Snow Peak

スノーピーク

Snow Peak broke into the outdoor lifestyle space in 1958, at a time when camping as a form of leisure was still relatively uncommon in Japan. Snow Peak’s founder, YAMAI Yukio, was a keen mountaineer and outdoors fan whose love of tackling the precipices of nearby Mt Tanigawa lead to the creation of Snow Peak’s initial products.

Yamai’s native region of Tsubame-Sanjo is known for its finely crafted metalwork and is home to some of the most gifted titanium manufacturers in the world. This is where Snow Peak titanium is made. In 2018 Japan House London presented metalwork from Niigata Prefecture, including Snow Peak, in the Biology of Metal: Metal Craftsmanship in Tsubame-Sanjo exhibition.

The dawn of camping holidays

With his father, Yukio, responsible for the mountaineering side of the company, current president, YAMAI Tohru, instigated a line of high-end camping products. The first Snow Peak tent was released in 1990 and came into the market at a time when camping trips were more commonly associated with school excursions than a comfortable weekend away in nature. Yamai sought to re-define the image of camping in Japan, and introduce its pleasurable side with practical, straightforward camping equipment that would show people the ease of setting up camp.

Titanium mugs

Snow Peak’s Titanium Mug is the company’s iconic product; stylish enough to use at home but durable enough to take on a venture into the wilderness. Titanium, a notoriously difficult metal to work with, is shaped and rolled by the master craftsmen residing in Tsubame-Sanjo, creating something lightweight yet robust enough to withstand all kinds of conditions.

Pack and carry fireplaces

The Pack and Carry Fireplaces showcase the simplicity of style for which Snow Peak is renowned. The clever design is made up of four panels of stainless steel in a quadrangular pyramid shape and comes in three sizes to accommodate a variety of occasions. The fireplaces are built to last a lifetime – an enduring camping companion designed to be able to brace all elements.

Camping accessories - solid stakes and peg hammers

Snow Peak’s solid stakes and peg hammers are put through high temperature treatments and tapping processes by the metalworkers of Tsubame-Sanjo’s workshops, creating strength in the steel in the same way that items such as Japanese swords have been designed for centuries. The cylindrical heads of the stakes are carefully created to withstand heavy hammer blows and dig into a variety of ground conditions with ease.

Tsubame sanjo workers creating solid pegs

Military sleeping bags

Lightweight and minimalist in style, Snow Peak’s Military Sleeping Bags are specially engineered to ensure a warm and cosy night’s sleep. Enclosed within the bag are additional small pockets to store clothing or phones, lamps and personal items. The bags are suitable for temperatures as low as 3 degrees. The weight of each sleeping bag is just 2.6kg – compact enough to stow away on hiking trips.

Snow Peak at Japan House

This summer The Shop at Japan House London will display a variety of Snow Peak outdoor equipment. From space-age style titanium sake cups and bottles, through to collapsible chopsticks with helpful leather lanyards so they’ll never be lost, Snow Peak will introduce some of their ‘Go Sustainable Collection’ items, designed to be once-only purchases.

Visit Japan House and see the high-level craftsmanship and precision with which these stylish products have been crafted. Read more about the metal workshops of Tsubame-Sanjo and the variety of products manufactured in this area here.