The History of Campingaz – Camping & Caravan Direct

Few names in outdoor equipment carry the same recognition as Campingaz. For more than seven decades the brand has supplied campers, caravanners and backyard cooks with stoves, cylinders, coolers and barbecues, building a reputation on products that are safe, dependable and straightforward to use. Its story begins with a simple observation on a family holiday.

A holiday that sparked an idea

In 1949, a young man set off camping with his family and saw an opportunity to improve how people cooked and lived outdoors. His answer was a refillable gas cylinder: compact, convenient and economical. The company itself was founded that same year by three French engineers, Colomb, Corlet and Sillon, and the first cylinder to appear under the Camping Gaz name was the Bideon Bleu, produced in Oullins near Lyon.

The idea caught on quickly, and outdoor life was never quite the same. From beach to campsite, garden to hillside, the brand reshaped expectations for cooking and adventure in the open air, introducing new innovations with almost every passing decade.

Growth in France

Demand soon outstripped the original workshop. A dedicated site was built at Saint Genis Laval in Lyon in 1952, and with it came a two-burner stove and new lighting products. Three years later the company introduced the C206 pierceable cartridge alongside the Bleuet stove, a combination that became the last word in lightweight cooking. In 1962 the business was renamed Application Des Gaz (ADG).

Further expansion followed in 1970, when the French bank Crédit Lyonnais bought the company and the plant grew, taking on an additional 200 staff.

The 1970s: stoves and coolers

The following decade brought a run of new product lines. The Instaflam backpacking stove arrived in 1974, signalling a fresh approach to modern design, and was followed by the single-burner Club 300. In 1975 hard coolers joined the range, adding comfort and convenience for campers, and a DIY line was launched. Two years later the Isotherm hard cooler range offered a step change in keeping and carrying fresh food.

The 1990s: a first gas barbecue

The company’s first true gas barbecue, the Ranchero, was launched in 1994. Designed in-house and manufactured by ADG in Lyon, it was among the earliest gas barbecue models to be built and sold in Europe. Soft coolers were added to the cooler range in the same period.

In 1996 the business was acquired by the Coleman Company, a US specialist in outdoor recreation. To increase production capacity, barbecue manufacturing moved the following year to the Italian facility CGIT, which already produced the majority of the company’s thermoelectric and passive hard coolers. Campingaz Italia opened its factory doors in 1997, and a year later the brand name was changed to Campingaz.

RBS technology and the Expert range

In 1998 came the Radiant Burner System, or RBS. The burner deflects heat within the firebox, giving even heat distribution and removing the risk of flare-ups.

The Expert range followed in 2000, combining simplicity, attractive design and strong performance at an affordable price. It remains the best-selling Campingaz barbecue across Europe.

The 2000s: efficiency and quality control

The patented, award-winning Low Flame Burner was introduced in 2010 on the El Prado. Offering excellent heat distribution with low gas consumption, it uses 50 per cent less energy than traditional gas barbecues and now features in most Campingaz plancha models.

Quality assurance was extended to production in China in 2006 with the opening of the Asian Technical Centre. More than 100 employees and inspectors oversee the development process to maintain top-level quality standards.

A new chapter in gas grilling

Coleman was acquired by Jarden Corporation in 2005. As gas grilling grew in popularity across Europe, the Campingaz barbecue range was relaunched in 2014 with new 3 and 4 Series models. Drawing on extensive technology research and consumer studies, the line introduced innovations including InstaClean and EvenTemp, and worked alongside the Culinary Modular System to offer a wide range of cooking options.

Jarden Corporation was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid in April 2016, forming Newell Brands. That year also saw Campingaz established as a leading barbecue brand in Europe, holding the number one position in France by volume for gas barbecues and planchas, number one in Switzerland by both volume and value, number one in Italy by volume, and number two in Belgium and the Netherlands by volume, with rapid growth in Germany.

In 2017 the company launched its premium gas barbecue collection, the Master Series. It brought together the brand’s innovative features and technologies: an improved InstaClean system, high-powered stainless steel EvenTemp burners, a double-wall stainless steel lid and a sleek stainless steel body. A separate Searing Boost Station was added for steak searing.

A lasting legacy

From a single refillable cylinder to a European barbecue range, Campingaz has spent more than 70 years equipping people to cook and eat outdoors. The products have changed, but the principle behind them has not: simple, well-designed solutions that work when they are needed.