Outdoor Retailer: Beyond the Gear

(The Wanger Caddy Shack Ski (alas, not for retail sale) and the Aerialist Artists of Utah Performing at the Keen.CNX Event)

As another Summer Outdoor Retailer winds down, we pause in our preview of the best products that’ll be hitting the shelves in the next six months to look back on a few of the more colorful elements of the convention.  While OR may not hold a candle to the blinding hedonism of some of the other Vegas-based industry events, the Salt Palace—and Salt Lake City—does host its share of the odd, quirky, cool, crazy, and WTF moments, including a hamster wheel at the Teva booth, a ski designed by  Wanger Skis with screenshots from Caddy Shack, a booth powered by solar power, and free samples of Carolina moonshine.

We also witnessed a stunning performance by the at the Leonardo Museum to announce the launch of Keen’s new CNX line, a new line of shoes that all weigh in at ten ounces or less. And what we remember of the High West Double Rye Whiskey Tasting in celebration of Stanley’s 100^th anniversary features prominently in our highlight reel.

Amidst all the booth happy hours, raffles, non-profit fundraising events, gear-centric seminars, and extreme athletes going crazy from being trapped in an air-conditioned conference center, we also saw some great gear. More on that throughout the week, from Salomon’s sharp new trail running packs and the sexiest bike rack to ever hit the market to inflatable tents, an ultralight, neon orange, foam climbing helmet, and a portable washing machine that hopes to make your car-camping experience last a really long time.