Imagine waking up in a treehouse overlooking Glacier National Park in Montana, or falling asleep to crystal clear constellations overhead in Utah’s Zion National Park. For Under Canvas, those dreams are a reality. While the camping company revels in its luxury accommodations, it’s experiencing natural, untouched land that defines their ethos.
“We were never interested in hospitality for hospitality’s sake,” says founder Sarah Dusek, who along with her husband Jacob, has been crafting state-of-the-art tents in and around U.S. National Parks since they moved from the UK (where Sarah is from) to Montana in 2009. “The magic that we discovered and what’s at the heart of the business is that experience is everything.”
Under Canvas started in Yellowstone “as a little camp with four tents,” says Sarah. But when they decided to add nearly 30 more, “that’s when the rubber hit the road.” Now, the company has grown to four locations with a staff of about 200. Tents have a bias toward “honest design,” says Jacob, who is in charge of the interiors, outfitting them with natural and locally sourced materials. “Each tent is married by two parts—the structure and the interior—and we seek inspiration from the rustic elegance of the past when designing both,” he adds. An airy and clean aesthetic with warm leather furnishings and cool tones are meant to highlight the canvas walls and, most importantly, the surroundings. “Guests go to sleep by the light of lanterns on all white linens atop a custom bed and wake up to the sound of birds chirping and the sunrise,” Jacob says.
But it’s the sustainable elements that really drive the company’s mission home. There is a no-trace philosophy, which means that when a tent is removed, it will be like it was never there, with most accommodations placed around trees by using existing trails, roads, and disturbed areas, so as not to create new ones. In addition, a camp for 100 people uses the same amount of water as a single-family home per day, and each Under Canvas campsite is run on an off-grid solar system as its power source.
With the Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Mount Rushmore all on the boards for next year, their small idea—sparked by an unforgettable African safari experience—is now “much bigger than we ever thought,” says Sarah.
