Inside Outdoor Magazine

Volume 15 Issue 1 | Winter 2018 COLOR CONSISTENCIES SPECIALTY’S LOW-TECH INVESTMENT W INVES MEN www.insideoutdoor.co m SECRETS TO RETAIL SUCCESS S UC E F/W ’18NEW PRODUCTSHOWCASE CT H E SNOW BUSINESS S W US N Volume 15 Issue 2 | Spring 2018 SUB-BOX MARKET X MA E SMART SKIS M K S www.insideoutdoor.com CAMPING’S NEW FACES I E F MAKING WAVES PACKRAFTING POPULARITY STARTS TO SWELL M IN WAVES PACKR FTING PO ITY STA TS TO SWE L THE BOTTOM 30% THE BOTT 3 REGULARS Data Points 8 Numbers worth Noting Bike shifts, Olympic recall; outdoor elite and dabblers; social Boomers; and more BACK OFFICE 36 Slow Delivery The subscription box market’s mixed outlook By Martin Vilaboy GORP 40 Survival Story Camp kits with real vision By Gerald Baldino FLOORSPACE 42 Manage the Bottom 30% Culling inventory for better GMROI By Ritchie Sayner 44 Special Deliveries Electronic parcel lockers improve deliveries, boost sales By Gerald Baldino 6 Letter from the Editor 12 Rep News & Notes 13 3 Questions 46 Advertiser Index REPORTS 14 AI and Exoskeletons A look at the ski industry’s newest tech trends By Gerald Baldino 18 MakingWaves Ultra-light packrafts change the game for backpackers By Gerald Baldino 24 Blowing Up The latest in packrafts 26 Outdoor Melting Pot Getting to know the new North American camper By Martin Vilaboy 34 CORDURA Curated Spring ’18: Out of Japan CONTENTS Spr ing 2018 18 14 26 Cover image by Thor Tingey courtesy of Alpacka Raft Inside Outdoor | SPRING 2018 4