Design Meets Unmatched Comfort in Shibumi’s Latest Beach Essential

RALEIGH, N.C., April 17, 2025—Shibumi the brand behind the world’s most innovative, wind-powered beach shade is leveling up the art of lounging with its first ever beach chair. Designed for effortless comfort and portability, this marks a natural evolution for Shibumi, whose shades have been redefining beach days for years. The comfort-first design invites beachgoers to sit back, sink in and lounge harder.

Founded in 2016 by two brothers and their childhood friend, Shibumi’s signature teal and blue fabrics dominate North and South Carolina beaches. With plans to expand to coastlines internationally, the brand recently announced new colorways for its beach shade and now, a beach chair that brings innovative design, comfort, and durability to the world of beach gear.

“Our team set out to solve the biggest frustrations with traditional beach chairs—uncomfortable design, subpar materials, and difficult portability. With the Shibumi Chair, we’ve reimagined every detail to create a chair that’s not only more comfortable but also more durable than anything on the market. From the breathable DreamWave™ fabric to the marine-grade aluminum NapCurve™ frame, we designed this chair to last season after season while making every beach day more relaxing,” said Scott Barnes, Shibumi Co-Founder.

More features of the Shibumi Chair:

  • Four Recline Positions: Enjoy customizable comfort with four recline settings, perfect for lounging, reading, or taking a nap.
  • Padded Backpack Straps: For easy portability, the chair features padded backpack straps, making it convenient to carry to and from the beach.
  • Two Accessory Ports: Keep drinks and essentials close at hand with two accessory ports for added convenience.
  • Marine-Grade Anti-Rust Frame: Built to withstand the elements, the chair’s frame is made from anti-rust, marine-grade materials, ensuring long-lasting durability.
  • Weight Capacity: The chair supports up to 300 pounds, providing a stable and secure seating solution.

The Shibumi Chair is available now for purchase on the Shibumi website and at select retail locations.

About Shibumi

Founded in 2016 by two brothers and their best friend in North Carolina, Shibumi has redefined shade with its lightweight, wind-powered, easy-to-use designs. What started as a solution to improve the founders’ own beach experience has grown into a global sensation, with Shibumi Shades found on over 800 beaches worldwide. In 2025, Shibumi continues to innovate with its first-ever colorway collection, bringing style, sun protection, and relaxation to every beach setup. For more information, visit shibumishade.com or follow @ShibumiShade on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

 

Backpacker’s Pantry and Astronaut Foods announce participation in The Conservation Alliance’s ‘We Keep it Wild’ campaign

Boulder, Colo. (April 17, 2025) — Backpacker’s Pantry, the Boulder-based, family-owned producer of gourmet adventure meals, and its sister brand Astronaut Foods, known for its iconic freeze-dried space treats, are proud to participate in The Conservation Alliance’s Spring 2025 We Keep It Wild campaign. From April 17 to 23, both brands will donate 5% of their online revenue to The Conservation Alliance (TCA), supporting critical advocacy efforts to preserve and protect North America’s wild places and outdoor spaces.

“Our passion for the outdoors isn’t just about adventure—it’s about stewardship,” said Aidan Smith, CEO of American Outdoor Products, the parent company of both Backpacker’s Pantry and Astronaut Foods.”Partnering with The Conservation Alliance is one way we turn that passion into action. By supporting the We Keep It Wild campaign, we’re reaffirming our commitment to permanently protecting the wild spaces that inspire our products and our people. We encourage our customers to take a stand with us and help ensure these landscapes remain wild for future generations — because it’s time to do more than just explore wild places, it’s time to protect them.”

Since 1989, TCA has helped protect 124 million acres of land and 4,964 river miles. In the last four years, they’ve played a key role in protecting key landscapes like Alaska’s D-1 lands, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, and National Monuments across the U.S.

Backpacker’s Pantry and Astronaut Foods are proud to stand alongside other mission-driven brands participating in the Spring 2025 We Keep It Wild campaign, including Ablis, BOCO Gear, Farm to Feet, GU Energy Labs, Kahtoola, NEMO Equipment, Nomadix, Outdoor Tech, and RecPak. This collective effort reflects a shared belief that protecting our natural world is a responsibility—and an opportunity—that extends far beyond individual companies.

For more information about the We Keep it Wild campaign, visit conservationalliance.com.

For more information about Backpacker’s Pantry, please visit backpackerspantry.com. For more information about Astronaut Foods, please visit astronautfoods.com.

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Media Contact:

Jenna Nabors, Verde Brand Communications

jenna@verdepr.com

About Backpacker’s Pantry

Backpacker’s Pantry is a Boulder-based, family-owned producer of gourmet adventure meals made with healthy and sustainable ingredients. Since 1951, the company has been delivering high-quality freeze-dried meals with an emphasis on taste. To give back to the community we love, the places we adventure and the planet we must protect, Backpacker’s Pantry donates 1% of every sale, every day to nonprofits around the world through 1% For the Planet and is 100% solar-powered. Today, Backpacker’s Pantry is sold in over 2,000 stores in North America. For more information and a complete list of products, visit https://backpackerspantry.com.

About Astronaut Foods

Founded in 1974 in conjunction with NASA and based in Boulder, Colorado, Astronaut Foods is the original source for freeze-dried ice cream — an out-of-this-world treat. Today, the company sells freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches and freeze-dried fruit. Astronaut Foods can be found in museums, toy shops, amusement parks and outdoor stores all across North America, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, Astronaut Foods is dedicated to supporting people and organizations whose goal is to push the boundaries of space exploration and discovery. For more information and a complete list of products, visit astronautfoods.com.

Switchback Spring opening keynote to feature Jim Weber, former Brooks CEO

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 16, 2025) – At a gathering designed to energize conversations between retailers, brands, and all levels of the outdoor industry, Switchback Spring will open with a conversation between Jim Weber, former CEO of Brooks, and Melanie “Mel” Strong, founding partner at Next Ventures, a health, sports, and wellness venture capital fund.

A Conversation with Jim Weber: Leading with Agility and Purpose will kick off the Switchback Spring education program on Monday, June 16, at 12:00 PM CST. The conversation will launch the debut edition of the education and business gathering for the outdoor industry community, taking place June 16-18, 2025, in Nashville, TN.

Weber and Strong’s conversation will touch on how brands and retailers can sustain and thrive through challenging times, the importance of building a resilient organization, insights on adapting to change and disruption, and the value of strong leadership and strategic thinking.

“Creating a place for business, education, and conversations has been our goal with Switchback Spring since day one. Jim’s compelling story is a fantastic opportunity to bring together all three of those priorities and to help kick off the gathering in Nashville,” said Christina Henderson, Switchback event director.

As the former CEO of Brooks, Weber re-founded and transformed the company from a business on the brink of bankruptcy into a $1.4 billion global powerhouse and industry leader able to stand tall against world class brands. Weber’s story includes key decisions that fueled Brooks’ success from leading with purpose and driving innovation to cultivating customer obsession and building more trusting workplace cultures. 

“Consumers have more choices than ever before when it comes to brands, products, and places to shop,” said Weber. “Solving for current and future customers is essential – not only to survive, but to profitably grow. By sharing insights and ideas, we can all confirm our assumptions around the customer and sharpen our point of view on the most critical questions and opportunities facing our businesses.”

Strong co-founded Next Ventures in 2019 and focuses on early stage investments across health and wellness in companies like Oura ring and Outside Inc. Prior to Next Ventures, she spent 17 years at Nike where she led several businesses including Nike Women and Skateboarding, and worked on the launch of the Nike Running and Training Club apps. Strong currently serves on the boards of Cofertility, Ramble Campgrounds, Sage Hospitality, Outdoor Afro and USA Cycling.

Switchback Spring, with a nearly sold out show floor and rising retailer numbers, released its initial slate of educational sessions for the inaugural event late last month. Along with Weber’s presentation, additional sessions have been added to the education program since the announcement, including:

Industry Partnerships to Expand Youth Outdoor Participation

Lesford Duncan, Outdoor Foundation executive director, and Kent Ebersole, OIA president, will explore key trends, highlight successful programs, and share strategies to strengthen outdoor access and engagement.

Reduce Your Hassles, Improve Your Operations, Increase Your Profits

David Jones, founder of The Excellence Advisory, will share proven strategies to streamline retail operations and attract more customers, while boosting sales and profitability.

Built to Flex: Smarter Strategies for Retail Planning, Buying, and Merchandising

In this workshop led by Carrie Watson of Outside Looks LLC, retail buyers will learn how to make confident buying decisions with built in flexibility that leave room for adaptation.

Fueling Growth: Funding Strategies for Emerging Outdoor Brands

In this panel discussion led by Enhao Li of Founded Outdoors, founders of emerging outdoor companies will share how they financed their businesses from the ground up and discuss the pros and cons of various funding paths to finance a new venture.

The education program features a balanced variety of topics designed to support specialty retailers and enhance the business being done at the show. The dynamic speaker lineup includes industry and trend experts and organizations long known for their contributions to the outdoor sector.

All Switchback Spring events will be hosted within a dedicated portion of the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, a spacious venue with 12 restaurants and an attached premium hotel. With all attendees staying and meeting in a single location, the focused environment will enable both private planned meetings as well as organic meetups and run-ins.

For more information about Switchback Spring education sessions, visit www.switchbackevent.com/education-program.

Brands interested in exploring exhibiting opportunities can contact Switchback Event Director Christina Henderson at chenderson@divcom.com.

Registration for retailers, media, and outdoor industry professionals is available here.

For more information about Switchback, please visit www.switchbackevent.com.

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About Switchback

Switchback is the twice-a-year business and education gathering for the outdoor industry owned and operated by Diversified Communications, a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities, and digital and print publications. Scheduled at optimal times for discovery and buying conversations, Switchback is held each fall in conjunction with The Running Event and each spring as a standalone event. Blending an accessible format with a schedule of education, peer connection opportunities, and business meetings, Switchback is a dedicated gathering place for all sectors of the outdoor industry community. Upcoming dates for the event include Switchback Spring (Nashville, TN; June 16-18, 2025) and Switchback at TRE (Dec. 2-4, 2025; San Antonio, TX). To learn more about Switchback, please contact Michael Collin (michael@palemorning.com) or visit www.switchbackevent.com.

New Report: Outdoor Market Shows Modest Rebound to $28B in 2024, Driven by Casual Consumers

Outdoor Industry Associations’s 2025 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report reveals shifting consumer behavior and sales patterns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOULDER, CO (April 15, 2025) — Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) today released its 2025 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report, showing a modest 1% rebound in outdoor retail sales in 2024, totaling $28 billion. The report reveals that casual consumers, not core outdoorists, are driving the majority of growth, signaling a continued shift in purchasing behavior and product demand.

While participation in outdoor activities continues to grow, data from the new report indicates a market in transition. Apparel sales stayed flat, equipment sales dipped slightly, and the strongest gains were seen in accessories and footwear, particularly in lifestyle-oriented products. Casual outdoor consumers are prioritizing versatile gear, higher-value footwear, and sustainable accessories, like tote bags, over technical equipment. In 2024, large retailers in the athletic specialty and sporting goods (ASSG) channel maintained steady growth, independent specialty retailers saw slight declines but showed positive momentum late in the year, and the retail e-commerce channel continued a multi-year decline.

“The center of gravity in the outdoor industry has shifted. Growth isn’t being driven by core users anymore. It’s the casual outdoorists: the weekend hikers, the car campers, the folks who wear trail runners to the office and a puffy to the coffee shop who are showing up in the numbers,” said OIA president Kent Ebersole. “Casual consumers are driving growth in new ways, and that presents big opportunities. But we also need to keep investing in our core community. The long-term health of our industry depends on both. At OIA, we’re helping our members make sense of these shifts with data and intelligence, so they can navigate market trends, focus their strategy, and stay ahead.”

Key findings from the report include:

  • Outdoor market retail sales totaled $28 billion in 2024, up 1% compared to total sales in 2023.

  • Footwear and accessories saw the strongest gains in 2024, while equipment declined, and apparel stayed flat.

  • Casual product categories are driving more sales than technical gear, reflecting a broader shift in consumer behavior.

OIA provides trusted research and market intelligence, including consumer insights, participation trends, retail sales data, and industry benchmarking, to help outdoor brands and retailers make data-driven decisions and stay ahead of change. This report features exclusive data from OIA’s partnership with Circana (formerly NPD), offering a detailed look at retail sales trends across chain, e-commerce, and specialty channels in key outdoor categories like apparel, footwear, equipment, and accessories.

An executive summary of the Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report is available free to download here. Gain access to the full 2024 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report, along with all member benefits and resources, when you join OIA. OIA also invites the industry to join its free live webinar this Thursday at 1:00 PM MT to hear report findings and what the data means for outdoor retail and brand strategy in 2025.

Outdoor Alliance urges Congress to fully fund outdoor recreation at Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

Washington, D.C. (April 15, 2025) — In a recent letter to Congress, Outdoor Alliance and 74 partners representing the outdoor recreation community addressed the issue of insufficient funding for outdoor recreation on America’s public lands. This issue has been compounded by recent hiring freezes and widespread layoffs at the Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), followed by years of declining funding at land management agencies. The letter specifically calls on lawmakers to fully fund recreation budgets in its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, asking Congress to fund BLM’s Recreation Resources Management program at $100 million and the Forest Service’s Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness at $70 million.

In 2024, a record 175.8 million Americans ventured outdoors (2024 Outdoor Trends Report Executive Summary, Outdoor Industry Association) a significant increase in recreation visits over the past two decades and another reason Congress needs to support the national outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor recreation as a whole contributed $1.2 trillion to America’s economy, supported 5 million jobs, and accounted for 2.3% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2023 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, BEA 24-53, Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2023 (2024). The letter points out that funding is vital to improve the visitor experience on public lands and is necessary to help both agencies implement the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE Act), legislation passed through Congress unanimously in December 2024.

EXPLORE, is a first-of-its-kind package of outdoor recreation policy that would improve and expand outdoor access on America’s public lands in many ways, including creating more long-distance bike trails, safeguarding climbing in Wilderness, streamlining recreational permitting for guides and outfitters, expanding public/private partnerships for recreation infrastructure, and increased programs for youth, veterans, and service members. Without adequate funding, land management agencies will not be able to implement these directives, and Americans will not be able to realize the full benefits of this historic bipartisan legislation.

“Issues related to public safety, parking, trash, unwanted fire starts, erosion, and other maintenance issues are all concerns that will directly impact the visitor experience as a result of the funding declines at both BLM and USFS. Additionally, these cuts have delayed partner-led efforts to complete recreation infrastructure projects, such as trail systems due to a lack of capacity by agency staff — bottlenecking outside resources that could be deployed in supporting public lands,” said Jamie Ervin, Senior Policy Manager at Outdoor Alliance.

“The outdoor recreation economy is a powerful engine for job creation and economic growth nationwide, and it relies on well-resourced public land agencies to thrive. If Congress is serious about supporting jobs, local businesses, and healthy communities, it must prioritize investment in the recreation programs of the Department of the Interior, Forest Service, and BLM. These aren’t just budget lines, they are the foundation of the outdoor economy,” said Kent Ebersole, President of the Outdoor Industry Alliance (OIA).

“At NEMO, we build gear to help people connect with nature — but those experiences rely on well-managed public lands. Without investment in recreation infrastructure and staffing, we risk degrading the very places that inspire our customers and our mission. Congress has a chance to ensure these treasured landscapes remain welcoming and accessible for generations to come,” said Theresa McKenney, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs, NEMO.

“Public lands managed by the Forest Service and BLM are a cornerstone of the bikepacking experience across the country, offering incredible opportunities for adventure, inspiration, and solitude. Without adequate funding and staffing, the opportunity to experience these cherished places responsibly, and the health of the landscapes themselves are increasingly at risk. We’re proud to stand with Outdoor Alliance and others in calling on Congress to invest in the future of sustainable recreation on our public lands,” said Noelle Battle, Executive Director at Bikepacking Roots.

“Our nation’s rivers and public lands are seeing record visitation, but agency budgets haven’t kept pace. Without adequate staffing and funding at BLM and the Forest Service, even basic river access, signage, and maintenance suffer—putting safety and recreation at risk. We’re proud to join Outdoor Alliance in urging Congress to invest in the infrastructure that sustains outdoor experiences for millions of Americans,” said Evan Stafford, Communications Director at American Whitewater.

Along with Outdoor Alliance, 74 other organizations are calling on lawmakers to fully fund recreation and are included in this letter.

To learn more, please visit www.outdooralliance.org.

About Outdoor Alliance

Outdoor Alliance is the only organization in the U.S. that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands. A nonprofit coalition comprised of 10 national advocacy organizations, Outdoor Alliance’s members include American Whitewater, the American Canoe Association, Access Fund, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Mountaineers, the American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, the Colorado Mountain Club, and the Surfrider Foundation. By working with its member coalitions and helping mobilize the involvement of individuals to protect public lands and waters, OA helps ensure public lands are managed in a way that embraces the human-powered experience. Outdoor Alliance — conservation powered by outdoor recreation. Learn more at OutdoorAlliance.org.

 

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