Outdoor Retailer
One of the country’s biggest outdoor retail shows has just wrapped up in Denver, the Outdoor Retailer Show. This is a show that connects brands with the newest of style, technology, and products with retail stores hoping to fill their shelves with the hottest items. Your favorite blogger (The Fatman) was able to score a media credential so I will be talking to some of these brands and passing on the information to you over the next few days. Also, a special thank you to all the brands that took the time to talk with me and give me permission to take pictures of their products at the show. Today is a look at companies that I know of or use and how some of their new lines look.
Familiar Faces
On my final day of the Outdoor Retailer show I went around and spoke with some of the brands that I knew of and already had a bit of a bigger following.
Fox River Socks
Fox River isn’t as well known in the west as it is in the Midwest but they should be!!! I know them and have an affiliate advertising agreement with them on my website. (So If you click a Fox River link on this page and make a purchase I may receive a small commission.)
I have to say that they have become my go-to hiking sock on the trail. For many reasons but the one that stands out the most to me is this. While a lot of brands have a thicker sock that has padding, I have found that most of the other brands compress down on the trail. Fox River socks have held up on every single hike I have done. When I take my shoe off at the end of the hike the socks are just as soft and the padding is still working like I was putting them on in the morning.
Fox River also has a huge assortment of socks so you should be able to find something that fits your style and taste. I have even found that they are usually a couple of bucks less expensive than some of the other hiking socks out there without missing a beat in the high quality. If you are interested in learning more about Fox River Socks you can click here.
LifeStraw
Anyone who has been looking for water in the woods knows that even if a stream looks clean there could be millions of little parasites and bacteria that can make you really sick. LifeStraw is a water filtration product that solves that by quickly filtering out 99.9999% of the bad and leaving you with drinkable water.
One of the coolest new products that LifeStraw was displaying was a gravity filter bag that can hold up to a gallon of water. Perfect for camping trips in the woods, you can fill the bag up, hang it up and let the filter clear a gallon of water for you. I think campers and thru hikers are really going to enjoy that product.
LifeStraw also wins the award for best show and tell. They had a bottle of the dirtiest water you can imagine and then squeezed it through their filter to leave crystal clear water as you can see below.
Jack Links
You can’t run a website called FatManLittleTrail and not stop by the Jack Links beef jerky booth. Beef jerky is a staple of the hiking snack. High in protein and easy to carry, plus it tastes delicious. Jack Links is an industry leader in the jerky market and it was great to stop by and see them and all their products briefly. Sadly, I did not see the Sasquatch mascot!
Sun Bum
Sun Bum might have been the most fun booth at the convention. The sun care company has been around for about a decade and aren’t about to take themselves too seriously. They have extensive lines in the sun care, hair care, skin care, and lip care areas. The booth had not only the fun mascots all over but also a groovy old van. You can find more about Sun Bum here.
Muck Boots
Muck Boots has been around for about twenty years and was created to solve the problem of muck! Yep that mud, wet track, nasty stuff you walk through. Muck Boots uses neoprene and rubber to make a 100% waterproof boot.
What is new with Muck Boots is their new hiking boot. I got to take a look at it and the boot is lighter than what I think of as the original Muck Boot and has nice flexibility. Plus, it is the same waterproof rubberized style so it is 100% waterproof. You can see more about Muck Boots here.
Wrapping up the Outdoor Retailer Show
Well that wraps up my time at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022. It was my first time at the show and I really enjoyed it. I met so many wonderful people and saw some really innovative products. The show is not designed for consumers directly but hopefully I was able to give you an idea of what is out there.
If you missed any of my week long series of reports from the show you can find them on my Product Reviews page. If this is your first time on Fatmanlittletrail.com, welcome! You can learn more about my unique look at hiking on my Ramblings page. Or you can keep the conversation going by following me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!