Outdoor Unfiltered

Eoin Comerford reports from the reinvented ISPO in Amsterdam, now under Raccoon Media Group ownership after relocating from Munich. With 25,000 registered attendees, the outdoor section featured the Scandinavian village plus a new British section with Rab, Berghaus, and more. Notable absences included The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, and Patagonia, though US buyers from REI and Backcountry were active on the floor. The snow sports section featured a Snowfest Village rail jam, though many snow brands have migrated to Pro Winter in Bolzano. The co-located run event lacked the major footwear players that dominate The Running Event in the U.S. Then, recorded live from the ISPO podcast studio, Eoin sits down with Drew Eakins of Reima, the Finnish kids' outerwear brand founded in 1944, and Charlie Pym of Berghaus, the British brand founded in 1966 and now part of Pentland Brands. They dig into the European brand playbook for cracking the US market: channel strategy, product curation, D2C vs. wholesale, fulfillment strategies, brick-and-mortar strategy, and more. Brought to you by Royal Robbins, and Aarn Packs.SHOW NOTES2:38 -- ISPO Amsterdam first impressions and 25,000 attendees 7:30 -- ISPO after party and overall verdict on the show 10:27 -- Live from ISPO: Drew Eakins (Reima) and Charlie Pim (Berghaus) 13:36 -- Berghaus previous US market entry and withdrawal 14:38 -- Reima's 20 percent US business at 30-40 percent growth 16:12 -- Why European brands target the US market 18:09 -- Channel split surprises and the D2C-first reality46:45 -- Amazon strategy: Reima pulls back, Berghaus bides time 50:17 -- Final advice: have a plan and hold it looselyCONNECT WITH USWe would love to hear your thoughts on the show, inside intel, guest ideas, sponsorship inquiries or whatever's on your mindLinkedIn: Eoin Comerford -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/Email: [email protected] Unfiltered is a production of Rockfight LLC.OUR SPONSORSISPO -- Unites the sporting and outdoor goods industry - inspiring global movement, protecting the places we play and providing a single, streamlined platform for the brands, athletes, buyers and innovators who shape the future of sport. www.ispo.comRoyal Robbins -- We're building on a legacy and belief that nature and adventure can feed the soul. In the world of digital screens and AI, that idea is more relevant now than ever. And we're seeing it resonate with a new generation of outdoor consumers who are looking for experiences, connection, and versatile products that support the way they want to live. https://www.royalrobbins.com/Aarn Packs -- Aarn Packs give you a more comfortable backpacking experience by using Balance Pockets that help you spread your pack weight around your center of gravity and allow you to keep your posture natural. https://www.aarnpacks.com/

In this episode of Outdoor Unfiltered, host Eoin Comerford breaks down the latest quarterly earnings from Columbia Sportswear, VF Corp, Brooks Running, Garmin, and Shimano, unpacking what the results reveal about the state of the outdoor industry.Eoin connects the dots across all five reports, highlighting the divergence between technical performance brands and apparel-driven stalwarts, the role of tariffs in suppressing US consumer demand, and elevated inventory levels at Columbia, VF Corp, and Garmin heading into a potentially promotional holiday season.He also shares his ISPO week schedule, including a panel on the future of active outdoor storytelling and a live podcast recording on European brands entering the US market with executives from Reima and Berghaus.In the second half of the show, Eoin is joined by the founders of the Outdoor Rec Collective -- Gary Montes de Oca, Steven Barnes, and Bryan Wachs -- who are launching an ESOP holding company model to reimagine investing in the outdoor industry.They discuss the problem of extractive capital destroying iconic brands like Montrail, Cloudveil, Eastern Mountain Sports, Moonstone, and Marmot, the structural advantages of an ESOP holdco with tax-free cash flow and portfolio diversification, their target investment criteria across hard goods, soft goods, and services, and their vision for creating wealth for the workers who underpin the authenticity of outdoor brands.Time Stamps3:15 -- Columbia Sportswear earnings: Sorel, Prana, Mountain Hardwear6:56 -- VF Corp earnings: North Face, Timberland, Vans, Ultra11:00 -- Sponsored by Aarn Packs12:27 -- Brooks Running: 13th consecutive quarter of growth15:40 -- Garmin: outdoor segment up 20% on Fenix 918:29 -- Shimano: bike components signal industry recovery21:01 -- Connecting the dots: what earnings mean for outdoor24:19 -- Sponsored by Royal Robbins at GOA Connect27:26 -- The problem with extractive capital in outdoor33:58 -- The ESOP holdco model explainedConnect With UsWe would love to hear your thoughts on the show, inside intel, guest ideas, sponsorship inquiries or whatever's on your mind.Eoin Comerford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/Email: [email protected] contact and sponsor info is listed in the show notes.Outdoor Unfiltered is a production of Rockfight LLC.Our SponsorsISPO -- Unites the sporting and outdoor goods industry, inspiring a global movement, protecting the places we play and providing a single, streamlined platform for the brands, athletes, buyers and innovators who shape the future of sport. www.ispo.comRoyal Robbins -- Building on a legacy and belief that nature and adventure can feed the soul. In the world of digital screens and AI, that idea is more relevant now than ever. And we're seeing it resonate with a new generation of outdoor consumers who are looking for experiences, connection, and versatile products that support the way they want to live. https://www.royalrobbins.com/Aarn Packs -- Aarn Packs give you a more comfortable backpacking experience by using Balance Pockets that help you spread your pack weight around your center of gravity and allow you to keep your posture natural. https://www.aarnpacks.com/

Today on Outdoor Unfiltered, host Eoin Comerford (former CEO, advisor to outdoor brands, and founder of Outsize Consulting) breaks down the top 20 sales and marketing mistakes he sees emerging outdoor brands make.Then, trend forecaster and brand strategist Jeanine Pesce of Range joins the show to unpack the state of innovation in the outdoor industry.Plus a look back at Jeanine's landmark "The Modern Outdoors Woman" presentation at Outdoor Retailer and the shift from gender to DEI in the industry.SHOW NOTES1:54 -- Eoin Comerford introduces the top 20 sales and marketing mistakes for emerging outdoor brands, drawing on his work at Outsize Consulting with over 20 brands since leaving Moosejaw.25:13 -- Interview begins with Jeanine Pesce, trend forecaster and brand strategist, on her 20-year career, Range agency, Range Magazine, and work with Outdoor Retailer's Venture Out section.26:52 -- Whether the outdoor industry is truly in a "sea of sameness" or if smaller brands are quietly out-innovating the big players.35:53 -- How Benchmark pivoted from sandals to clogs using the same DNA and why it became an identity piece for the outdoor consumer.37:50 -- The role of collaborations in outdoor, from early Supreme x The North Face to today's oversaturated landscape and the need for internal criteria.40:00 -- The analog comeback: why print, running, foraging, and slow movement through the woods are reshaping product and storytelling.45:28 -- Whether the outdoor industry's 18-to-24-month development cycle can or should compete with fast fashion's two-month turnaround.47:44 -- The push toward circularity and deproduction.CONNECT WITH USWe would love to hear your thoughts on the show, inside intel, guest ideas, sponsorship inquiries or whatever's on your mind.Eoin Comerford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/Email: [email protected] SPONSORSISPO -- Unites the sporting and outdoor goods industry, inspiring global movement, protecting the places we play and providing a single, streamlined platform for the brands, athletes, buyers and innovators who shape the future of sport. www.ispo.comCrux Retail -- Creating bold retail displays for bold outdoor-active brands. www.crux-retail.com/outdoorAarn Packs -- Aarn Packs give you a more comfortable backpacking experience by using Balance Pockets that help you spread your pack weight around your center of gravity and allow you to keep your posture natural. https://www.aarnpacks.com/Outdoor Unfiltered is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

In this episode of Outdoor Unfiltered, Eoin Comerford asks whether the drinkware category has officially peaked, examining the latest earnings data from Hydro Flask parent Helen of Troy, Yeti, Newell Brands' Contigo and Bubba, Stanley, and Owala, benchmarked against Circana retail data. Then he responds to the LinkedIn backlash over his take on the Arc'teryx climbing store on Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.Finally, Jordan Williams, principal of Loop Trails and former executive at REI, Vail Resorts, and Smartwool, joins to separate AI hype from reality for outdoor brands and retailers of all sizes -- covering real-world use cases, the limits of ChatGPT and Claude, agentic commerce, Meta's Muse, the 20/60/20 rule, and concrete first steps for small retailers with no IT staff.Show Notes1:54 -- Has the drinkware category peaked?8:32 -- Responding to the Arc'teryx backlash.15:04 -- Jordan Williams of Loop Trails on AI for outdoor brands: his career at Red Bull, REI, Vail Resorts, and Smartwool, why AI rewards companies with strong fundamentals, and why it will punish those without them.19:20 -- Real-world AI use cases: an automated email classification tool for a truck-camper brand that replaced a $50K HubSpot enterprise license, and a creative workflow automation for a small accessories brand connecting Google Sheets, Slack, Shopify, and Meta.25:14 -- AI limitations and the 20/60/20 rule: why LLMs produce a "sea of sameness," the importance of keeping humans in the loop, and how AI is simultaneously brilliant and dumb as a rock.33:40 -- Founder pitfalls with AI: over-reliance on AI for deal structuring and conversion analysis, the patent application problem, Shopify CEO on "slop grenades," and Charlie Munger's incentive rule.51:00 -- Agentic commerce: why it may be a product-market fit problem for the outdoor industry, Meta's Muse vs. Apple's Siri vs. ChatGPT, and the AEO/GEO imperative for brands.59:46 -- Practical AI steps for small retailers.66:44 -- Contact info, guest details, and wrap.Connect With UsWe would love to hear your thoughts on the show, inside intel, guest ideas, sponsorship inquiries or whatever's on your mind.Eoin Comerford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/ Email: [email protected] Williams (Guest) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jordancwilliams Website: looptrails.ai Email: [email protected] SponsorsISPO -- Unites the sporting and outdoor goods industry - inspiring global movement, protecting the places we play and providing a single, streamlined platform for the brands, athletes, buyers and innovators who shape the future of sport. www.ispo.comCrux Retail -- Creating bold retail displays for bold outdoor-active brands. www.crux-retail.com/outdoorAarn Packs -- Aarn Packs give you a more comfortable backpacking experience by using Balance Pockets that help you spread your pack weight around your center of gravity and allow you to keep your posture natural. https://www.aarnpacks.com/Outdoor Unfiltered is a production of Rockfight LLC.

Today on Outdoor Unfiltered, Eoin Comerford breaks down how a historic super El Nino could devastate cold-weather apparel and outerwear sales this fall and winter, drawing on lessons from the 2015-2016 season that battered retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods, Paragon Sports, and EMS.He shares hard-earned advice from his Moosejaw days on how retailers in the Northeast and Midwest should prepare for what NOAA and Weather Trends data predict could be the strongest El Nino on record.Then, Eoin calls BS on Arc'teryx's new climbing-dedicated retail concept in Venice, California, questioning whether the comically thin product assortment is really about climbers or just another way to sell $600 shells.Later, Jen Gurecki, founder of Coalition Snow, joins for a candid conversation about her decision to shut down the trailblazing women's ski brand after 12 years, how a cancer diagnosis forced clarity, the brutal economics of seasonal hard goods manufacturing, the outdoor industry's retreat from DEI commitments, and her new venture Far Out.Time Stamps0:00 -- ISPO Amsterdam Preview Eoin runs through what to expect at ISPO November 3-6 in Amsterdam, from the Peak Reality climbing wall and The Loop sustainability section to the Snowfest Village, Waterlab testing pond, padel court, and running expo with brands across outdoor, snow, water, fitness, and running.1:50 -- Super El Nino and the Threat to Outdoor Retail A deep dive into how historically high Pacific water temperatures and a forecasted record-strength El Nino could crush cold-weather apparel demand, with data from NOAA, Weather Trends, and the 2015-2016 playbook that hit Dick's Sporting Goods, EMS, Paragon Sports, and brands like Patagonia, Arc'teryx, and Canada Goose.11:45 -- Calling BS on Arc'teryx's Venice Climbing StoreEoin questions whether Arc'teryx's new climbing-dedicated retail concept in Venice, California, with its Grasshopper climbing wall and comically thin carabiner assortment, is really about climbers or just another way to sell expensive shells, despite the brand's legitimate climbing heritage dating back to 1989 as Rock Solid in Vancouver.15:07 -- Jen Gurecki on Closing Coalition SnowCoalition Snow founder Jen Gurecki on her decision to shut down the women's ski and snowboard brand after 12 years, how a cancer diagnosis brought clarity, and the weight of being a female founder representing an entire community.18:00 -- The Unique Burden on Female Founders Jen and Eoin discuss the heavier responsibility women founders feel toward their investors, communities, and the broader representation of women in a male-dominated outdoor industry.20:46 -- Is It Actually Tougher to Build a Brand Now? A conversation about how COVID fallout, tariffs, the AI-driven attention economy, and the Meta and Google tax have made it harder than ever for small, undercapitalized brands, particularly women-owned businesses, to survive.25:16 -- Why Seasonal Hard Goods Are the Worst Business You Could Start Jen breaks down the brutal economics of manufacturing skis and snowboards once a year, the cash flow gap between paying your manufacturer in February and getting paid by retailers 60 to 90 days after delivery, and why model-year stamping makes it all worse.29:00 -- Advice for the Next Women's Ski Brand Founder Jen recalls her conversation with Anna Daly, who is starting her own women's ski brand, and the pointed observation that Anna admired Coalition but never actually bought a pair of their skis.32:43 -- The Real Size of Coalition SnowJen reveals Coalition was always a tiny business, never more than three full-time employees, never broke a million dollars in annual sales, and why she chose grassroots guerrilla marketing over paid Meta and Google advertising.35:39 -- Sexism in the Ski IndustryJen shares specific stories from SIA trade shows, including a male rep getting aggressive about her product, buyers flexing her skis between their legs and refusing to believe she was the owner, and a shop that tried to avoid paying her until she walked in and took her product off the wall.39:21 -- Being a Political Brand and Whether It Helped or Hurt Jen on running Coalition Snow as an unapologetically feminist and provocative brand, whether it cost sales, and why she believes not rocking the boat just upholds the status quo.42:34 -- The Industry's Retreat from DEI Eoin and Jen on how brands quietly backed away from diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments after 2020, whether it was hypocrisy or pragmatism, and the missed business opportunity for someone to step up and differentiate.48:14 -- Far Out: What Comes Next Jen introduces her new venture Far Out, co-founded with creative director Andrea Slusarski, focused on the intersection of creativity and the outdoors, featuring original artwork, group adventures to Kenya and Japan, and small-batch handmade goods, all created without AI.52:43 -- Did She Succeed in Shredding the Patriarchy?Jen reflects on whether 12 years of Coalition Snow was a success, how she defines it beyond the P&L, and the impact of making people feel seen and heard in an industry that often failed them.55:22 -- Redefining Radical on Substack Jen points listeners to her Substack, Redefining Radical, where she does her deepest writing and thinking, as a better way to get inside her brain than Instagram.Connect With UsWe would love to hear your thoughts on the show, inside intel, guest ideas, sponsorship inquiries or whatever's on your mind. DM Eoin Comerford on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/ or email [email protected] Unfiltered is a production of Rockfight LLC.Our SponsorsISPO -- Unites the sporting and outdoor goods industry, inspiring global movement, protecting the places we play and providing a single, streamlined platform for the brands, athletes, buyers and innovators who shape the future of sport. Register at www.ispo.comCrux Retail -- Creating bold retail displays for bold outdoor-active brands. www.crux-retail.com/outdoorAarn Packs -- Aarn Packs give you a more comfortable backpacking experience by using Balance Pockets that help you spread your pack weight around your center of gravity and allow you to keep your posture natural. https://www.aarnpacks.com/