An ‘aha!’ moment camping during a hot Queensland summer led to the development of an award-winning Aussie outdoor product and the birth of a business — Stratus Outdoors — that makes innovative and quality gear ideal for caravanning and camping adventures.
For a fledgling business committed to innovation and sustainable design practices to have won two Australian Good Design Awards and be recognised globally for its quality and functional gear means Stratus Outdoors must be doing something right.
This Aussie brand offers a range of innovative products for caravanning and outdoor adventures, designed to be not only strong and functional but also compact and lightweight wherever possible. The business is proud to offer gear that is innovative, fit for purpose, good looking and reliable.
About Stratus Outdoors
A small Australian family-run business, Stratus Outdoors celebrated its second birthday in November this year.
The brand was born through a lightbulb moment when founder Joel and his family were camping in Queensland during a particularly hot summer. Joel saw some campers with their tents and swags shaded by a traditional tarpaulin. But the campers weren’t sitting under the tarp — it was too hot — they were sitting under the shade of a nearby tree.
Stratus Outdoors’ gear is already loved by caravanners, including The Feel Good Family who are full-time travellers (pictured)
At that moment Joel realised that there was a way to innovate the traditional Aussie tarp to reduce the temperature underneath, making camping more enjoyable.
The result was the Climate Changer II — a tarp with a patented design with cool flow cells that transfer heat from the sun, out of the shade — cooling the temperature below the shade by an average of 30 per cent. It was the winner of the Australian Good Design Award in 2023 and today is one of the company’s bestselling products.
From that small beginning, the brand was born — as was a commitment to bring innovative, environmentally responsible and good-looking gear to the market.
“We wanted to bring back simple functionality and make time outdoors more enjoyable,” Joel said. “Frankly we were fed up with cheap, breakable camping gear that we would find discarded as trash in the most beautiful natural spaces.
“We didn’t just want to make better products; we wanted to create companions for peoples’ adventures — pieces that are passed through the generations and become woven into the tapestry of their family stories.
“With every idea, every design decision, and every material choice, we keep one thing in mind: simple functionality that enhances the experience and is built to last.”
Stratus Outdoors’ patented shades are designed for harsh Aussie summers
The tightknit team at Stratus Outdoors is proud of what they have accomplished so far, winning two Australian Good Design Awards for their innovative and sustainable designs within the brand’s first two years of business.
“But more than the awards, it’s the community we’re building — the people who trust our products as their essential gear on their dream adventures — that inspires us every day,” said Joel.
Product range standouts
In the past two years, the range of Stratus Outdoors gear has expanded to include popular bestselling products such its All-Day reclining camp chairs, alloy camp table ‘The Derek’, a range of accessories including stainless steel dinnerware, and now the new Stratus Firepit Oven.
The Derek camp table
The Derek alloy camp table was the winner of the Australian Good Design Award in 2024.
This 8kg alloy table is made of 3mm brushed aluminium and stainless-steel fixings. With a distributed weight load of 150kg, the Derek is strong and reliable for multiple uses — whether it’s preparing a campfire meal, storing adventure gear high and dry, or filleting the catch of the day. With its simple, flat-fold design, the Derek pairs perfectly with the Barry Bench seats. It won’t get hot if left in the sun and you can put hot pans straight onto its tough aluminium surface.
The Derek has built-in bottle openers and towel rails and comes in a heavy-duty waxed canvas carry bag. The Derek can be personalised with extensions that include a washing-up sink, drying rack and under-bench hammock shelf.
The Derek camp table can be used as a table or workbench
Big D
The brand-new Big D is the taller brother to the Derek camp table. Standing at 900mm high, Big D is the same compact, lightweight, super-strong table as Derek, but at kitchen bench height — allowing you to prep your food without getting a backache.
The Big D camp table
Firepit Oven
The Stratus Outdoors team recently launched a first-of-its-kind patented Firepit Oven — a flat pack, 12kg firepit which houses an oven below the pit. It also features an oven tray and three height-adjustable shelf options, plus a height-adjustable grill plate for above the flames. This allows you to cook pizzas or roast some veggies while you chargrill your steak up top. A mix of aluminium and steel in all the right places, the Firepit Oven packs down into a heavy-duty rPET (recycled polyester) carry bag.
The new and patented Firepit Oven
The All-Day Chair
The All-Day Chair is popular with caravanners due to its light weight at 4.4kg. With a super-comfy canvas seat, bamboo armrests and alloy frame, it reclines for ultimate stargazing or afternoon naps. The All-Day Chair packs down compactly into a roomy carry bag with a thick strap. Pair the All-Day Chair with the camp stool and chair buddy for the ultimate camping setup.
The All-Day Chair is a popular choice
The Chair Buddy
The Chair Buddy is the must-have organiser for the All-Day Chair. More than a drink holder, the Chair Buddy has several pockets to hold your cup, drink bottle, book, iPad and the like and can stay on the chair when folded away.
The Chair Buddy
Barry Bench
The Barry Bench wins the award for the most versatile piece of camping equipment. Use Barry to help as a step-up when setting up camp. Then it becomes the campsite’s best multi-tasker — holding the afternoon snack platters, drinks, utensils, oil and hot pans at the campfire, before becoming an extra seat at dinner time. The Barry Bench has a distributed weight load of 200kg, and a simple flat-fold leg design. And in true Stratus Outdoor ingenuity, Barry won’t get hot in the sun.
The versatile Barry Bench
Built to last
Stratus Outdoors builds camping gear that can handle the toughest Aussie conditions, and every product is designed to be handed down through generations.
“Remember when parents used to pass camping gear onto the kids?” said Joel. “In the past decade, the quality and durability of camping and adventure gear has degraded to suit the high turnover business model of the large adventure superstores.
“The waste is destructive and unnecessary, and we are making it our business to design and create gear that’s built to last.”
Versatile camping gear that has been designed to last generations
Each product in the range is thoughtfully designed. The chairs are lightweight, compact and comfortable. The tables are strong and reliable and actually make camping easier.
All fabrics used by Stratus Outdoors are rPET — recycled polyester fibres that have been rigorously tested for durability. Aluminium features strongly in the range as it is lightweight, strong, durable and will not rust. Stratus Outdoors finishes its gear with stainless steel fixings to ensure longevity and durability from the elements.
Status Outdoors’ entire manufacturing, packaging and shipping process has been designed to be free of single-use plastic. To achieve this, the brand uses custom-made timber and cardboard pallets, FSC-certified recycled cardboard, papers in its packaging and paper tapes.
The Big D camp table is a great addition to any camping setup
Three-year warranty
Stratus Outdoors has designed a Stratus Signature Guarantee where it stands by the quality of its products. There is a standard three-year warranty on every product in the range. There is also a lifetime repair service where it will help customers to find a repair service close to them if needed.
If a product has been damaged beyond repair, it becomes incorporated into an afterlife program.
Customers love Stratus Outdoors products, as can be seen from their testimonials on its social media channels — Stratus Outdoors has a 4.8 Google review rating.
For further information about all the Stratus Outdoors products head here.
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