Campnab Celebrates Sending 3.5 Million Campsite Availability Alerts
May 31, 2023
VANCOUVER, BC MAY 31, 2023
Campers Eric Shelkie and Eric Karjaluoto have made it possible to find openings at sold-out campgrounds with their app, Campnab. From a basement side project born out of necessity, Campnab has grown to send a whopping 3.5 million cancellation alerts for sold-out campgrounds.
Back in 2017, the app’s inception was a solution to a problem Eric Shelkie’s wife, Kim, had: sold-out campgrounds. To save her the time of manually checking for cancellations, the two Erics automated the campsite tracking process. It has since grown to monitor availability for 350,252 campsites (plus backcountry permits) across 14,877 campgrounds in 3,133 parks.
“Our mission at Campnab is simple: we help people go camping,” says co-founder Eric Karjaluoto. “We didn’t start with a grand vision. We just wanted to solve a problem that many campers experience – finding an available campsite.”
Since its launch, the app has been enthusiastically received by the camping community. It generated significant attention and gained its first customer within hours of being shared on a local subreddit. Word-of-mouth recommendations propelled Campnab to success, with usage doubling each year. Over 30,000 campers have used the product to discover new campsite availabilities.
Now entering its seventh camping season, Campnab’s members credit the app with helping them make seemingly impossible camping trips possible. Campnab customer Nicole Iacovoni explains, “I was about to give up after weeks of unsuccessful booking attempts for a park in Florida. Discovering Campnab was a game-changer. Their alert system allowed me to book the park I wanted just a few days later.”
Customers have given Campnab a 5.0-star rating on Facebook and Google. Additional reviews from members can be found in the reviews section on Campnab’s website.
Despite the increase in demand, the app remains a close-knit product run entirely by its two co-founders. “This whole thing took us by surprise,” says co-founder Eric Shelkie. “I never thought our side project would get this big. It’s nice to know that our app has helped so many campers visit these beautiful parks.” Campnab is now working to expand its coverage to additional regions to service more campers.
Campnab is accessible via a web browser, eliminating the need to download a standalone app. Memberships start at $10 a month and can be canceled in the off-season. For more information about Campnab, or to create a scan for a campsite cancellation, visit https://campnab.com.
About Campnab:
Campnab is a campsite availability tracker that monitors sold-out parks in the U.S. and Canada for cancellations. Campers set up a scan noting when, where, and how long they want to camp. The app then notifies them when a suitable campsite or permit opens up—so they can make a reservation.