If you ask 100 people what “Outdoor” means, you’ll get 92 different answers and 8 people who don’t even want to have the conversation because it’s “too controversial.”
However … spoiler alert … Outdoor already has a working definition. It’s been in use by the federal government for two years in their Bureau of Economic Analysis report, which calculates the size of the Outdoor sector as a component of the GDP. Their definition is super simple -- it’s any outdoor recreational activity with a measurable economic impact.
Simple and straightforward, the feds have propped up the biggest of the big tents by including literally everything you can think of from model rocket enthusiasts to golf, and from kayaking to pleasure driving.
Unfortunately, the federal definition of Outdoor is usable for only one thing: calculating the economic breadth of the sector. For everything else, it’s unworkable.
Every conceivable user of the Outdoor definition -- such as a magazine, or a retailer, or a trade association -- is using some sort of method to slice that huge economic pie into a manageable bite-size chunk that’s relevant to them. And in virtually every one of those instances, the method that they’re using is a personal litmus test, a choosing of this over that based on their own experiences and their own preferences.
Within the BEA, outdoor is everything with a receipt. But within the self described Outdoor Industry for instance, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who feels that amusement parks or golf are part of their economic sector. But why not?
To grow the Outdoor sector or even a single business within it, we need to strengthen our Outdoor vocabulary as well as our willingness to talk about what it means.
1. THE FIRST DEFINITIONS
Before the BEA came along, Outdoor was guided by a pair of definitions that were unofficial, but were widely understood and utilized.
The first is the Traditional Outdoor definition, which includes fishing, hunting and related travel, and was largely defined by “outdoor” journalists, retailers, outfitters and guides throughout the 20th century. Commonly referred to as the “Sportsman” category, this definition -- and these pursuits -- have dominated the outdoor recreation category for most of the last century, leading to the creation of many successful companies and organizations, as well as public and private funding mechanisms to support game and fisheries conservation and management.
The second is the Modern Outdoor definition, which includes backpacking, camping, climbing, paddling and “related” activities -- and could easily be described as “gorp outdoor.” The Modern Outdoor definition was shaped by attendance at the early Outdoor Retailer trade shows, started in 1985, which launched as an alternative to existing marketplaces around Traditional Outdoor, as well as skiing and bicycling.
As Modern Outdoor grew over the next three decades, some notable commonalities emerged. Many of this group’s retailers and businesses were “baby boomers” and brought some of that generation’s affinity for environmentalism and conservation to their companies.
Over the same time frame, Modern Outdoor has broadened to include a wide variety of vertical and niche categories that overlap significantly with Traditional Outdoor as well as other related markets like surfing, skiing, snowboarding and bicycling. This broad and inclusive approach also fueled massive growth in outdoor “lifestyle” apparel and products … items that defy categorization, and contribute significantly to the challenges of identifying the guardrails for the sector.
2. INSTEAD OF BUILDING OUTWARD, LET’S WORK INWARD
So, to recap the big three points, which IMO are fairly obvious and uncontroversial:
One … To strengthen a business sector -- or a portion of it -- we need to be able to clearly define it and all of its various elements.
Two … The accepted definition of Outdoor from the federal government (ie, everything with an economic impact) is too broad to be of use. It includes a massive variety of specialty segments and vertical categories, many of which are large enough to have their own segments and categories and even trade associations.
Three ... The Traditional and Modern Outdoor definitions have overlapped too much to be effective.
Understanding all of that, there are two options for refining our understanding of the Outdoor sector. One way is to start from the ground up, with either the Traditional Outdoor or the Modern outdoor definition, and build it out by adding niche markets and here and there. I’m not wild about this idea. The process would be too subjective and personal.
The other way is to start from the top and work down, to take the biggest Outdoor definition -- the one the federal government uses -- and focus on ways to break it down logically into more detailed and effective groupings. This method is more about identifying clusters within Outdoor, rather than trying to hijack and redefine what Outdoor means.
Working top down, we get some big but manageable chunks. Working from activities up, we’re continually making decisions on small topics and whether they’re in or out.
3. ASK BIG QUESTIONS TO GATHER SOME BIG OUTDOOR CLUSTERS
When you look at the list of activity-based markets that are included in the federal government’s Outdoor definition, it can be a bit overwhelming. Strange bedfellows exist through the sub categories, like “Other Outdoor Recreation Activities” which bulks up paintball, disc golf, swimming, stargazing, and water polo among numerous others. (You also see big numbers around “Supporting Outdoor Activities” like transportation, construction and government spending, which I’ve removed from the calculations below)
But pulling back to the proverbial 30,000-foot view, there are some big clusters that stand out to me -- and possibly to you too -- and can be easily identified through some relatively simple yes-or-no questions. Based on my rough math based on measurements from the Feds, these sectors are also remarkably balanced.
Is it motorized? ($82.7b)
There’s no denying that motorized recreation is a significant and sizeable portion of the outdoor recreation economy. At the same time, the businesses and organizations that support it are largely oriented around those motorized vehicles, both in sales and support.
$22.6 billion: "Conventional” Multi-use Apparel and Accessories which consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment. (*note: this category is split 50/50 with non-motorized)
$18.5 billion: RVing
$16.9 billion: Other Boating
$9.2 billion: Motorcycling/ATVing
$8,3 billion: Air and Land Guided Tours/Outfitted Travel
$1.4 billion: Recreational Flying
$5.8 billion: Water Guided Tours/Outfitted Travel (includes Boating and Fishing Charters)
Is the primary activity in a man-made environment? ($52.4b)
Outdoor recreation can happen anywhere, to be sure. As with the Motorized question above, the businesses and organizations that support recreation in man-made environments have significant commonalities, like fee for access and onsite retail operations.
$18.7 billion: Game Areas (includes Golfing and Tennis)
$16.3 billion: Festivals/Sporting Events/Concerts
$14 billion: Amusement Parks/Water Parks
$3.4 billion: Field Sports
Does it include guns? ($9.3b)
Yes, there are certainly plenty of crossover products that are used both inside and outside this category, but it’s no longer enough to ignore the reality of guns and how both business owners and consumers view them. Some people are totally cool with it. Some are definitely not. On both sides, there is significant passion and energy. And among consumers, there are few who have no opinion on the subject, which means the conversation should be had, not avoided.
$4.8 billion: Hunting/Trapping
$4.5 billion: Shooting (includes Archery)
Is it non-motorized and designed for natural environments? ($80.7b)
With a quick look through the BEA categories clustered by this question, most will start to see a familiar look … one that can be seen throughout the independent specialty outdoor retail community as well as in well known Outdoor Industry vendor brands.
$22.6 billion: "Conventional” Multi-use Apparel and Accessories which consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment. (*note: this category is split 50/50 with Motorized)
$10.3 billion: Other Outdoor Recreation Activities (Consists of agritourism, augmented reality games, beachgoing, disc golf, hot springs soaking, kite flying, model airplane/rocket/UAV, paintball, photography, stargazing/astronomy, swimming, therapeutic programs, water polo, yard sports.)
$8.6 billion: Equestrian
$7.3 billion: Productive Activities (includes Gardening)
$6.9 billion: Other Conventional Air and Land Activities (Consists of air sports, driving for pleasure, geocaching/orienteering/rock hounding, ice skating, inline skating, land/sand sailing, races, running/walking/jogging, skateboarding, and wildlife watching/birding.)
$4.9 billion: Fishing (excludes Boating)
$4.2 billion: “Other" multi-use Apparel and Accessories (Consists of backpacks, bug spray, coolers, general outdoor clothing, GPS equipment, hydration equipment, lighting, sports racks, sunscreen, watches, and other miscellaneous gear and equipment.)
$3.5 billion: Climbing/Hiking/Tent Camping
$2.5 billion: Other Conventional Water Activities (Consists of boardsailing/windsurfing, SCUBA diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddling, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and whitewater rafting.)
$2.4 billion: Other Snow Activities (includes Snowmobiling) (Consists of dog mushing, sleighing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, snow tubing.)
$2 billion: Skiing
$2 billion: Bicycling
$1.8 billion: Snowboarding
$1.3 billion: Sailing
$329 million: Kayaking
$89 million: Canoeing
4. TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Before you poke a hole in the ideas above, let me do it for you. Exceptions will always exist … it’s impossible to set a ‘perfect’ cluster because of a few basic reasons:
• Businesses will always strive to add products and services which are relevant to their closest consumers -- such as a retailer adding items specifically needed for a local recreational resource such as an ice climbing area.
• Businesses will always refine their approach based on personal and business considerations -- such as a retailer deciding whether or not to sell guns and ammunition.
• Multi-use products can be used in numerous crossover categories -- such as a rain coat which can be used for backpacking, skiing or motorcycling. .
To be clear … I’m not advocating that we should sit down and make a list of what’s in and what’s out, and then try to force all businesses and organizations to adopt a single definition of “Outdoor.” It’s absolutely the right path for different organizations (and individuals) to have different filters, but to do that we need to agree on the words we use and what they mean.
What I do feel is important is transparency. Everybody in the outdoor sector needs to feel comfortable expressing their specific perspective on a very broad and interconnected marketplace so that potential partners/employees/allies can choose appropriately where to apply their own efforts. Every business and organization benefits from specific and actionable goals, and having a rational conversation about what Outdoor means will help us all do a better job.