Outdoor Industry by The Numbers
The numbers tell the story. Take a spin around the outdoor industry, from sales figures to participation trends and beyond.
Outdoor Industry by The Numbers
The numbers tell the story. Take a spin around the outdoor industry, from sales figures to participation trends and beyond.
Sales of Black Diamond apparel, the brand’s fastest-growing category, grew 33 percent in the quarter ended Sep. 30, 2021. Black Diamond is introducing over 150 new products in 2022, ranging from skis and snow safety equipment to apparel and footwear. BD is opening flagship stores in Jackson, WY, Burlington, VT, and Bend, OR.
Source: Claris Corp. filing
Helly Hansen retail revenues rose 14 percent year-over-year for the nine months ended Oct. 2, 2021, to C$394.5 million (US$314.8 million). The Norwegian brand is owned by Canadian Tire Corp.
Source: Canadian Tire filing

72 million Americans plan on booking an RV trip in 2022, as they own, rent, or borrow one, up from 61 million in 2021. Meanwhile, RV shipments of 49,135 in Nov. 2021 set a record for the month and were up 15.6 percent year-over-year. Some 559,743 RVs were produced during the first 11 months of 2021, the most ever built in a single year.
Source: RV Industry Assoc., RVIA Market Report Nov. 2021
54.7 million Americans fished at least once during 2020, the highest number recorded since participation tracking began in 2007. The fishing participation rate rose to 18 percent of the U.S. population, the highest rate in over a decade and a nearly 9 percent gain versus 2019.
Source: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation & Outdoor Foundation

Fishing sales at Johnson Outdoors rose 23 percent in FY21 to $553 million due to higher demand across all product lines and increased participation in the activity.
Source: JOUT Annual Report
There were 969 million total U.S. fishing outings in 2020, up 10.2 percent from 879 million in 2019. The average number of annual outings was 18. Some 28 percent of those fishing made more than $100K annually; 36 percent were female, 9 percent Hispanic and 18 percent between the ages of 13 and 24.
Source: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation & Outdoor Foundation
An estimated 160.7 million Americans participate in outdoor recreation activities ranging from skiing and mountain biking to sledding, hiking, snowshoeing, trail running and walking outdoors.
Source: Outdoor Industry Assoc. 2021 Holiday Season Special Report
Some 53.7 percent of outdoor enthusiasts seek advice from retail staffers when making a gear purchase. And an estimated 52.2 percent solicit advice from family and friends; 31.9 percent look to brand websites for gear advice.
Source: Outdoor Industry Assoc. 2021 Holiday Season Special Report
Vista Outdoor scooped up Stone Glacier, a Bozeman, MT maker of ultralightweight hunting gear in late December 2021, marking VSTO’s seventh acquisition in 16 months.
Source: company filing

Nearly 1 in 5 non-snowsports participants have never thought about snowsports as an activity, indicating that overall awareness might be an initial barrier to converting non-participants into participants.
Source: NexGen Study of Winter Participants from SIA, Dec. 2021