FEATURE

A New Kind of Algorithm

What if the biggest obstacle to growing RVing isn’t interest, but access?

By Jordan Benschop

Photos courtesy of Outdoorithm

“I didn’t know national parks existed.”

In fact, Sally Steele — co-founder and CEO of an organization that helps more people confidently explore public lands — didn’t discover camping until adulthood.

“I knew Yogi Bear and Jellystone, but at some point I realized, ‘Oh wait, those are real places,’” Steele says with a laugh. “Even then, I didn’t know where these parks were or how you got there. It was something I had no access to.”

That unfamiliarity with the outdoors would eventually become the foundation for Outdoorithm — a tech-based platform launched in 2023 designed to help campers navigate one of outdoor recreation’s biggest challenges: knowing where to go, what to bring and how to confidently plan a trip.

The moniker, a play on “algorithm,” was born from a personal problem rather than a business idea, Steele says. It all started at Shenandoah National Park, where she embarked on her first hike alongside her then-boyfriend, Justin — now husband and Outdoorithm chief technology officer. The two settled in Atlanta, backpacking the Georgia mountains before eventually raising four daughters outside. When COVID-19 sent three kids home for remote schooling, the family needed more space.

“Our house was not as big as the number of people I just named,” she laughs. “We needed to get out to the parks that were still open, but amenities were closed. That gave us an opportunity to start figuring out our own setup.”

The Steeles bought a converted van and a small towable trailer that gradually saw nearly every other weekend on the road. Since then, the family has logged more than 150 camping trips — the testing ground for their future platform. Friends soon began asking how they could do the same.

“They were like, ‘This really hits our reset button’ and ‘I didn’t know that parks could be like this,’” she says.

“People liked the idea of [camping], but there were too many barriers for folks who didn’t grow up doing it. The biggest things were, ‘We don’t know where to go or what to bring.’”

The Steeles realized the challenge wasn’t convincing families to camp — it was helping people overcome the information and confidence barriers that kept them from their first trip.

“People were relying on the internet to find somewhere to spend the night with their children, and that can be scary,” Steele says. “So how do we give people the right data, with as few barriers as possible, to help them access the outdoors more broadly?

“And with our public lands, how do we help people know that these areas are ours?” she emphasized. “Part of it is, when you spend time [in nature], you start feeling a sense of connection and meaning — it pulls you toward protecting these places, as opposed to them just being places you’ve heard of.”

Moments from Outdoorithm Collective trips

Removing the Guesswork

Despite nearly one-third of the U.S. being federally managed public lands — much of it open to recreation via national parks and forests, Bureau of Land Management lands and wildlife refuges — planning a camping trip across nearly 640 million acres can prove surprisingly difficult. Campground info, reservation systems, road and weather conditions, RV accessibility and other data span countless websites — an information gap that can derail a trip before it leaves the driveway.

“Finding the data shouldn’t be the thing that’s difficult,” Steele says. “People just want information, to get the kids in the car and to get going. So let’s decrease the logistical barrier by making that part as easy as possible.”

Rather than serving as another campground directory, Outdoorithm pulls information on nearly 11,000 public campgrounds — from amenities, accessibility and reviews to real-time availability and weather data — into a single planning tool.

At the heart of the platform is AI-powered CampSage, a planning assistant that can answer questions such as, “Where can I camp with young kids within two hours of Denver?” or “Find a quiet campground with RV hookups near Rocky Mountain National Park,” complete with packing list suggestions and alternatives when sites are booked.

Steele is careful, however, not to position AI as the story itself. “The one thing AI is good at is categorizing and systemizing data,” she says.

That approach extends to one of the RV industry’s modern pain points: campground reservations. Outdoorithm monitors availability across systems and alerts campers to available sites, linking directly to official booking systems without additional fees.

For RVers, these tools become even more valuable. RV-specific filters help identify campgrounds with hookups, dump stations and RV-compatible spaces — info that Steele says is often difficult to verify.

“We really wanted to bridge that gap and get this into the hands of RVers,” she says.

The easier it is for owners to discover destinations and plan trips, the more often they’re likely to use their RVs — a benefit for both consumers and the industry.

Pursuing Possibility

For the RV industry, Outdoorithm’s technology is only part of the story. Steele believes the bigger opportunity lies in understanding what today’s first-time campers, and tomorrow’s RV buyers, are truly seeking. That banks on storytelling and a “shift in imagination.”

“People need to see themselves in advertisements,” she emphasizes.

Outdoor marketing often falls into stereotypes — rugged solo van-lifers or retirees enjoying life on the road. That leaves many younger families wondering whether the lifestyle is for them.

The perspective is informed by the Steeles’ own experience adapting the family van as they grew — their proof that RV travel doesn’t always fit a single mold.

“You can outgrow your van without outgrowing your van,” she says. “When our oldest and youngest wanted to sleep in the van, we pitched tents for the others. You don’t have to do it one way.”

Flexibility, Steele says, is something the RV industry could emphasize more — particularly as younger consumers seek experiences and practicality over possessions.

Another barrier is uncertainty about where an RV can safely go. Many prospective buyers think first of private campgrounds or RV resorts, while millions of acres of public lands remain unfamiliar or intimidating.

That philosophy prompted early conversations with RV companies about potential ways to integrate Outdoorithm’s planning tools into the ownership experience. While no formal partnerships have been announced, Steele sees space for the tech to complement the RV journey.

“Our goal is to help families find their perfect campground. If we can integrate that experience into the RV journey, whether that’s through partnerships or other opportunities, it’s a great way to help people put their RV to maximum use.”

Ultimately, she believes the industry’s best opportunity lies in helping a broader range of people imagine themselves using an RV, not selling a different one.

An Outdoorithm Collective group trip in northern California

The ‘How,’ Not the ‘What’

For Steele, however, making camping easier has never been the end goal.

“Camping is the ‘how,’ not the ‘what’,” Steele says. “The ‘what’ is mental health. The ‘what’ is reconnecting to the land. The ‘what’ is reconnecting families.”

That belief is what led to the establishment of Outdoorithm Collective, a sister nonprofit that addresses a different set of barriers.

The Collective hosts guided camping trips that introduce outdoor-curious families — especially those who have historically been underrepresented in recreation — to public lands, spotlighting community, learning and confidence-building.

“This is not a fully planned retreat,” she says. “We provide the food, we provide the gear, but we don’t set it up for you. The idea is you come, you learn, you connect and then you go do it on your own.”

Collective trips teach everything from campsite etiquette, shelter and cooking outdoors to filtering water, navigating amenities and basic safety. By the end of a trip, the goal isn’t only an enjoyable weekend outside — it’s to leave feeling capable of returning.

“One of our guiding principles is ‘Nobody solos.’ There are times where you need help, and there are times where you can offer help.”

Participants complete surveys before and after every trip, helping the Steeles track the intangibles: people’s sense of belonging outdoors, camping abilities, family relationships and overall well-being.

“We’re at this beautiful place right now where people are almost rediscovering the outdoors,” she says. “Now the mission is helping others know that these places belong to them.”

That shift, Steele says, represents an opportunity that extends beyond a tech platform. If the outdoor recreation industry can help lower barriers that keep people who want to camp from doing so — whether that’s better info, inclusive storytelling or helpful products — they play a major role in strengthening communities’ quality of life.

After all, she says, the goal was never simply to help people book a campsite. The goal was always to help them come alive in the outdoors.