More is better and everywhere at Salt Palace outdoor show

Just about everything new coming out this fall for outdoor recreation is more, and not necessarily meaning the price.

The word from the Outdoor Retailers Summer Market this year is simply "more" . . . more comfortable, more durable, more dependable, more appealing, more user-friendly, more colorful, more uses, more delicious, more breathable, more sizes and so on.Which isn't all too surprising considering there are more than 800 manufactures competing for buyers out of more than 2,700 booths covering more than 300,000 square feet in the Salt Palace, all displaying more than a zillion items, from zipper pulls to paddle-less kayaks to tents with tinted windows. Also, there are more Utah companies - 38 in all - in this year's show.

This is, as Jeff Blumenfeld, president of Blumenfeld and Associates, points out, "The largest specialty outdoor industry trade show in the world."

The four-day show will have an economic impact of around $14.6 million.

This is the third year the summer show has been in Salt Lake City. And, said Blumenfeld, "We intend to have a long-term stay here in Salt Lake. We do need more space, so the announcement to expand the Salt Palace was good news. This is an outdoor show and it fits into the outdoor setting here.

"How long we stay will depend on what the market tells us, and right now it tells us it works."

To anyone touring the show there were three areas exhibiting broad interest - paddle sports, climbing and, as always, footwear.

It was impossible to pass more than two booths, and often not even one, to see a wall of one-of-a-pair shoes, boots and sandals. In many cases the footwear was represented by companies more recognizable for other products, such as North Face (tents, parkas and sleeping bags) and Salomon (ski gear).

Paddle sports continues to be a rapidly growing area of recreation.

The reasons, said Jens Laipenieks of Northwest Kayaks out of Redmond, Wash., range from the self-gratification that comes from providing the power to the quiet solitude it offers.

"What we're seeing is paddle sports moving inland. It's moving from the coastlines onto the flat waters on lakes and rivers. It's a way of getting up close and personal with the wilderness," he added.