The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary

What else could The Rock Fight's normal Monday crew of Colin, Outdoor Industry Insider Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave be talking about today but the recent announcement of tariffs and their impact on the business of going outside. They start off by getting into the broader impact of the announcement and the idea that higher tariffs could drive manufacturing back to the US. Then they talk about...

Today on the show Colin takes a look back at an age old outdoor industry problem. The 'outdoor boys club' and a continued lack of gender representation is something that has persisted in the outdoor industry since there has been an outdoor industry. Today on the show Colin is joined by Cassie Abel, the founder and CEO of Wild Rye, who provides a unique perspective on the challenges and progress re...

Today Colin is joined by our regular Wednesday co-host Justin Housman to talk through some recent stories to come out of the outdoor community! They open the show with the news that the fallout from the Trump layoffs have caused the Fiery Furnace Trail in Arches National Park to close indefinitely. Buckle up because we're probably gonna be getting news like this for a while. (07:57) Lady Gaga is b...

Today on show Colin is joined by the regular Monday crew (Producer Dave, Outdoor Industry Insider Eoin Comerford) to talk about the recent movement that is encouraging outdoor enthusiasts in Europe to look locally for their outdoor products in protest of recent "political" developments in the US. (06:46) They also talk about Academy forging ahead with plans to open 25 new doors in 2025 and Lululem...

Today Rock Fight's resident brand, culture, and media experts, Shawnté Salabert and Producer Dave, join Colin to review some recently released outdoor brand videos by On, Puma, & Outdoor Research. First the hosts rely on their experience working in the outdoor industry and media to breakdown what makes a great brand video including the best way to deploy these types of brand assets and what we...

The Rock Fight is once again breaking news to the outdoor industry! On Wednesday an alert listener of The Rock Fight sent us this article on PE Hub  which reports outdoor brand Stio is being shopped for acquisition. Players in the mix to take over the venerable Jackson brand being Columbia, YETI, or potentially several PE firms. On this emergency reaction podcast, Colin and outdoor industry i...

On this episode of The Rock Fight Justin Housman opens up about his own mental health struggles and how that has impacted his relationship with outdoor activities. A few weeks back in Rock Fight's weekly newsletter, News From The Front, Justin wrote about how he mistook the slow erosion of his participation in his favorite outdoor sports as part of getting older when in actuality there were some b...

Today on the show Colin, Producer Dave, and Outdoor Industry Insider Eoin Comerford have some innovative suggestions for the outdoor industry. Innovation in the outdoors is a misunderstood word. It's often only applied to the performance of the apparel, gear, and footwear that the industry produces. And while there will surely be advances that will improve the stuff we make the opportunity for the...

Today on the show Colin is rolling solo as he talks about the recent ThredUp report about the growth of secondhand as well as reflecting fondly on the recently concluded Barkley Marathons. Then Colin offers a take on why you may not want going outside to be your sole existence for being. Check out hundreds of wildly cool products by visiting and shopping at Garage Grown Gear! Thanks for listening!...

Today on the show Justin Housman has the week off so Colin welcomes Shawnté Salabert as to the co-host chair! Together they run through some of the topics that have come out of the outdoor community over the past week. First up, The North Face has yet another collaboration with a fashion brand that has ( almost ) sold out! There has probably been too much TNF chatter around here the past few weeks...

Today on the show Colin is joined by Producer Dave and Outdoor Industry Insider Eoin Comerford to take a look a bigger look at the outdoor industry. Optimism was high at the end of 2024 that the outdoor industry was due for a come back year. Inventory issues had improved and open to buy was increasing. But with the end of the first quarter just a couple of weeks away things have fallen off of a cl...

Today Colin opens the show by giving his thoughts on the big outdoor story of the week: The letter that was sent to Outside, Inc CEO Robin Thurston from more than 30 notable journalists making the request to have their names removed from Outside's masthead. Then outdoor industry insider and consigliere to The Rock Fight, Eoin Comerford joins Colin to run through what he learned from The North Face...

Today Colin & Justin hit the following topics to come out of the outdoor adventure community! Several brands put out new product press releases over the past week including Mountain Hardwear , Tifosi , and NEMO. Colin & Justin give their thoughts on each of these but save most of their commentary for the NEMO Dagger OSMO that is bluesign certified and PFAS free. They read responses they re...

Today the hosts, writers and consigliere's of the Rock Fight universe gather to once again rank the top outdoor brands... only this time it's all about accessories. They've ranked footwear and they've ranked gear and today the Outdoor Media Avengers are assembling to do the same for accessories. Only for this round we don't have our own version of Thor as Producer Dave couldn't join the show. In h...

It's a return fire episode as Patagonia joins The Rock Fight to defend their efforts on PFAS! Recently on The Rock Fight Colin was critical of a new video from Patagonia that detailed their journey to remove forever chemicals from their product line. In Colin's point of view he thought Patagonia was late to the party and this was a case where the brand was behind their peers rather than leading. P...

Today Colin & Justin belatedly talk about stories and headlines to come out of the outdoor adventure community. Belatedly because the flu recently landed right on Justin's handsome face! On the docket: Last weekend there were protests held at National Parks across the country. Are we feeling encouraged about the state of things? (06:03) A non profit in Kentucky purchased 700 acres and 14 miles...

What better way to start your week then by entering The Rock Fight for the best outdoor industry commentary you'll find anywhere?! Today Colin is joined by Monday regulars Eoin Comerford and Producer Dave and they break down the following topics: After being acquired by Kontoor Brands last month, Helly Hansen has announced their intention to make a meaningful push into the United States' outdoor m...

Today Colin is rolling solo! First he offers his comments and observations after attending the virtual launch of Arc'teryx's spring footwear collection earlier this week. While the launch itself was a leap forward in how outdoor brands should be engaging with outdoor media, it was also a good example of how brands could improve how they promote their products. (02:16) Next Colin talks about how th...

Today Colin and Justin take a look at recent headlines to come out of the outdoor adventure community. On the docket: In response to the Trump Administration's Valentine's Day staffing and budget cuts, employees at Yosemite National Park hung an upside down flag on the top of El Cap. Hope ensued. (04:55) The Trump Administration backtracked on those cuts with the Department of the Interior announc...

Today Colin is joined by outdoor industry insider Eoin Comerford (Producer Dave is out sick) to talk about all the big stories that came out of the outdoor industry last week. On the docket today: In a rare industry spite move (ok it's not just that) VF spinoff Kontoor Brands acquired Helly Hansen from Canadien Tire Corporation. Eoin gives us the background and we take a look at what may be next....

Today Colin is joined by outdoor journalist and host of Open Container , Doug Schnitzspahn to talk about what they saw this week at the Outdoor Market Alliance Media Event. They recount their experiences at the show, how it compares to larger national events, and emphasize how the format allows PR Agencies and those in outdoor media to engage with brands in a focused manner. They also talk about h...

Today on the show Colin and Justin talk about the turmoil caused by the Trump Administration's layoffs at various land management agencies. They cover the ramifications of substantial layoffs that have left numerous employees without positions, thereby compromising the operational integrity of our national parks. The episode further examines the uncertainty that permeates the outdoor community as...

Today on The Rock Fight Colin is joined by Rock Fight Consigliere Eoin Comerford and Producer Dave to discuss several news stories that paint a picture about the long term health of the outdoor industry. First they look at the recent earnings report by Newell (parent company of Marmot, Coleman, and Ex Officio, among others) which shows how the outdoor industry may be on the same path that was rece...

Today Colin is joined by Peter Whitcomb of Tersus Solutions, one of the players working to enable a thriving secondhand marketplace in the outdoor industry. Tersus Solutions acts as a backbone for brands striving to establish sustainable practices by managing their re-commerce efforts. Throughout their conversation, Colin and Peter examine the complexities and challenges inherent in fostering a ci...

Today on the show Colin & Justin Housman talk about some of the stories making the rounds through the outdoor community. First up is an article that summarizes recent studies looking at the value of cold plunges. Turns out, there's not a lot science to support the claims that sitting in cold water is good for you. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't sit in cold water if you get something out o...