There is a disturbance in the outdoor space. A fissure to some, but more likely, it’s nothing more than an inevitable ripple of the widespread and contagious greening of the industry. It’s a result of folks connecting the dots to figure out what all this means, and where all of this heads.


The equation leading to this sum is something like this – manufacturing is getting greener, energy savings means greener manufacturing, less energy is even greener, less products means less energy, and no energy and no products are the greenest of all. So, green is good, but nothing’s greener than nothing.


To flinch now would be to surrender all the progress that we’ve made. Sure it’s tempting to think of the guilt-free bliss of going back to being baristas in Jackson Hole and burrito makers in Hood River, and we’ve all thought about it – some of us more than others.


But take a look around. The outdoor lifestyle is not the only option out there – far from it. There are single corporations that do more business than every brand on the Outdoor Retailer show floor combined, and would they love it if we all starting waffling and self-doubting and hand-wringing and worrying about the fact that we’re doing too well, and selling too much product, and encouraging people to acquire, acquire, acquire. They’d love to co-opt our genuine spirit as their own, and take over a solid foundation that’s been built nice and square.


Well, here’s the thing. We are doing well as a whole. And, we should be proud of it. Not because it’s unrepentant consumerism, but because we’re creating products with an engaged conscience. We actually think about our jobs, our factories, about the amount of fuel it takes to get our products to market, and whether or not our products are built to last as long as possible.


There’s so much crap out there right now. Take a spin through the brand ‘X’ store of your choice and you’ll find chemically treated jackets that look great on the rack and after two washings have disintegrated and shrunk and are ready to be thrown out. Tents and sleeping bags that cost less than a case of beer are designed to be set up once then thrown in the nearest dumpster. Bikes that are so bad they'll make you hate biking forever. There’s no accountability, no warranty, no guarantee. There’s just a sale rack.


And then, there’s the outdoor world, a place where CEOs and company founders go by their first name and actually think about whether a product is necessary, about whether or not the product is made well enough, and about whether or not the methods for manufacturing are green enough.


Imagine the consequence of unmitigated, unrepentant success. Imagine if the performance standards for gear in the outdoor world became the expected standard for products in the rest of the world. Imagine if social and environmental consciousness became the norm. Imagine if a healthy perspective actually spread.


That wouldn’t be a bad thing. That would be a fantastic thing.


If you are squeamish about your success, if you wonder if the outdoor industry is encouraging rampant consumerism, then you are exactly the person that the outdoor industry needs, because for every company that makes up the soulful, spirited and truly unique outdoor industry, there are a hundred false brands waiting and eager to take their place. They’ll make the stuff cheaper, in brighter colors, and ready made with a special sale price. It’ll be crap, of course, made in crappy factories, and meant to be chucked out within 48 hours of purchase or one good use, whichever comes first.


That’s not the future I want to see. And I don’t think it’s the future you want to see either. -Drew Simmons







Drew Simmons founded Pale Morning Media in 2001 as a product publicity, public relations and communications firm specializing in the outdoor industry. He makes his home in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. His current clients include Ahnu Footwear, Fly Fishing Retailer World Trade Expo, G3 Genuine Guide Gear, Horny Toad Apparel, Kelty Outdoor Equipment, RSN Resort Television and Smith Optics. He is also the publisher of WickedOutdoorsy.com, where this editorial first appeared.




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BOSS@SportsOneSource.com