There’s no getting around the fact, Messe Friedrichshafen is a huge place.
This massive exhibition space in the German city, close to the Swiss border, has to be at least half a mile from end to end. There are seven huge halls on either side, one even bigger one at one end and yet more exhibitors in the central courtyards and foyer.
To truly comprehend how huge the place is, and how many stands and people there are, you need to visit.
And that’s precisely what a record number of outdoor industries and brands have done this year as they descend upon Outdoor 2016, Europe’s largest outdoor trade show, held here every year.
I’m here discovering more about brands and products that we think could be of interest to Club members in 2017. So far, what I’ve seen has been more about evolution then revolution, though next year should still hold a great deal of excitement for outdoor enthusiasts.
Outdoor 2016 is more about accessories, clothing and tents than anything else. The array is vast but what has stood out on day one for me has been the Berghaus Extrem range, featuring a sub 100g shell jacket that really has to be seen – and felt – to be believed. It’s such a huge deal that it has won one of just two awards for apparel at the show.
Also very interesting was the enthusiasm from Swedish brand Haglöfs to appeal to a wider set of consumers. It’s a company very much associated with the top end of the market – think extreme camping, Alpine climbing and so on. But there are some very affordable, though still excellent quality, products in Haglöfs’ range that should begin to turn heads. These products are not necessarily new, but the firm’s willingness to shout about them is.
We saw technical waterproof jackets in the L.I.M Proof range, and learned more about the Vertigo walking shoe, which is exclusive to the UK and designed for our mixed terrain – both sub £150 items.
Craghoppers, the UK clothing and accessories brand, announced an important tie-up with the Discovery Channel to supply presenters with apparel and to sell Discovery branded lines into the UK market. The range will include jackets, trousers/shorts and footwear.
Finally, what has been especially impressive has been the shift in focus towards being as eco-friendly as possible. A number of brands are looking much more closely at how to look after the environment and where they can make small changes for large benefits.
Many are offsetting carbon output, with others are stopping the use of fluoro-carbons in their products and manufacturing processes. It’s a step in right direction, as many will argue, and in a lot of cases can be done with very little or no additional cost the consumer. I’ll no doubt meet more companies later in the show taking the same approach.
More from me as Outdoor 2016 continues.