OR Demo Day - PaddleMania

Demo Day is the day at the Outdoor Retailer show where the attendees get to play… and sweat. I think I sweat a gallon today. I heard the showing of vendors was probably half of what it has been in the past. Probably due to high fuel costs. Nobody wants to ship 200 canoes across the country, then ship them back 4 days later with these gas prices.

Anywho, I did see some interesting products today and met some cool people. One thing about this trade show that differs from others I’ve been too is the relaxed atmosphere. People were paddling kayaks down by the lake and drinking beer and eating turkey burgers up by the booths. All the while Reggae was playing in the background, and business was still getting done. It felt sort of like the Bonnaroo of trade shows.

Above is the paddle sports demo area. As you can see, loads of boats… and paddlers. There were some other booths at demo day, but most of the action was in the paddle sports area.

Here I am testing a new Bell Solo Canoe in what I like to call the Paddler Soup. The light literally shown through the walls of its kevlar mesh hull. It could turn on a dime which was great, and was light enough for one person to pack with ease. In the background you can see some “Stand-Up Paddle Boards.” I’m not sure how well these are catching on, but testers were having alot of fun with them.

This Airis inflatable kayak has a built in dry bag. No need to pack one. And it fits in a bag the size of a backpack. Perfect for the apartment dweller or someone who wants to fit their kayak in their trunk without sawing it in quarters.

And I’m dubbing these two guys the Kayakillacs. They are from Epic Kayaks and really do seem to be the

Cadillac of kayaks. Their shell is much harder, they have nice cushy grab loops, roomy dry wells, and plush interior.

I saw plenty of other cool stuff today too, like some new innovations in backpacks Ergon is making, some cool quick dry technology, and some other stuff we’ll gear test for you guys down the road.

1 comment August 7th, 2008