May 21, 2007

By Brad Carlson

Tree-mounted campsite organizers are the specialty of Outdoor Concepts Inc., a new business in Boise.

Vice President Judy Zehnder said the company has a patent pending for its Tree Huggerz line of products, designed to help campers and outdoor recreationists organize gear and personal items.

A long strap secured around a tree trunk holds the organizer in place.

In addition to enabling the user to reduce clutter and litter by storing items above the ground, the organizers have environmental benefit, Zehnder said.

“There is something to day about the product being designed in an eco-friendly way,” she said.  “Items are up off the ground, but not hanging from branches. No nails.”

Outdoor Concepts offers Tree Huggerz organizers for camping, and for camping and hunting (both $19.99 with nine-foot strap).

These organizers include pockets, slots and hooks.  They’re suited for storing items such as clothing, towels, hats, sunscreen and insect repellant, pots and pans, utensils, flashlights, fishing rods, cameras and glasses, and a trash container, according to the company (www.tree-huggerz.com).

Tree Huggerz Ultralight ($13.99) was designed with backpackers, hikers and river sports enthusiasts in mind.  It’s the company’s latest organizer.

The new Tree Huggerz Accessory Kit (24.99) has a paper towel holder, mirror and campsite nightlight.

Making trash management easier is one key to keeping forest lands cleaner, according to the company.

Through the Plant a Tree – Project a Tree program, a partnership of Tree Huggerz and the National Arbor Foundation, Tree Huggerz donates a dollar from each organizer sold toward planting a tree in a U.S. national forest.

Zehnder and her husband Joe Zehnder, own Tree Heuugerz.  They bought the first product to market in 2005, and then expanded the product line.  They moved the warehouse from Los Angeles to Garden City, off Chinden Boulevard, last December

“We plan on developing more products as each year comes around,”  Judy Zehnder said.

Additional accessories for the line of campsite organizers will be developed, she said.

The Tree Huggerz employee count, now three, will increase as the company adds customers such as major retailers of outdoor gear, Zehnder said.

Existing clients include the Sportsman’s Warehouse and D&B Supply Chains, L,L, Bean stores, and the Boy Scouts of America supply division, she said.

Outdoor Concepts/Tree Huggerz recently announced that Liberty Mountain, Peregrine Outfitters and Equinox Ltd. Have agreed to distribute Tree Huggerz products in the U.S.

Zehnder said companies that sell items for horse camping are showing interest in the Tree Huggerz product line.

Information:  (208) 853-2371 or (866) 853-2374 toll-free.

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