Switchback Spring Debuts a New National Trade Show
Our take on new gear we’re looking forward to seeing
Shawnté navigated the labyrinth Gaylord Opryland to arrive at the base of Mt. Whitney / Tumanguya
I’ll never forget my first trip to Outdoor Retailer roughly a decade ago. As a relatively new freelancer, my primary goal was to connect with editors looking for stories and brands looking for content. As a long time outdoor enthusiast, I was excited to scope out all of the gear on display. And as a perpetually curious human, I wondered–what else might I experience and who else might I meet while I’m there…and will the whole thing be worth my time?
In the years following my first OR experience, there have been near-constant debate about the role of a national trade show in the outdoor industry. Is it a place to make sales? To network? To learn? To meet sponsored athletes? To drink free beer in branded tumblers? And after years of flagging attendance at OR, is a national trade show even necessary anymore?
The folks at events company Diversified certainly think so. To answer the call, they soft-launched Switchback in November 2024 as part of The Running Event, a trade show geared toward running-specific brands and specialty retailers. Earlier this month, Switchback Spring debuted as a standalone show featuring nearly 200 brands, almost 300 retailers, and over 1,200 attendees.
Heading into the event, my first trade show foray in years, I held the same curiosity and pondered many of the same questions as I did ten years ago for my inaugural Outdoor Retailer. I was attending in a different role this time around, however–that of podcast co-host, along with Rock Fight host Colin True, producer Dave Karstad, and consigliere (and former Moosejaw CEO) Eoin Comerford. We were there to do a live recording of the Rock Fight, but also to see for ourselves if Switchback could indeed usher in a new era of outdoor trade shows.
The three-day event launched with a day of speeches and education sessions, all of which I missed due to flight scheduling. But I was glad to arrive at the venue, the sprawling biodome-esque Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, just in time for the evening’s kickoff party, co-hosted by Merrell and the Outdoor Industry Association. Buoyed by a touch of Tennessee whiskey and anticipation, I settled into conversations with brand reps, retailers, publicists, CEOs, founders, and countless others, and all seemed to agree the energy was palpable.
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What was the vibe at Switchback?
The PAKA Apparel booth was full of soft socks, sweaters, sun hoodies…and even a pair of alpacas!
At 9 am the next morning, the show floor opened to a buzzy crowd wielding badges and notebooks and cell phones primed to capture the moment. Within an hour, people were already talking about how Switchback felt like a return to form, like “old OR,” full of great people and great products and great opportunity. The show floor was small, with the largest booth (aside from sponsor Merrell’s double-wide display) capped at 400 square feet, and emerging brands held their own against a solid showing of legacy standouts.
Traffic flowed through the aisles during both days of the show, with constant conversation happening both in and outside of booths. Orders were taken, to be sure, but as I continue to reflect on the experience, it comes down to the people who were there–which, you could argue, is the whole point of a national trade show: bring together folks from across the outdoor industry spectrum and see what kind of alchemy ignites.
Of course, the rest of the outdoor trade show tropes were present: there were alpacas and dogs and happy hours and swag and more Clif products than any human could possibly ingest in a lifetime.
New Outdoor gear we saw at Switchback
Shawnté has never wanted to steal from a trade show booth more in her life.
And there was plenty of amazing gear: I almost ran away with CNOC’s long-anticipated ThruBottle, a BPA-free Smartwater alternative that’s been delayed until the fall.
The Berghaus Fast Hike pack is designed for fast and light adventures.
I strapped on a slew of backpacks, including:
Gossamer Gear’s iconic Mariposa (our review of that pack here)
Aarn’s gravity-defying Featherlight Freedom (which incorporates a pair of massive front pockets to better balance the load)
Berghaus’ waist-hugging Fast Hike pack
Mountain Hardwear’s Alakazam mountaineering pack (which uses ALULLA, a relatively new lightweight and strong challenger to Dyneema).
With a wide toe box, zero drop, and substantial outsole, the Lems Trail Blazer is designed to crush miles in comfort.
For footwear:
I spent time admiring Lems’ Trail Blazer (a wide, zero-drop, and stylish trail shoe)
Sambob’s midlayer lineup (full of functional fabrics and vibrant colors)
BioLite’s upcoming Range headlamps make a bold charging claim.
BioLite’s upcoming Range Series headlamps (which promise an hour of runtime after a mere 8-minute charge), and plenty more.
My verdict on Switchback
My expectations for Switchback Spring were low going in, but I emerged feeling energized rather than exhausted, as I often am after a trade show.
Excited about gear innovations, of course, but also about connecting with so many inspiring, creative, hardworking, and visionary outdoor enthusiasts under one roof.
It did, in fact, remind me of my earliest trade show experiences, when you felt the magic and the potential that comes when we outdoor nerds gather in ways and places that encourage connectivity.
So, will I plan to attend the next Switchback Spring, which will happen in New Orleans June 16 to 18, 2026? You bet your beignets.
Why you should trust us
Shawnté Salabert traveled to Memphis, TN for Switchback Spring 2025.
Shawnté Salabert is a Treeline Review contributor and California-based freelance writer interested in the connections between humans and the natural world.
Her work has appeared in Adventure Journal, AFAR, Alpinist, Backpacker, The California Sunday Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Land+People, Outside, and SIERRA, among other outlets. She is the author of Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail: Southern California. For more information, visit shawntesalabert.com.
Instagram: @shawntesalabert
You can read more on her Treeline author page.
