Snowtrekker

Imagine a split screen of a winter camping scene.

In the left panel, a camper pulls a tent from a toboggan, chops branches for a frame, then spends an hour wrestling with the heavy fabric and setting up the shelter in the snow and cold.

On the right, the camper takes a lightweight, breathable fabric tent and, using collapsible, shock-corded aluminum frames, assembles the tent in under 20 minutes, providing a snug interior.

The camper benefiting from the quick set-up is using a tent made by Snowtrekker, based in Viroqua, Wisconsin, outside of Madison.

“We want to make the winter camping experience more enjoyable,” says Jonah Lottig, operations manager at Snowtrekker.  “We want to make a portable, packable tent you can put up while keeping your gloves on.”

Jonah, along with his brother Eli, who serves as project manager, runs the business, while a third brother, Noah, handles tech and design. Their father, Duane Lottig, started the business in the 1990s, and he and his wife, Margot, are the company owners.

The senior Lottigs have always cherished the outdoors and the land, starting a Wisconsin dairy farm powered by draft horses. After selling the dairy operation, they moved to northwest Wisconsin, where they enjoyed canoeing and camping in both summer and winter.

Duane owned Empire Canvas, and unable to find a suitable winter camping tent, he purchased a commercial sewing machine, learned the skill of sewing, and started making winter tents (or “hot” tents) in his garage. Thus, Snowtrekker Tents was born, and tent-making soon became an integral part of the Lottig family’s life. As the business grew and the Lottigs aged, they realized their dream of passing business operations on to their sons.

Jonah credits his dad with the ideas behind the product. “He has an incredible amount of knowledge about winter camping,” Jonah says. “There was nothing on the market that was both lightweight, breathable, and portable. Nylon was often used, but the fabric wouldn’t dry out, and it was miserable in winter.”

The solution to keeping heat in while letting moisture escape was a proprietary lightweight, flame-retardant breathable canvas developed by the senior Lottig. To sew the tents, Snowtrekker has used Jacquart Fabric Products of Ironwood, Michigan (the same company that makes Stormy Kromer clothing) since 2002.

Jonah adds, “Winter campers were often making their own frames on site. Dad wanted to make something portable, where you could take everything—including the frame—with you.”

The senior Lottig adopted the “modified wedge” design for his tents—similar to those used during the Civil War —and developed an easy-to-assemble framing system, consisting of short sections of shock-corded aluminum tubes, which the company manufactures at its headquarters in Viroqua.

Tent sizes range from the smaller 8’x8’ High Country model to tents as large as 14’x20’. Since there is no center pole taking up floor space, a camper has access to the full area of the tent.

The company continues to develop features that enhance the camping experience.

The Lottigs point out that the variety of their tents makes it possible for campers to explore areas that would be inaccessible to travel trailers or camping vehicles.

The company’s hot tents contain a stove, designed by Snowtrekker but now manufactured by a U.S. company, a heat deflector, and a stove vent that can be closed off when the camper uses the tent in warmer weather. The entrance to the tent has been improved by a new vestibule (sold separately) to keep out rain and snow when the door is open.  Recently, the company introduced a line of covers designed to protect a camper’s sleeping bag, and this year, it has enhanced the durability of the framing pole pockets. Tent stakes, stake bags, and ground covers are among other accessories.

A customer who purchased a Snowtrekker tent some time ago and is now purchasing another may find the new one slightly different. “We are constantly tweaking designs to make the tent just a little bit better,” says Eli.  “A lot of our improvements are what customers are telling us they are looking for,” he adds. “But sometimes—like the pole pockets—they are little things the customer might not even notice.”

Eli adds that the improvements are designed to be incorporated into existing tents, so customers don’t have to purchase everything new. “A camper may have a tent that is 15-20 years old, and some of the changes can be adapted to these older models,” he says.

Many of the innovations at Snowtrekker result from the Lottigs’ own experience, as they are all campers themselves.

A recent trip to the western United States is a good example. Jonah says they encountered a new group of campers exploring the wilderness on ATVs. They are interested in a 14x14-foot, all-seasons high-country tent, which the company is now pursuing. Jonah says overall, the company is seeing a trend toward all-season tents. “As we try to expand our market to new individuals,” says Jonah, “We’re seeing a trend toward tents that can be used in multiple seasons. The beauty of our fabric is that in addition to being lightweight and breathable, it reflects the heat from the sun, making the camping experience more enjoyable.” Jonah explains that the fabric is not waterproof since it allows moisture from cooking, breathing, or drying gear to pass through, but it is treated to resist water, mold, and mildew.

The customer experience is key to Snowtrekker’s success. The company doesn’t maintain a storefront but operates out of a shop on Court Street in Viroqua. While customers do stop by the shop from time to time, more than 90 percent of the company’s business is conducted online. Shipping is free to customers in the lower 48 U.S. states.

Jonah says “word-of-mouth” is by far the best marketing tool the company has.  He says Snowtrekker has tried some of the more conventional promotional techniques, but as much as 90 percent of the company’s new business comes through referrals.

“In our business model, we try not to overwhelm ourselves,” says Jonah. “We’re not millionaires, and we’re not seeking high margins. We just want to provide high quality products at a reasonable cost for outdoor enthusiasts. We continue to evolve and make the product better, finding things we can tweak. That will help make our business grow.”