Outdoor Industry Trends: Reporting Season & Trade Show Shake-Ups

This week on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin, and Producer Dave break down a packed slate of outdoor industry headlines, from financial shakeups to listener drama.

On the docket!

• VF’s Up-and-Down Quarter: North Face & Timberland steady the ship while Vans still struggles.
• HOKA’s Plateau: Deckers cools expectations as HOKA’s U.S. sales flatten but international growth keeps soaring. Is the bubble finally bursting or just shifting?
• Marmot’s Resurrection: Newell Brands shows signs of life, prompting Producer Dave to upgrade Marmot from “zombie” to “revenant.”

2026 Outdoor Trade Show Watch!

• Outdoor Retailer’s “Leadership Village” expands with new names from Cotopaxi, Garage Grown Gear, and Founded Outdoors plus a focus on small and emerging brands.
• ISPO Moves to Amsterdam: Europe’s biggest outdoor trade show changes cities and strategy, raising questions about timing, purpose, and relevance.

Lightning Round!

• Wolverine Named Footwear News Company of the Year (and somehow not Nike).
• Lululemon x NFL Collab would Chip Wilson have ever approved?
• Specialized E-bike Lawsuit: The latest in “gear that tries to kill you.”

The Parting Shot presented by Garage Grown Gear!

A listener calls The Rock Fight “Patagonia’s biggest haters.” The crew responds (with vigor) clarifying that critique comes from love, not spite.

Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's semi-weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.

Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.