Morgan Tilton

Forty-six years ago, a passionate hiker, climber and camper named John Burroughs had a groundbreaking idea: Sleeping on the solid earth, surrounded by the wilderness that he loved, shouldn’t need to be miserable.Burroughs had a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford and, at ...read more

The fishing community is becoming a leader in shifting the gender paradigm, a movement that dovetails with the outdoor industry’s growing focus on diversity. Introducing: 50/50 On the Water, a program to create gender parity in the sport of fly fishing. Orvis launched the ...read more

The outdoor industry’s collaborative ethos is growing—and spurring a handful of groundbreaking work-space collaborations. Shared overhead, resources, consumer traffic, and synergy are all incentives for brands, retailers, and nonprofits to jump on board with the movement. ...read more

At Salomon headquarters in Annecy, France, designers and engineers have been working on a groundbreaking manufacturing process that could be game-changing in the world of custom gear. In September, the design center’s ...read more

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Boundary-pushing paddlers are increasingly SUPing their way through multiday excursions and first descents. With the wild popularity of stand-up paddleboarding showing no signs of slowing, SUPers are no longer content to cruise around on the same old board. Brands are introducing ...read more

Customers snap up mosquito-protective gear in response to the Zika virus global health crisis. As the Zika virus continues its devastating march across the globe—last month, the first U.S. mosquito-borne cases popped up in Florida, prompting the first-ever CDC travel advisory for ...read more

Brands focus on sustainable pieces that protect against foul weather and UV rays — all while fighting stink.Stewards of our playground Great news for Mother Nature: For 2017, environmental responsibility is growing. “Younger consumers are increasingly interested in apparel that ...read more

The great coverup: Sun-shielding fabrics and full-coverage designs help consumers defy UV damage in this season's crop of performance apparel.NO GETTING AROUND IT: Playing outside means exposing your skin to the sun. But as the public’s concern about the dangers of solar ...read more

How do you make an outdoor shop feel cozy, luxurious and a bit more like home? Offer a refreshing beer, warm food, or steaming cup of Joe to help fuel consumers through their buying decisions and—perhaps hours—of geeking out on the newest technology and trails. Two Harbors, ...read more

Surrounded by a 4-foot wall of water, the taxi driver struggled to steer the cab. Liquid seeped into the vehicle. The car’s solo passenger—Allison Hill, Managing Director of LifeStraw—sat idle on the flooded road for 27 consecutive hours. Despite the unexpected cyclone and ...read more

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. If mountain climber Melissa Arnot had a motto, this might be it. She trains hard—including an ultramarathon this spring—to prepare her body for climbing the world’s tallest peaks and to strengthen her mind: “I don’t like running. Doing ...read more

Chelsea Griffie is a leading woman of color in the climbing world, and that reality is bittersweet. “I'm one of the go-to women of color climbers,” she said. “Which is flattering, but it is sad that there are so few of us.” Griffie was the first African American woman to climb El ...read more

Anne Miltenberger kept her eyes on the horizon while she rowed the boat, chewed raw coffee beans and fought to keep her heavy eyelids open. The inescapable sun, 100-degree heat and torn rib muscles exacerbated Miltenberger’s exhaustion. But if she dozed off while on row duty, ...read more

Owning a retail shop requires more than enough energy for the 40-hour workweek. Imagine running ten. For 13 years, Jennifer Mull has been the CEO of Backwoods, an ecosystem of outdoor retail fronts that include close to a dozen brick-and-mortar businesses throughout the West and ...read more

In light that it’s 2016—nearly a century following women’s suffrage, the U.S. Constitution’s 19th Amendment, and 80 years since the country’s first ski resort opened in Sun Valley, Idaho—the slice of women that are in leadership positions in the industry is shockingly delayed. ...read more

The new spin on socks? Hotter, smoother and more synthetic.We'll be adding stories from Outdoor Retailer Daily over the next several weeks. This Gear Trends article can be found on page 36 of the Day 4 issue.Non-wool spool  More and more synthetic socks are showing up next ...read more

This ski-season, imagine taking giant S-turns on a pair of skis that physically adapts, second-to-second. Essentially, having a set of planks that becomes more rigid or soft depending on the conditions of the terrain. The concept is somewhat surreal — but it’s not exactly a pipe ...read more

In the woodwork shop, a lathe pulls 1,600 feet of aged newspaper beneath a glue applicator, and then rolls the paper into a tootsie-roll cylinder shape. The newfangled device — created by Shwood Eyewear — looks like it could be from a scene in The Imitation Game. The handmade ...read more

It’s 6:14 p.m. That last-minute afternoon meeting ran late, but it doesn’t overshadow your much-needed date with your Stand Up Paddle Board. You drive to the nearest body of water, cross the beach with your SUP board, and the sun moves closer to the horizon. By the time you ...read more

Are those compression socks? Or, do they have graduated compression? Yes, even outdoor socks have their own technical lingo. And, indeed, medical-grade graduated compression and compression knits are two different, independent styles. For 2016, a wave of these varying compression ...read more

In eyewear, adventure and lifestyle frames are reflecting edgier styles, while greater photochromic lens ranges and bio-friendly frame resins are upping performance and sustainability. The trends point toward a consumer demand for a more minimalist approach — one durable pair of ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2015 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Aug. 5 – 8. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2015 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Aug. 5 – 8. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2015 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Jan. 20 – 24. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

One of the defining points of outdoor specialty retail is that it is where customers can go to discover what’s truly new. Local shop owners are the ones who often take the risk to bring in a small, start-up brand, differentiating themselves from the big boys. In this reoccurring ...read more

One of the defining points of outdoor specialty retail is that it is where customers can go to discover what’s truly new. Local shop owners are the ones who often take the risk to bring in a small, start-up brand, differentiating themselves from the big boys. In this reoccurring ...read more

This Outdoor Retailer Summer Market recap is brought to you in partnership with Gore-Tex. Sandals and watershoes for 2015 are sweeter than ever, with comfort-driven designs and supportive footbeds — but they haven’t sacrificed their feather-light weight. Plus, the active wearer’s ...read more

This Outdoor Retailer Summer Market recap is brought to you in partnership with Gore-Tex. Outdoor lifestyle footwear is getting an extra dose of sophistication for 2015 — while keeping up with technical developments. Stylish and lightweight warm-weather shoes on the show floor ...read more

This Outdoor Retailer Summer Market recap is brought to you in partnership with Gore-Tex. For 2015, hiking footwear is exploring a fresh area of comfort with climate control from the inside out. Across the board, designs are focused on establishing airflow to help draw moisture, ...read more

This Outdoor Retailer Summer Market recap is brought to you in partnership with Gore-Tex. Trail running footwear is swinging away from minimalism and finding a supportive sweet spot with midsole cushioning, heel bracing and higher drops. And on the spectrum of neutral-to-plush ...read more

One of the defining points of outdoor specialty retail is that it is where customers can go to discover what’s truly new. Local shop owners are the ones who often take the risk to bring in a small, start-up brand, differentiating themselves from the big boys. In this reoccurring ...read more

Leading up to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2014, SNEWS is previewing some of the top trends and new products you’ll see at the trade show and Open Air Demo in Salt Lake City, Aug. 5-9. You can access all these articles and more in our O.R. Daily Day 0 edition. Footwear is ...read more

One of the defining points of outdoor specialty retail is that it is where customers can go to discover what’s truly new. Local shop owners are the ones who often take the risk to bring in a small, start-up brand, differentiating themselves from the big boys. In this reoccurring ...read more

One of the defining points of outdoor specialty retail is that it is where customers can go to discover what’s truly new. Local shop owners are the ones who often take the risk to bring in a small, start-up brand, differentiating themselves from the big boys. In this reoccurring ...read more

This story is brought to you in partnership with the Outdoor Industry Association. Smaller, start-up outdoor brands continue the trend of collecting feedback from consumers during early product development. Instead of waiting to test the waters at retail, companies such as Kammok ...read more

In 2010, Colorado native Amy Hatch moved from Alaska to the periphery of Jackson, Wyo., and was caught off guard: Packrafting was still widely undiscovered in the Lower 48. She knew it was only a matter of time before its popularity took off. Within a year, Hatch introduced ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Jan. 21 – 25. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Jan. 21 – 25. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2014 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show Jan. 21 – 25. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to update ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show July 31 – Aug. 3. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to ...read more

Throughout the next month, SNEWS will recap its coverage of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2013 with select stories from the O.R. Daily we published at the show July 31 – Aug. 3. It’s an opportunity for you to catch up on stories you might have missed in O.R.D., and for us to ...read more

The less-is-more approach to shoes is making outdoor and endurance socks even more crucial for foot protection and recovery. “We’re focusing on providing a greater layer between the foot and the shoe,” said Mercedes Marchand, Sockwell and Goodhew’s vice president of design and ...read more