Outdoor trends and innovations - Outdoor Friedrichshafen

Trade fair for outdoor leisure equipment

outdoor is a trade fair for leisure equipment and outdoor leisure activities. In 2017, it took place from June 18 - 21 at the exhibition grounds in Friedrichshafen, one month earlier than in previous years. The start of the trade fair on a Sunday was intended to give retailers the opportunity to visit the trade fair without losing a sales day.

The outdoor trade fair trends 2017

In 2017, the focus was on the 4 trends of microadventure, sustainability, tailrunning and bouldering. Half of sales in the outdoor industry are generated in the clothing segment. In terms of sustainability, compostable T-shirts, jackets and pants made from recycled plastic bottles, some with a membrane made from recycled material, shoes made from natural wool and sports shoes that do not use environmentally harmful colors were on display at the trade fair stands. For the popular sport of trail running, the range extended from extremely lightweight road running shoes to extremely robust, cushioning running shoes with good grip tread soles. The exhibitors also had a wide range of climbing shoes for the booming sport of bouldering. And, of course, many manufacturers also had the perfect equipment for a short trip at the weekend. This outdoor trend of incorporating short outdoor adventures into everyday life has established itself under the term micro-adventure.

Sports and fashion brands step up sustainability efforts

A white running shoe caught our eye at the Adidas stand. The Terrex Zero Dye collection does not use any dye and is made from recycled materials. LOWA attaches great importance to producing its classic mountain shoes in Germany, and the manufacturer also presented breathable trekking shoes and a total of 6 different categories of sports shoes. At Euro Schirm, we saw the most stable umbrella in the world, with a lightweight 208gr, perfect for trekking. The traditional company Deuter, known for its backpacks for 100 years, presented the new Futura series with improved design, form, function and features. Mountain Hardwear presented special waterproof rucksacks for alpinists, while Skylotec presented the Rider 3.0, an Industry Award-winning via ferrata set. In the textile sector, Jack Wolfskin offered a world first in the Texapore Ecoshere jacket collection, where both the outer fabric and the waterproof membrane are made from recycled material. Schöffel presented new PFC-free alpine pants with sun protection. Water sports enthusiasts were interested in the stand-up paddle boards from JOBE, while cyclists inspected the waterproof bike bags from ORTLIEB. Swiza and Leatherman had useful utensils such as multi-tools on hand for those who are out and about.

Great media interest, international exhibitors at Outdoor

The Messe.TV team took the opportunity at outdoor 2017 to interview outdoor and alpine expert Olaf Perwitzschky from Alpin magazine. He was very impressed by the enormous range of extremely lightweight equipment, from jackets and rucksacks to shoes, and was looking forward to the big outdoor party at the exhibition grounds with a good 3,000 people. Mr. Stefan Reisinger, the division manager of outdoor Friedrichshafen, told us about the international significance of outdoor in Friedrichshafen, as evidenced by the 965 exhibitors from 40 nations and trade visitors from 90 countries. He was also pleased about the great response from the media in the first few days of the trade fair. In the run-up to the fair, 120 journalists had already gathered on Saturday for a tour of the new products.