What Happens When Small Brands Work Together

Why Collaboration Beats Competition in the Outdoor Industry

written by Craig Caudill

The morning mist was just starting to lift off the Georgia clay when I stepped into the heart of Demo Days. Casey, as always, played the role of host with a wild and quiet confidence that made everyone feel at home. Heather’s laugh cut across the campsite, bright, genuine, and impossible not to smile at. Mikey stood by a table, cracking open a Pepsi with one hand and laying out knives with the other. Mike Mojica had already gotten his run in before sunrise. I saw Nick from Wazoo preparing breakfast for his family.  These weren’t just brand reps and business owners. They were friends, collaborators, and community builders.

As the day unfolded, something subtle but powerful started to take shape. Around the coffee pot, fire pits, vendor tables, during scheduled Q&As and casual gear talks.  Folks from LT Wright Knives, Tuff Possum Gear, Wazoo, Outdoor Element, PNWBUSHCRAFT Georgia Bushcraft, Brautigam Expedition Works and others leaned in. Not to sell harder, but to share more. They talked shop. They traded stories. They answered questions with the kind of real-world experience you don’t get from a YouTube ad. Nobody was guarding trade secrets or trying to one-up the next guy.

It felt good. Better than good. It felt like proof that in this industry, true strength doesn’t come from stealing warmth from the fire from the next guy. It comes from building bigger fires so more people can gather around it. That’s not just a metaphor. It’s right there in our Demo Days logo, a campfire burning bright at the center of it all. That fire represents more than warmth or light. It represents shared knowledge, shared values, and shared purpose. Everyone brought their own tinder, their experience, gear, grit, and creativity. And instead of guarding their flames, they added to the blaze. No egos. No elbows out. Just a bunch of small brands throwing wood on the same fire to keep the community alive and growing.

Real-World Results from Collaboration

Talk is cheap. The results are not. And Demo Days didn’t just feel good while it was happening. It kept producing long after the tents were packed and the last ember went cold.

One of the clearest signs of shared success is the ripple effect of the Wazoo firecards. What started as a standout product became a template for co-branding done right. Now, multiple companies, including mine, offer their own version of those cards, stamped with their logo and story. That one collaboration has turned into a shared signal flare across the industry, connecting customers to trusted brands through something useful and well-designed.

Media collaborations took root, too. After connecting with so many great folks at Demo Days, I authored several articles for Field & Stream and other publications where I was able to feature gear from the people I met there. These weren’t paid placements. These were “this works, and I trust it” recommendations. In a landscape where marketing often gets loud, authenticity still cuts through.  The influencers that were present built relationships with gear makers and teachers to make their content more useful to their audiences.

Social media became less about self-promotion and more about mutual support. Instead of PNWBUSHCRAFT just posting studio shots of their bags, they began pairing their gear with photos of my books, highlighting how these items belong together in the wild.

In turn, I created content featuring their gear, as well as pieces from LTWK, Tuff Possum Gear, and others. It was a two-way trail. Helpful, natural, and genuinely collaborative.

Then there’s the kind of connection you can’t fake. Creative projects born from shared values. I watched Taylor from Best Damn EDC and the folks at LT Wright Knives sketch out a concept for a new blade project, right there on site. That knife, CC Frontier First, just launching as I write this, promoted with full force from both camps. It wasn’t just a gear drop. It was a relationship made visible.

In a world full of noise, these partnerships weren’t shouted. They were echoed. That’s what happens when people stop competing for attention and start building community.

Why It Works

What surprised me most was how openly supportive some of the most “competitive” folks were, especially the knife makers. These are craftsmen who, on paper, are all chasing the same audience. But you’d never know it from watching them interact. They traded ideas, swapped build ideas, and celebrated each other’s work like old friends. When good knives get talked about, everyone in the knife world wins.

This collaborative spirit seems to come naturally to small outdoor brands. It’s because most of us started from the same place, not a boardroom but a trailhead. We didn’t get into this to build empires. We got into it to get people outdoors (including ourselves) and help them do things well. That common origin story gives us more in common than we often realize.

When customers see brands gathered around the same flame—sharing knowledge, cheering each other on, spotlighting one another—they don’t just see companies. They see a community. They don’t just see gear. They see stories, values, and people who care.

In a world full of fake filters, AI content, and carefully curated facades, what we have is real. The campfires are real. The dirt under our boots is real. And the people, well, we shake hands, we bro hug, we full-on hug, because this isn’t just business. It’s a community rooted in shared ground, shared purpose, and a deep respect for doing business…right.

Most customers don’t want to buy, just to buy. They want to feel good about what they’re supporting. When they see collaboration like this, they know we’re not just here to sell. We’re here to serve. To offer quality products and even better experiences for those who carry them into the wild.

Personally, I took away more than I could list. But that’s not the point of this article. The truth is, this was never about one person or one brand. It was about all of us, working to make something bigger and better together. That’s what makes the Co-op work. That’s what keeps the fire burning.

How to Get Involved and Why It Matters

If you’re a small outdoor brand still hesitant about collaboration, here’s my advice. Set that hesitation aside. Nobody in the Co-op is perfect. We’re still figuring it out as we go, and we always will be. But the quality of the group, both the people and the partnerships, keeps getting stronger. And the best way to get started is simple. Share someone else’s content. Lift up another brand on social media and see where it leads. That one gesture can open doors you didn’t even know existed.

That said, there’s a balance to strike. The Campfire Co-op should never take the place of your brand. Your business is your focus, and it always should be. If you spend all your energy on collaboration and none on your own growth, you’ll burn out or lose your direction. But if you look for ways to build your brand through the Co-op, by working with others who align with your values, then it becomes fuel, not distraction.

This community isn’t just a feel-good experiment. It’s made up of teachers, influencers, makers, and doers. People who all share a common origin story. We started because we wanted to equip others with the best skills and gear we could offer. That’s still the heart of it.

So, here’s your invitation. Join us. We hold annual events where we get together in person, swap ideas, and share gear around real campfires. And we stay connected year-round through an active Discord server where we troubleshoot, celebrate wins, and keep each other sharp. You don’t have to go it alone. In fact, your brand might go farther if you don’t.

Craig Caudill is the Director of Nature Reliance School and a member of the Campfire Co-op.  You can read more about his in-person and online training, his books, and more at www.naturereliance.org