Coleman hits the road.

After the war, people had money and were ready to have fun. The automobile was no longer a novelty. Prices made cars affordable for many families, and with mobility came the urge to travel and explore. The vacation business was booming and Coleman took advantage of it.

Motor camping became the rage. Travelers lashed their belongings to their running boards and took off. Roadways were improving, but they weren't dotted with accommodations. Vacationers made camp roadside.

The fold-up camp stove Coleman developed in 1923 quickly found favor with the auto camping crowd. To retailers, the two-burner was billed as a "keen cooker and a quick seller." It found its way onto front porches and into hunting lodges, vacation cabins and camping trailers. Along with the lantern, which had suddenly found a new market, the camp stove made an ideal traveling companion.

During the next decade, Coleman would overtake its competitors and dominate the market.