Sleeping, hiking, climbing, paddling - and everything else you can do "out door"! My impressions of the OutDoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen
25.7.2016
Translation: machine translated
On 13 and 14 July 2016, I visited the OutDoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen, one of the world's leading trade fairs in the outdoor industry. I brought the latest trends and my own personal highlights with me.
Around 960 exhibitors met a total of 21,507 trade visitors from 92 different nations at the 23rd edition of the OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen. Small and large, long-established and brand-new brands as well as all-rounders and specialists presented their product innovations, new products and trends in all outdoor segments. I was particularly impressed by the variety and number of activities you can do "outside the door".
Climbing: An interplay of head, hand and heart
Compared to last year, I felt that there were a lot of manufacturers and stands from the climbing sector. Mountaineering, indoor and outdoor climbing, bouldering and the like seem to be back in vogue. Andreas Trunz, Brand Representative and Sales Coordinator at climbing brand Salewa, confirms this trend: "Climbing is extremely popular today, especially among young people, and is gradually coming into the spotlight as a fully recognised sport in the outdoor industry." When asked what fascinates him most about climbing, Trunz replies: "Above all, climbing is a nature sport for me and it's the impressive and unforgettable nature experiences that fascinate me and motivate me time and time again. Climbing can also be reduced to an interplay of head, hand and heart: I need my head, i.e. my mind, for the constant reading of rock structures, safety considerations, anticipating movement sequences, etc. That's why I can not only switch off so well when climbing, I almost have to! Of course, I'm also training my body and pushing it to its limits again and again. And last but not least, this sport requires me to constantly deal with my emotional side, because mastering your own emotions, such as the fear of falling, is of central importance if you want to get ahead." Also feel like it?
Big summer trend: Stand-up paddling
The paddling trend was immediately noticeable on arrival at the trade fair: In the small pond in front of the exhibition centre, the first people were already yogamaking on their stand up paddles early in the morning. Several stands with SUPs were also present at the exhibition centre and even let visitors test them in the outdoor pools.
Hiking doesn't have to be boring
In addition to the more "exotic" sports such as climbing or stand-up paddling, classic hiking was of course also very present at OutDoor. Countless hiking rucksacks, shoes and - contrary to popular opinion - some very cool outdoor outfits really make you want to go hiking again and climb new mountains. For all those who find that too boring, there is always trail running, where you simply run up the mountain instead of hiking up it at a leisurely pace. Even though I'm not a trail runner, I found the trail running shoes by far the most visually appealing and am considering buying a pair for my amateur hikes.
Optical eye-catchers in this area for me were the backpacks and duffels from Fjällräven: simple, monochrome, high-quality and in cool designs. Maybe you'll soon find them at Galaxus too! The extravagant outdoor sandals from Keen are also always an eye-catcher. For my part, I'm still not sure whether I should include them in my outdoor gear; but the sandals are definitely innovative, different and - allegedly - super comfortable!
The tent city
As in the previous year, the tent hall was extremely popular. Countless tents from over 30 brands were exhibited on an area of over 10,000m² and could be tested on site.
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Theresa Schieder
Leader Portfolio Development Do-It, Garden & Household
Theresa.Schieder@digitecgalaxus.ch