The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary

The light hiker is coming back. At least that's Colin's prediction.

On this week's Parting Shot, Colin welcomes Gear Abby host Shawnté Salabert to debate his latest outdoor industry prediction: 2027 will be the year of the light hiker.

He makes his case by looking at footwear's fashion cycles, an increasingly saturated running category, emerging retail trends, and why shoes like the Merrell Moab might be poised for a comeback.

Will running shoes finally lose their grip on casual footwear or is Colin just trying to make dad shoes cool again? Send your feedback to [email protected].

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

The outdoor industry depends on public lands. So why does it sometimes seem reluctant to fight for them?

Chris Keyes, founder and executive director of public lands newsroom RE:PUBLIC, returns to The Rock Fight to talk with Colin about the industry's response to the growing number of threats facing America's public lands.

Chris and Colin discuss what brands can do beyond posting another carefully workshopped statement on social media, why encouraging people to vote might be the industry's most effective move, and how RE:PUBLIC's first year is demonstrating that good old-fashioned outdoor journalism can still make a difference.

Topics / Chapters

02:08 – Why the Outdoor Industry Needs to Get Loud

06:32 – Chris Keyes Joins The Rock Fight

07:50 – One Year of RE:PUBLIC

09:27 – Is the Outdoor Industry Doing Enough?

10:59 – Why Brands Have Been Reluctant to Speak Up

13:44 – How Corporate Ownership Changed Outdoor Activism

14:42 – The Business Case for Defending Public Lands

16:50 – One Thing Every Outdoor Brand Can Do

17:57 – Why Today's Public Lands Fights Are Harder to Communicate

19:09 – Stop Posting Links and Start Driving Action

20:33 – Why You Can't Compare Every Brand to Patagonia

22:12 – If You're Going to Speak Up, Say Something

23:24 – How Journalism Can Actually Create Change

Read RE:PUBLIC's job performance review for Doug Burgum here.

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your comments or questions to [email protected].

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Big box retailers drive a massive amount of outdoor industry revenue. So which ones matter most and which are best positioned for the future?

Today Colin is joined by Outdoor Unfiltered host and Rock Fight consigliere Eoin Comerford to power rank the biggest players in outdoor retail.

And, as you might expect, Colin and Eoin don't exactly agree on the rankings.

Plus, Colin answers a listener question about whether outdoor brands can differentiate on vibes alone, nominates another once iconic outdoor company for zombie-brand status, and explains what the Outdoor Media Summit gets right about industry gatherings.

Timestamps:

03:40 – Mailbag: Is Brand Vibe More Important Than Innovation?

06:55 – Has Outdoor Gear Become Commoditized?

08:20 – Is Lowe Alpine a Zombie Brand?

10:50 – What Outdoor Media Summit Gets Right About Industry Events

12:40 – Why Big Box Retail Matters to the Outdoor Industry

15:26 – Eoin Comerford Joins the Show

20:13 – Colin & Eoin Have Their First Major Disagreement

26:20 – The Specialty Experience at Big Box Scale

30:22 – The Middle of the Outdoor Market

37:07 – Honorable Mentions & Eoin's Rankings

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Friday is for The Parting Shot!

To close out The Rock Fight's big return week, Colin welcomes back two Rock Fight Hall of Famers, Producer Dave and Shawnté Salabert, to chuck four rocks aimed squarely at the outdoor world.

First, Colin defends the Satisfy x Adidas Circle Pit and wonders why runners get so worked up whenever a brand tries something different. Producer Dave then weighs in on Mammut's latest streetwear-heavy campaign and the strange pivot from the brand that spent the past two years reminding everyone that it definitely wasn't a streetwear brand.

Then Shawnté joins Colin to talk outdoor media, why everyone needs to stop saying "print ain't dead," and how print journalism has actually evolved.

Finally, Shawnté takes aim at the outdoor brands staying quiet about the potential rollback of the Roadless Rule and what it could mean for public lands.

Four parting shots. Two returning Rock Fight favorites. One final batch of rocks to take into the weekend.

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your emails to [email protected].

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

What happens when you can DoorDash a pair of trail runners as easily as an order of pad thai?

Locally founder and CEO Mike Massey joins Colin to talk about the company's new partnership with DoorDash and why getting outdoor gear delivered in an hour could be about much more than convenience.

They also dig into the health of specialty outdoor retail, the shift toward at-once buying, how real-time local data could change inventory decisions, and whether the coming battle over last-mile delivery could create a major opportunity for independent retailers.

Topics / Chapters

02:29 – DoorDash is coming to your local gear shop

06:58 – Locally CEO Mike Massey joins the show

07:21 – How the Locally/DoorDash partnership happened

11:31 – Are delivery apps becoming the new everything store?

15:09 – Could this be a game changer for specialty retail?

16:01 – The current health of outdoor specialty retail

21:32 – At-once buying, inventory risk & real-time demand

23:58 – Can local retailers compete with Amazon?

27:05 – Why specialty shops shouldn't try to become Amazon

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Email us! [email protected]

The Rock Fight is (an awesome) production of Rock Fight, LLC.

It's the day you've been waiting for because The Rock Fight, the best outdoor culture podcast, is back!

And we're starting things back up with some spice as host and outdoor industry veteran Colin True returns with five rocks for the outdoor industry.

Is the hype around trail running finally peaking? Does the industry need to rethink what “outdoor participation” actually means? Is REI exactly what we need it to be? And with Outdoor Retailer, Switchback, GOA Connect and Outside Days all fighting for attention, do we already have the national outdoor gathering everyone keeps asking for?

Then Outdoor Unfiltered host and Rock Fight consigliere Eoin Comerford joins the show to dig into the growing power of specialty retailers, why dealers are increasingly favoring at-once orders over preseason commitments, and what that shift could mean for outdoor brands.

Plus: Helly Hansen wants to more than triple its U.S. business by 2030. Eoin and Colin discuss where that growth could possibly come from.

TOPICS & CHAPTERS

00:00 – Welcome back to The Rock Fight!

04:00 – Rock #1: Has trail running peaked?

07:00 – Rock #2: Outdoor participation is changing

09:30 – Rock #3: REI is the Steadiest of Eddies

12:15 – Rock #4: The Outdoor Trade Show Wars

18:30 – Rock #5: Specialty retail has the power

23:15 – Eoin Comerford joins the show

24:50 – Why retailers are moving away from preseason orders

27:20 – The “sea of sameness” comes home to roost

32:05 – How specialty retailers influence consumers

35:55 – How much power do independent retailers really have?

38:45 – Are there too many outdoor brands?

40:40 – Helly Hansen’s massive U.S. growth ambitions

Send your feedback and questions to [email protected]

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC

Let’s not beat around the bush. If you’ve listened to The Rock Fight in the past you know that we’ve never minced words on this podcast. So why start now?

Here’s the deal: On Monday September 28th, The Rock Fight returns!

Why, you ask? Because the voice of the outdoor industry has been quiet for long enough. And because the people demanded it. And because we still have rocks to throw! And lastly, because…. It just is.

We’ll be returning with hot takes, actual interesting conversations, top 5’s, outdoor drafts, and our signature brutally honest point of view of the outdoors and the outdoor industry. If you are into going outside or the business and brands of going outside, then The Rock Fight is the podcast for you.

So warm up that shoulder, find a couple of pointy rocks, and get ready for the return of The Rock Fight.

Follow The Rock Fight on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods.

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Don't call it a comeback! No, seriously, don't call it a comeback. The Rock Fight just needed to let Eoin Comerford weigh in on Outdoor Retailer!

Today Colin dusts off the mic and welcomes Eoin to answer one question: Is Outdoor Retailer back?

Fresh from OR 2026 in Minneapolis, Eoin reports on surprisingly strong crowds, actual buyer activity, new brands, influencers, and some genuine buzz around the longtime outdoor industry trade show.

The Rock Fight may be gone... but apparently we still have some rocks to throw (seriously, not a comeback).

Head to www.rockfightllc.com to listen to and follow Outdoor Unfiltered with Eoin Comerford and Gear Abby with Shawnté Salabert.

The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

On this special bonus episode of Outdoor Unfiltered, Eoin welcomes the founders of The Rock Fight -- Colin True and Producer Dave Karstad.

Colin and Dave share why they decided to go out on top with the Rock Fight at its peak, what drew them to their new roles at Oboz, and what lies ahead for them and the brand.

Today on Outdoor Unfiltered, Eoin Comerford breaks down the news that REI is cutting pay and benefits for employees as the co-op struggles to return to profitability.

After four straight years of losses REI is facing some tough financial realities — and payroll is squarely in the spotlight.

Eoin digs into what’s driving the decision, why payroll costs at REI are significantly higher than other retailers, and why a healthy REI still matters to the broader outdoor industry.

Also in this episode:

• Vail Resorts’ historically bad winter season
• Why ski resorts are still making money despite poor snow
• Eoin is then joined by Rock Founder and Outdoor Industry veteran, Colin True, to discuss the outdoor recreation economy’s “$1.3 trillion” headline number (and why it’s misleading) as well as the new brand campaigns from The North Face and Merrell.

Outdoor Unfiltered looks past the PR spin to explore what’s really happening in the outdoor industry and why it matters.

Connect with Eoin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoincomerford/

Email the show: [email protected]