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OUTDOOR SPECIAL Bloomberg Pursuits November 2, 2020O
nce the initial shock of quarantining wore off in
the spring, homeowners began to outfit their
house-turned-office-turned-restaurant-turned-
school for the sweltering months ahead. Backyard
staples such as hammocks and inflatable pools became more
popular, and harder to find, than they’d been in years.
Now the cold, drizzly months of late fall and winter loom.
This year’s holiday season—a time traditionally reserved for
entertaining while standing a little too close to the punch
bowl and one another—will be like none we’ve ever known.
Eveninthenameofgoodcheer,indoorgatheringsare
a riskyproposition, whiledippingmercurylevelshave
complicated responsible hosting plans. Consumers have been
bingeing on sturdy tents, warming furniture, and heat lamps,
assuming they’re even in stock.
Miranda Jones, co-founder of heated seating specialist
Galanter & Jones, says sales at her business have almost dou-
bled over the last year. “It’s more important than ever to make
outdoor spaces function as an extra room, an entertaining
spot, and a place to relax,” she says.
Redwood Outdoors, which sells a range of wood-fired
hottubsandgeodesicdomesfromitsheadquartersnear
Tacoma,Wash.,hasseenthisincreasefirsthand.“Everyone
isspending a lot more time at home as a result of the pan-
demic,” says operations director Steve Maguire. “They’re
lookingforproductsthathelpthemenjoytheirhomesand
gardenstothemaximum.”
There’salsogrowingdemandforsafeandsavvyshelters
thatprovideventilationwhilekeepingeveryonedryand
warm.TentmakerAlvantorLLChasseencustomersuse
theirtents“fora handfulofpurposes—over Jacuzzies, on the
back deck, for dining—that we hadn’t even thought of,” says
Sapphire Wills, operations assistant.
The most sought-after piece on the outdoor living check-
list is the fire pit. “We sell fire pits every day, all day long,”
says Elizabeth Przygoda-Montgomery, a landscape designer in
Arizona and owner of the shop Boxhill & Co. Pre-Covid sales
of fire pits, she says, would max out at about 50 a month. Now
more than 200 on a Saturday is common.
On the East Coast, propane and gas models do best. When
advising customers with small spaces, Przygoda-Montgomery
suggests looking for dual-purpose elements such as a hidden
tank that allows the piece to function as an ottoman or end
table. In the Midwest, where real estate is generous and wild-
fires less of a danger, wood-burning units are more popular.
Fire isn’t merely a source of physical heat. Przygoda-
Montgomery finds that her consumers are looking for a more
existential warmth—it is, after all, the foundation of human
survival and interaction from the days of our cave-dwelling
ancestors. “People are not buying the fire pit to have it just
look a certain way. They’re buying it to create a memory,”
she says. “It’s one of the oldest ways to connect, just sitting
around the fire and telling a story or bringing out a guitar.”
Here we’ve compiled a master list of the most functional
and luxuriously warm ways to weather the seasons ahead.Shelter
Putting the bulk of your effort
into finding a separate sanctuary
will pay dividends through colder
months. Redwood Outdoors’s
Milky Way geodesic dome
($4,999; redwoodoutdoors.com)
is constructed from steel
pipes that can withstand high
winds, and it contains a sturdy
wooden door and a waterproof,
fire-retardant cover. A built-in
chimney bracket lets you add a
wood-burning stove. If you like
it extra-hot, the brand’s Cube
outdoor sauna (from $7,299;
redwoodoutdoors.com) is made
from Canadian red cedar, quickly
heats to 195F, can be used wet
or dry, and has a convenient
porch for two. The distinct
yurt dome shape of BoutiqueCamping Supply Ltd.’s Luna
Bell tent ($1,529 for 16-foot size;
belltent.com) is characterized
by a central pole and aluminum
framework that stands up to
gusts, and the fabric is mold-
and water-resistant. “We’ve
seen a huge increase [in sales]
since lockdown,” says Hanna
Rose-Wynter, the brand’s social
media executive. “People are
now purchasing stoves and
matting to make them more
winter-friendly.”Alvantor,a tent-
centricbusinessfoundedin 2011
nearLosAngeles, is seeing a
substantial uptick in orders, too;
its waterproof Bubble tent (from
$600; alvantor.com) is a top
seller. The pop-up clear shelter
retains an impressive amount of
heat while accommodating your
own pandemic bubble: as many
as a dozen adults in the largest,
15-by-15-foot option.Si
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