OR Summer 2018 Trend Note – Declining Gear Sales & Experiences Over Stuff

The problem is they are only tracking gear sales from the traditional manufacturers selling through the traditional outlets.  I suspect they aren’t tracking the small vendors that many of us buy from.  Maybe Millennials have discovered the “Ray Way” or some other flavor of UL coolaid and are now buying direct from TarpTent, Zpacks, etc, and improving their “experience” by being set free from being a beast of burden on the trail.  I spend $400 to $1200 on backpacking/hiking related gear every year.  REI and other traditional outlets only see maybe $100 or so of that.

Maybe millennials see how much crap their parents have accumulated and notice that they’re still on anti-depressants. And they are also paying attention to the fact that the natural world is massively changing and no one can predict whether or not there will actually be a future for them.

The educated teens and early 20-somethings I know are angry, very angry, that the adults in charge have made such a total mess of the world; shopping is not really on their minds.