remote vanlife". GeekWire. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Camping app born out of Telluride accelerator raises $11 million". The Denver Post. 2021-12-11. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  3. 1 2 "The Dyrt: A Fresh Look at Booking Systems". issuu. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  4. ↑ "I Visited 14 National Parks Last Year. Here Are the Apps I Used to Plan and Pull Off Those Trips". Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World. 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  5. ↑ podcasters, Omny Studio is the complete audio management solution for; Stations, Radio. "The Dyrt That Cleans Up Your Campsite Search - Jearlyn Steele - Omny.fm". omny.fm. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  6. 1 2 "The Dyrt is the Yelp of campground reviews". Men's Journal. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  7. ↑ "Hipcamp, Tentrr and the Dyrt: Trying out camping's newest start-ups". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  8. 1 2 "Northland native heads nation's top camping app". Duluth News Tribune. 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  9. ↑ "Sarah Smith is on Inc.'s 2022 Female Founders 100" . Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  10. ↑ "The Dyrt is a 2023 Inc. 5000 Honoree". Inc. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  11. ↑ "World Changing Ideas - Apps 2023". Fast Company. May 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  12. ↑ Jankowski, Paul. "Apps Like The Dyrt Make Getting Outdoors Even Easier—Brands Are Taking Notice". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  13. ↑ TechBuzz. "The Dyrt Hires Digital Nomads to Grow Camping App". www.techbuzz.news. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  14. 1 2 Oregonian/OregonLive, Ardeshir Tabrizian | The (2021-08-28). "Portland-based camping app founders working remotely from U.S. campgrounds for a year". oregonlive. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  15. ↑ "Study offers meaningful picture of what it's like to camp today". RV Travel. 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  16. ↑ "No wonder you had such a hard time making camping reservations last summer". The Denver Post. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  17. ↑ Tara, Serena (2023-07-19). "Solo Camping Is Officially on the Rise". Thrillist. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.