OR in a Clam Shell

This year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was history-making big, according to show organizers Nielsen Business Media, and the Salt Palace Convention Center was busting at the seams as evidence.

So much so that “new” exhibitors were banished to the adjacent “ESA” or EnergySolutions Arena, which exhibitors lovingly dubbed “East Siberia Area.” The walk over to the ESA actually wasn’t that bad, assuming one used the proper exit from the Salt Palace, though foot traffic was light to non-existent most days (a few exhibitors even said some form of legal action would be taken against Nielsen ... uh, good luck there).

Back in the main hall, the show certainly was too much for one man to cover. Even so, it was hard for anyone not to notice the impact made by stand up paddling, which got its momentum going even before the show started, at the on-water demo.

“Paddle dealers that haven’t yet brought in stand up paddling, or are at least considering it, will be doing so in five years,” said Duke Brouwer, events/promotion manager from SUP board dealer Surf Technicians Inc.

Proponents of the sport say it’s much easier to learn than surfing, due to the flat bottom of the boards, plus the paddle helps with balance. Folks can get the basics down after about 15 minutes of instruction, said Brouwer. And the sport is conducive to both surf and flat water. Also look for boards that double as sit-on-top kayaks.

Part surfing part kayaking, the sight of a paddler standing erect on top of the water is an impressive visual, making SUP a nice addition to any retailers’ on-water demo days.

" ... after debuting stand up paddling at the show three years ago, this year was clearly a break out year for stand up both from the retailers interest as well as the expansion of our program into the range of uses for different models. Flat water paddling, triathlete training/racing, fishing, river paddling, wave riding etc. Too many fun approaches," says Sander Nauenberg, Surftech marketing manager.

And if it has just one-tenth the cool factor as surfing ...

Still around the absent paddle tank, there sure are lots of new kayaks, for what’s really a pretty small market. I mean, building boats ain’t cheap.

“Leads you to believe there’s some investment money out there,” says one great old timer.

Elsewhere, retailers that like to cross-merchandise footwear with apparel have some more options. Now into its second year, Merrell’s apparel designers have placed an emphasis on providing styles that will integrate well with the company’s footwear line, says a company spokesperson. Similarly Ex Officio took its baby steps into footwear with styles also intended to be mixed and matched with ExO apparel on the floor.

And speaking of footwear, the boot is back, at least the light hiker. After years of hearing that boots were simply too much for light trails and “fast and ultralight” dictated that trail running-type uppers would be what day hikers wanted, a few footwear vendors were tossing out day hikers that resembled the once-dominant light hiking boots of the 1990s. Hard to say whether the source of change is users looking for more support than “fast and ultralight” can provide, or if it’s simply a cyclical thing.

The sustainability groove continues to rock the room, some looking to change their products, some looking to change the world. Some more realistic about things than others.

Solar and self-powered keep grabbing my attention, too, though possibly for the big picture benefits. Companies such as Brunton and Seattle Sports keep adding new alt-powered lights, radios and chargers, with increasingly impressive output and charging capabilities. Pictured here is the self-powered ActiveTrax Audio iPod/mp3 speaker and AM/FM/Weatherband radio from Seattle Sports, which can be charged through dynamo cranking or solar charging.

One of the more interesting possibilities in this area, however, could be found at the ESA in the PowerFilm booth. At some point it’s possible PowerFilm could provide apparel manufacturers with a small strip of its solar panel film, which could be attached to a Velcro strip on a jacket, for instance, to charge phones, PDAs or mp3 players while folks are out playing. Stay tuned.

Moving to a much wider perspective ... the concept of “function meets fashion” has become outdoor cliché. But a slight shift is putting a new twist on the old trend. Still struggling to put a finger on exactly how to express the evolution, but it’s more than simply: “must perform in the outdoors but still look good.” It’s now more about “function meets function,” as in sport performance functionality in back and design functionalities for office and everyday life in the front. The model can be seen in the bike commuter clothes from folks such as Gramicci and Smartwool.

A pair of wool bike/work shorts from Smartwool, for example, sported a woven twill typical of wool suits, says Smartwool’s PR firm SnL Communications. A smart city jacket by Gramicci hides a reflective strip tucked away in a lower back pocket. Merrell Apparel uses reflective strips on the sleeve that strap around hidden during the day. Stretch jeans and shorts with a removable chamois also define the trend.

And as a desert boy with lots of darker shades in the closet, Schoeller’s coldback grabbed my attention. The technology reflects heat to make dark colors cooler in the sun. Our test at the both saw about four to five degrees difference against the fabric swatch placebo. But whatever the numbers, you gotta give it up to the creation of a category.

Oh yeah, and inflatable everything ... chairs and couches in the press room, an inflatable swim dock, an inflatable kayaks with killer pedal drive systems, even an inflatable SUP board for a sport barely off the ground.

And you can expect to hear marketing execs talking a lot about “back to roots,” as a good amount of companies turn 30 or 40 in 08/09.

Man, we still haven’t gotten to the gems we dug up at the ESA. Oh well, like we said, there’s simply too much to cover, but never fear, we’ll have more in the fall print version of Inside Outdoor.

Zai Jain for now.