Go Outside to Feel Good Inside

There are trade shows for everything, so no matter what business you’re in, you can find a crowd like you wandering convention center halls. We’ve been to plenty of trade shows, from the ersatz of Las Vegas to the mild climate of Florida in the winter - But Outdoor Retailer seems to be one of the only that truly inspires and leaves us daydreaming about our own adventures.

We’ve been going for more than a decade. We’ve met people who spent 15 days riding the continental divide and runners who average 30+ miles a day, and we’re truly charmed by the adventurousness and humility of this crowd of individuals. Intimidating as it may seem, we feel at home here. Perhaps it has something to do with our six bike rides to the show with our friends at Smartwool where we endured 400+ miles and one mountain in 4 days and left with lifelong friendships.

Or perhaps it’s the work that has come out of this show with some of the most prominent brands in the category. From Patagonia to Stansport to Hydro Flask to Smartwool to Katadyn, we feel extremely fortunate to have been able to form wonderful relationships and achieve amazing results with great teams in one of our favorite industries. It makes for quite the reunion at the show each year.

Beyond all of this, we are a team of outdoor enthusiasts at the core, and believers in the power of the outdoors to inspire creativity and build relationships, both with each other and with ourselves. This is why so many of our crew make the time to hike, bike, and camp when we are not at our desks. The outdoors has a way of making people feel better inside, and it seems to radiate from our crew. Returning from this show, we are energized and grateful, ready to get to work building more meaning for our favorite industry.

If you’d like to know more about how the outdoors inspires great work from our team or share how the outdoors inspires you, please reach out. Happy to share great stories over a cup of coffee on the Bachelor Farmer Cafe patio.

Thank you,

Aaron Keller
Founder, Capsule
Author, Physics of Brand