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A group of people posing in front of tents.

The idea for NEMO was born one turbulent night in 2002 on the side of Mount Washington, where founder Cam Brensinger spent five sleepless hours in a poorly designed bivy. That night, he realized how much opportunity there was for thoughtful design as part of the equation for enjoying adventure. Coming down the mountain the next day, he resolved to tackle that challenge. Cam founded NEMO Equipment that spring of his senior year at the Rhode Island School of Design, and opened NEMO's first office in Nashua, New Hampshire three days after graduation.

The name NEMO was inspired by Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo and coincidentally alluded to "New England Mountain Outfitters."

(A spirit of adventure... New England... Pretty fitting, huh?)

A man and a woman working on a table in a workshop.

Cam set up operations in a restored textile mill with some fellow designers and engineers, where he worked for two years patterning and building prototypes of his first proprietary airbeam-supported tents.

In 2004, he debuted the brand to the public, and it quickly began winning awards for design and innovation. NEMO was the overall winner of the ISPO Brand New award in 2005 and its designs were among the 100 best inventions of the year awarded by TIME and Popular Science. These kicked off a string of awards and accolades that have only continued since then.

A group of people posing for a photo on a grassy field.

For two decades, as our team has grown, we have actively lived out the belief that intelligently designed gear enables the adventures that make us all our best selves — humans who are conscious, inspired, connected, and mindful. The sticker in our conference room captures our ethos: “Design Like You Give a Damn.”

And we do just that.

This video describes founder & CEO Cam Brensinger’s goal to build the best business, not simply the biggest. That mindset has supported the company for 20 years and led to strategic growth, giving NEMO a reputation as a major player in the outdoor industry while maintaining strong values and a small, tight-knit work culture.

Founder & CEO Cam Brensinger’s goal is to build the best business, not simply the biggest. That mindset has supported the company for 20 years and led to strategic growth, giving NEMO a reputation as a major player in the outdoor industry while maintaining strong values and a small, tight-knit work culture.

Watch the Video

A group of tents lit up at night in a wooded area.

At NEMO, we truly believe adventure can be found anywhere, from the top of Mount Washington to that hidden beach spot... to your own backyard. We build gear that makes it easy for anyone to take that first step in exploring the outdoors, and we want to help transform that first step into a lifelong love.

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An aerial view of a forest with a river in the background.

NEMO is proudly headquartered in Dover, New Hampshire, with beaches, forests, and mountains all within easy reach. While the Northeast is home to top-tier universities and leaders in the technology space, it’s also the backyard for many established outdoor lifestyle brands, making it a go-to place for big ideas and big adventures.

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“More than anything, I was and continue to be a maker. I just love making things — and I had a vision about the kind of culture, purpose, and values that I’d want to instill in a company right from the beginning.”

A man sitting in front of a yellow tent.

"My best GO FAR trip was to hike the Fjällräven Classic in Sweden. I was stoked to be able to take the time off with my dad and fly to the arctic for a week. We met all kinds of folks from all over the world."

A man sitting at a bar looking at his phone.

"Climbing is a great expression of the type of adventure that I really like. It’s about adventure and exploring new places and learning new things. It takes you to places where nobody goes and puts you in stressful situations, and you learn a lot."

A woman wearing sunglasses and a beanie on a ski slope.

"There’s a level of flexibility [at NEMO] that allows you to embrace your individuality, explore, and pursue adventures... I really love that [we don't] just talk the talk, we walk the walk — we work damned hard, but we are encouraged to play hard too."