Podcast Summary: "Too Many Shows? Taking the Outdoor Industry’s Trade Show Temperature"

The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary
Host: Colin True (B), with Owen Comerford (C) & Producer Dave (D)
Date: December 15, 2025

Main Theme

The episode dives into the crowded landscape of outdoor industry trade shows, exploring whether there are too many and what these events do (or don’t do) for brands, retailers, and enthusiasts. With candid banter, the hosts also dissect broader industry news, trends in branding, gear, color, and retail, always bringing an irreverent, no-BS tone that challenges outdoor industry orthodoxy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Funny Openers and Recent News

• Hosts joke about becoming Lululemon CEOs and tight leggings (00:08-00:50).
• Quicksand in Arches National Park: The episode opens with a wild story about a hiker rescued from real quicksand—something most only remember from cartoons (02:31-04:22).
  • D: “Anytime you see a story and there’s quicksand in the title, dude, bees to honey, man, we’re going right to it.” (03:57)
  • B: “Looney Tunes—they knew what they were talking about back in the 1950s.” (04:15)

2. ANTAs Big Step into the US Market

Timestamps: 04:22–09:54

• ANTA, a major Chinese sportswear company (owners of Arc'teryx, Salomon, Fila China), is opening its first US store in Beverly Hills.
• Key Issues Discussed:
  • Massive scale and ambition, with NBA athlete endorsements (Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson) (04:54).
  • US Market Challenges:
    • “Is the US consumer ready to embrace a native Chinese athletic brand that is premium priced, on par with the Nikes of the world?” (C, 04:54)
    • Entrenched US bigotry and perceptions about Chinese brands being “cheap” (07:30–07:49).
    • Building genuine interest in the core ANTA brand, not just their subsidiaries (06:44–07:30).
  • The risk and doubts about whether opening a single US flagship can crack the market.
  • Brand perception and the “white-label” approach—brands like Arc’teryx don’t play up their ownership, which helps (09:14-09:33).
  • D: “It’s not money or product, it’s going to be perception. Let’s be fair, most of the American brands we’re buying are Chinese brands anyway.” (09:39)

3. Arc’teryx: Sport Meets Luxury

Timestamps: 09:54–17:17

• Arc’teryx shifts from 70% wholesale (six years ago) to 75% direct sales.
• The brand’s self-positioning as “in between sport and luxury.”
• Growth Driven by China:
  • In China, Arc’teryx is a pure luxury brand—higher prices, low actual outdoor use (11:18).
  • C: “In China, they are a luxury brand, plain and simple...It’s actually more expensive in China, which I think is a little bit crazy.” (11:18)
• North American Evolution:
  • Arc’teryx’s core user may be left behind as luxury and fashion become dominant.
  • Resale market is strong; the brand commands premium secondhand value.
  • The North Face comparison: TNF has kept a foot in both core and mainstream; Arc’teryx has gone all-in on luxury and fashion.
  • D: “It’s really more of a testament with what North Face has pioneered...and just really the obsequious nature of outdoor into our culture that is now just part of mainstream kind of fashion sense.” (13:28)
  • The danger of becoming a "finance bro" status symbol, losing enthusiast credibility.
  • C: “At what point does that turn to, 'oh, this is a bit of a douchebag'? Right? Like, nice BMW, dude.” (16:38)

4. L.L.Bean’s Retail & Wholesale Expansion

Timestamps: 17:17–21:40

• Opening 8–10 new stores, entering the South ("Yankee Exotic" as a brand identity of sorts).
• Wholesale Expansion:
  • Increasing presence in outdoor shops and using independent sales reps.
  • C: “They have a huge amount of authenticity...but can they become a fixture in wholesale?” (17:17)
• Bean’s challenge: balancing authentic, signature items with more generic line fillers.
• Unique regional perceptions—still seen as “exotic” in the South, though commonplace in the Northeast.
• D: “Maybe in where they’re opening stores, it’s still kind of a Yankee Exotic outdoor brand.” (20:00)

5. Color of the Year – Chili Red vs. Cloud Dancer

Timestamps: 21:55–28:51

• Industry chatter over Pantone’s "meh" white (Cloud Dancer) vs. Stitch Fix’s “chili red.”
• Color’s Real Story:
  • Men’s products: dominated by black, gray, blue, taupe.
  • Women’s: more varied but still often subdued.
  • Retailers strategically buy “core” colors and sprinkle “splash” colors for visual variety; true color trends hit retail years after pronouncement.
• Expert insight from color consultant Dawn Rae Knoth: color of the year is a “marketing tool”—not a direct influence on coming seasons (25:54).
• D: “Just look at the reactions to color of the year to understand the emotional power of color.” (25:54)
• 2026’s color? "Transformative teal" (28:03); expect it in shops possibly by 2028.

6. Notable Collabs: TNF x Skims for Kids

Timestamps: 28:51–31:51

• North Face x Skims expands to kids' puffy jackets/one-pieces.
• Hosts mock the absurdity and discuss the reality of expensive kids' outerwear.
  • C: “I mean, just so we’re clear, Skims is a brand that has a thong with fake pubic hair on it...and we’re gonna do that for kids?” (29:53)
  • D: “You guys are completely discounting the power of the fitted mom and kid...They looked like they were a photo that went together.” (30:45)

7. Kappa Olympic Ski Uniforms: Where’s the Red, White & Blue?

Timestamps: 31:55–34:16

• Italian sportswear brand Kappa’s new US ski & snowboard kits draw criticism.
  • Non-traditional colors (gray and magenta) don’t evoke the US flag.
  • Hosts poke fun at Kappa’s logo, which resembles “the reclining naked lady mud flap.” (33:33)
  • D: “That’s right. In the '70s, there was either that mud flap or Yosemite Sam.” (33:46)

8. Main Topic: The Outdoor Trade Show Overload

Timestamps: 34:16–52:11

• Host Rundown: 10+ major US industry shows each year, now fragmenting what two Outdoor Retailer (OR) shows once did.
  • Examples: OMA, GOA Connect, Functional Fabric Fair, Sea Otter, Outside Festival, Switchback Spring, OIA Rendezvous, Outdoor Retailer Summer, ISPO, and more (37:50).
  • B: “Just writing that list, I’m like, oh my God, there’s so much.” (38:32)
• Exhaustion & Fragmentation:
  • C: “We used to be able to cover most of this with basically two shows, and now it takes 12.” (39:31)
• Pros & Cons of Specialization:
  • Pros: Targeted events serve specific transactional needs (retail/buyer meetings, media, sourcing, etc.).
  • Cons: Lose the all-industry “big tent” vibe vital for community-building, innovation, and cultural connectivity.
    • D: “Industries suffer when they lose their central meeting place.” (40:57)
    • B: “You still need...that undeniable thing that creates FOMO so people won’t question it.” (41:34)
  • Shows like the Running Event succeed by creating a compelling center (retailer awards); current outdoor shows haven’t nailed this.
• Who Should Lead?
  • D: “It’s the responsibility of our largest brands to provide the connective tissue and to support the industry that got them to the size that they are today.” (42:48)
  • Legacy brands are hesitant to support national events without clear ROI; the value for emerging brands may differ.
• Hopefuls & Innovations:
  • GOA does well for a subset, but limited in reach.
  • Switchback Spring could be a new hub, but faces steep challenges (42:13–42:48).
  • OR is doubling down on emergent brands and discovery, hoping to work retailers and bigger brands back into the fold (46:28–47:41).
  • Consumer-facing festivals (e.g., Outside Days), and hybrid models (e.g., Sea Otter, Overland Expo), are surging (51:08–52:11).
  • C: “There is the potential for some form of consumer-based outdoor show. They're huge in Europe...Maybe that's the beginning of that.” (51:19)

9. Parting Shot: Oregon’s Outdoor Recreation Insurance Crisis

Timestamps: 52:11–57:16

• Rising insurance costs and dropped coverage threaten Oregon’s outdoor recreation industry after a 2014 court decision voided liability waivers.
  • Ski resorts, climbing gyms, rafting guides, and more are at risk; the legislature has failed to act decisively.
  • D: “I just don’t understand the lack of urgency that’s gone on, especially in a state where the outdoors...is tied to our personality and who we see ourselves.” (55:45)
  • C: “It’s kind of a little bit of consumer protectionism maybe run amok is what this is.” (56:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• C (on ANTAs challenge): “Is the US consumer ready to embrace a native Chinese athletic brand that is premium priced, on par with the Nikes of the world?” (04:54)
• D (on Arc’teryx): “I think it's really more of a testament with what North Face has pioneered...the obsequious nature of outdoor into our culture.” (13:28)
• C (on L.L.Bean in the South): “I think that should be the name—Yankee Exotic.” (20:16)
• B (on color trends): “Pantone Coloro, WGSN, those are the groups that actually set the palettes that influence our products. I don’t care whose chili red is that. That’s fine.” (24:56)
• C (on color in stores): “If you just merchandised it with what sold, it would all be black, blue, and gray 100%. That would be the whole store.” (23:41)
• D (on the show overload): “Exhausted.” (38:30)
• C (on event fragmentation): “We used to be able to cover most of this with basically two shows and now it takes 12.” (39:31)
• D (on convening): “It is the responsibility of our largest brands to provide the connective tissue and to support the industry that got them to the size that they are today.” (42:48)
• D (on ski uniform colors): “The colors of kind of gray and magenta...from just kind of an American sensibility...you would just think that you might follow those guides a little bit more.” (32:54)
• C (on the future of trade shows): “No stone unturned, kitchen sink, man. That's all, like, it's everything we got. We're unloading the clip...it takes a village, apparently.” (49:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Quicksand rescue story: 02:31–04:22
• ANTA US Market Entry: 04:22–09:54
• Arc’teryx as Luxury: 09:54–17:17
• L.L.Bean Expansion: 17:17–21:40
• Outdoor Brand Color Trends: 21:55–28:51
• TNF x Skims for Kids: 28:51–31:51
• Kappa & US Ski Uniforms: 31:55–34:16
• Main Event: Too Many Trade Shows: 34:16–52:11
• Parting Shot – Insurance Crisis: 52:11–57:16

Tone & Takeaways

With their signature irreverence and willingness to dig into the messiness of the outdoor industry, the hosts deliver a wide-ranging but focused critique of the current trade show morass, blending industry analysis with sharp-witted banter. The episode is an invaluable listen for anyone in the outdoor industry feeling trade show fatigue or wondering where real community-building happens next.

Key Takeaway:
The trade show landscape is more fragmented than ever, challenging the industry to re-find its cultural and commercial center. Whether that’s through new models like consumer-facing festivals or renewed brand investment in community events remains to be seen—but no one believes we’ll ever return to the OR-dominated days of old.

Produced by: Producer Dave
Art direction: Sarah Genser
Hosts: Colin True, Owen Comerford, Producer Dave