Back from Outdoor Retailer 2009

What a trip! P.O.A. headed west to Salt Lake City, UT for our semi-annual Outdoor Retail convention. This show really helps to clue us in on the future of paddlesports and other outdoor clothing and gear. This year, we had a chance to check out some of the latest, greatest, and even some of the prototypes that still need a little work.

Our trip began with the Open Air Demo up in Ogden Canyon, at the Pineview Resevoir. Under a canopy of all blue sky, we hit the water to test out some of the paddle manufacturers new toys. The big hit this year was by far and away Stand Up Paddleboards or SUPs as the industry calls them. SUPs took the demo day by storm, boasting around 5 boards to every kayak or canoe. Some of the company boards that we paddled were Doyle, Surftech, C4 Waterman, Starboard, Native, Naish, Jackson, Tahoe SUP Company, and Imagine just to name a few! You can see from the picture just how many people were out there on SUPs. P.O.A. can't wait to promote this new paddling discipline in the Midwest and Beyond! We have SUP trips and classes coming this fall so stay tuned to http://www.powersadventures.com/ for more!

P.O.A. also got to hang out with the Coleman Repellent Mascot as you can see from the picture above. Be sure to check out his website HERE and get some of this great repellent for your next camping trip!

After we headed down from the Canyon, it was on to the Salt Palace for the convention. Most of the "big guys" were there as usual. Columbia was doning a huge new booth complete with blue LED lighting. Merrell's always impressive "tree booth" was there and some of the other icons like Keen and Teva helped round out the footwear companies. As for paddlesports, Confluence had yet another impressive showing, as did some of the smaller companies that don't sell to those big box stores like Jackson and our friends at Legacy Paddlesports. Notably missing from the show this year was Johnson Outdoors, who owns brands such as Old Town, Extrasport and Necky. Some of the standout sportswear this year was offered by companies like The North Face, Marmot, Smartwool and Ground. All in all, it was a good show and confidence levels were finally back as everyone is looking forward to a successful 2010!

Paddle On,

P.O.A.