With its united voice, the outdoor industry helped secure a historic investment in climate and sustainability.
Continue readingLetter to the Industry from Lise Aangeenbrug, OIA Executive Director
Dear OIA members,
With deep appreciation and mixed emotions, I am writing to you today to share that I will be resigning as executive director of Outdoor Industry Association as of August 19, 2022.Arlene Charles, COO; or Phyllis Grove, OIA Board chair, if you have concerns or questions. Sincerely,
Lise Aangeenbrug
Executive Director Outdoor Industry Association About the Outdoor Industry AssociationBased in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry. For more than 30 years, OIA has served as the trusted convenor, resource, and voice of the outdoor industry. OIA unites and serves manufacturers, suppliers, sales representatives, and retailer members through its focus on trade and recreation policy, sustainable business innovation, and outdoor participation. The association provides its members with insights, advocacy, and opportunities for action that support the long-term success of outdoor businesses and ensure the outdoor experience for all. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org
Research Roundup: July 2022
Here at OIA, our research team focuses on providing you with insights into the outdoor consumer: what drives their choices, what gear they choose, and what they value about their outdoor experiences. With our new monthly newsletter — Research Roundup — we aim to deliver the best data from our partner, CivicScience, who can reach hundreds of thousands of consumers in real-time to ask questions and gather insights that give you clear insights. You’ll also gain easy access to the full catalog of research reports we offer as well as trends we are tracking.
Happy reading!
Kelly Davis
Director of Research
Outdoor Consumer Intelligence: One in Three Hikers Identify as Fashionistas; the Other Two Want Comfort, Function, and Value
This week, we look at the fashion sense of hikers. Nearly 60 million Americans will hike in 2022, so we wondered how they think about fashion trends and their hiking apparel. We worked our way through CivicScience’s consumer intelligence database and found some clues. Turns out, most hikers (68 percent) say they don’t care about fashion trends at all, and interest in fashion declines with age. Men are far less likely to say that fashion trends influence their hiking apparel choices, and young women are most likely to self-identify as fashion innovators, leaders, and followers.
These insights could help suppliers and retailers better understand their customers and more effectively target different segments. Check out the data:
Nearly all (93 percent) of the hikers who say “trends do not impact what I wear” report that they are just “not into fashion.” These consumers are more likely to consider functionality, durability, value, and comfort over style or trendiness when deciding what to buy.
The segment that reported that trends don’t impact their choices AND indicated that “they are not into fashion” is made up of mostly male (68 percent) and older hikers, including men over 55 (88 percent) and women over 55 (72 percent).
Among the 32 percent of hikers (see figure 1) who say that fashion trends do impact what they wear are self-professed fashionistas: 26 percent of them consider themselves either fashion innovators or leaders, and 28 percent say they are fashion trend followers. And about half of those who say trends do impact what they wear say they are not into fashion; this seems confusing, but humans can be complex—some individuals realize that, even though they are not focused on fashion, trends still have an impact on what they wear on the trail.
This group will consider look, trendiness, and brand appeal to varying degrees when they purchase outdoor apparel. This group would also be more likely to prioritize buying a fresh look before considering product features like functionality, durability, value, and comfort. Females make up 60 percent of this group, and males make up 40 percent.
Regardless of gender, older consumers are less likely to be influenced by fashion trends, and older males are most likely not to be into fashion or trends. Young females, however, are most interested in fashion trends. In fact, 30 percent of women ages 18 to 34 consider themselves fashion innovators or leaders, and another 28 percent of women in this age group said they are fashion followers.
Selling into this market will require brands to be focused on trend with their products as opposed to being focused on value, durability, functionality, and comfort. That doesn’t mean that products that are trendy will not also need the more solid features like functionality and durability, but young consumers will make their calculations differently when purchasing apparel and will be more likely to choose style over substance.
Trend Spotter: Meet the Coastal Grandmother
A growing group of women of all ages are dressing like they spend their days on art, philanthropy, and wine-fueled mischief at their beach houses. The look is simple, clean, neutral, and comfortable. Learn more about the trend here.
Data Trail Mix: Outdoor Participant Base Continues to Grow Post Pandemic Surge
Outdoor recreation is a large and growing industry that produced $689 billion in economic output in 2020, supports 4.3 million jobs, and is enjoyed by 165 million Americans over the age of 6 or roughly 53 percent of the total U.S. population. The outdoor industry has always been large, but the COVID-19 pandemic drove growth across the industry: More than 10 million new participants have enjoyed outdoor recreation since March 2020. Limited options for safe indoor activities during the pandemic—particularly group activities—drove growth in outdoor recreation, especially prior to the delivery of vaccines. However, the continued growth of the participant base in 2021 indicates that the need for safer places to interact was not the sole variable driving growth.
Categories that attracted many new participants during the pandemic—including walking, hiking, car camping, trail running, skateboarding, and birdwatching—are some of the most accessible activities, and they enjoyed continued growth in 2021 following their epic increases in 2020.
State and Local Policy Dispatch: Q3 2022
Welcome to the State & Local Dispatch, a quarterly newsletter with key state-level updates that impact our industry and communities.
Continue readingThe Great Maryland Outdoors Act: A win for MD’s outdoors, community, and economy


As 2022 state legislative sessions wrap up and we reflect on major policy wins across the U.S., The Great Maryland Outdoors Act is a clear standout. OIA staff connected with Daryl Anthony, executive director of the Maryland Office of Outdoor Recreation, and western region manager Christy Bright at the Maryland Park Service, to learn more about the positive impacts this bill will have on Maryland’s outdoors, its citizens, and the state’s outdoor economy.
Like many other states, Maryland’s park system saw a marked increase in traffic across its 77 units throughout the pandemic. Much of the increase in visitation was experienced in regions most accessible to nearby major metropolitan areas and in neighboring states. Alongside increased traffic came escalated stress on the resources of the Maryland Park Service. Equity and access concerns for underserved communities also became a greater priority. These conditions sparked discussion on how to address these new challenges. The result? The Great Maryland Outdoors Act.
This act is an instructional example of collaboration between bipartisan lawmakers, state institutions, and other stakeholders working together to understand the needs of the Maryland Park Service, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and their employees. According to Executive Director Anthony, the Great Maryland Outdoors Act is “geared toward advancing operations and capability of the Maryland Park Service.” These targeted investments will address specific resource shortages and will enhance the capacity of the DNR and its departments.
Here are some of the components of the act:
- The act increases the number of permanent employees in the Department of Natural Resources, which will add institutional capacity to address challenges affiliated with increased visitation, safety, and aging infrastructure.
- The state’s Critical Maintenance Fund will receive an additional $70 million to address state park maintenance needs. These funds and the work they enable should positively impact the outdoor recreation industry across the state by updating infrastructure in and around recreation amenities.
- The Park System Capital Improvement and Acquisition Fund established in the act will allow the state to acquire additional land for state parks. Further development of outdoor amenities will alleviate overcrowding and access issues. Part of the funding allotted in the fund must also go toward climate change mitigation infrastructure projects.
- The act also establishes a Parks and Recreation Commission, which will oversee the Maryland Park Service. The commission will have representation from the legislature, appointees from the executive branch, Maryland citizens, and members specifically focused on environmental justice and sustainable communities.
- The creation of the $3 million Great Maryland Outdoors Fund directly applies to Maryland’s Office of Outdoor Recreation. The fund will be used to implement recommendations from the Maryland Outdoor Recreation Economic Commission. The monies may also be applied toward department projects and programs that “provide, promote, and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities in the State.” Some funding is also allotted to the marketing and promotion of state parks.
- Finally, the Great Maryland Outdoors Act establishes that the DNR work with the state’s Department of Labor to identify opportunities to create registered apprenticeship programs “to help address workforce shortages and the career workforce needs of DNR.”
These sizable investments will result in a triple-bottom-line return for the state by imparting direct positive impacts on the health and wellness of the state’s citizens and the health of the environment, and they will enable further development of an outdoor recreation economy that already provides Maryland $5.5 billion in value-added to the state’s economy annually while supplying approximately 69,337 jobs for residents. Executive Director Anthony noted that the act reflected a host of favorable conditions developing in the right place at the right time, including a partnership with the state’s executive branch. “Governor Hogan recognizes the value of outdoor recreation and the need to have this opportunity available for the citizens of Maryland for their overall quality of life,” said Anthony.
After this significant policy victory, what’s next? Both Executive Director Anthony and Western Region Manager Bright say there are other needs and opportunities they will be focused on: growing public and private investment in green technologies to improve access, updating recreation amenities like campgrounds, and further improving the user experience. Finally, Bright points out that the vitality of the outdoor economy and Marylanders themselves rely on the health of the natural assets across the state. Traditional conservation efforts are still front-of-mind for the DNR, including a continued focus on the protection of the Chesapeake Bay.
We at OIA are big fans of the Great Maryland Outdoors Act. State parks across the country are chronically underfunded even while seeing notable traffic increases. Our industry can utilize our collective voice to address this issue over the coming years.
Ready to learn how you can advocate on behalf of increased investment in parks, green infrastructure, and recreation amenities? Contact Rebecca Gillis, OIA’s State and Local Government Affairs Manager, to learn more about the tools OIA offers to our members to step up and call on elected officials to strengthen the outdoors and outdoor economy.