The Big Gear Show Comes to Denver With the Launch of (e)revolution
As the battle for outdoor adventure shows heats up, The Big Gear Show and (e)revolution offer some glimpses into the future
Published June 13, 2023
Shortly after it was announced that Denver lost the Outdoor Retailer show to Utah, it was announced that Denver would instead host The Big Gear Show and (e)revolution—a dual show designed to showcase some of the latest gear to both the industry and consumers. Last week, from June 8-11, we walked the halls and tested the gear. Here are some of the newest things we saw, as well as some thoughts on the future of outdoor adventure equipment shows.
Treeline Review writer Chris Meehan checking out the show!
First, we should explain what The Big Gear Show and (e)revolution are. The Big Gear Show launched in 2021 in Deer Valley, Utah as an alternative competitor to the Outdoor Retailer (OR) show. Hence, when Emerald (the show owner and producer) announced that it was moving OR back to Salt Lake City, The Big Show needed a new home since it wouldn't make sense to have two similar shows a couple weeks apart in such proximity. It’s also the launch of (e)revolution show, the first trade show in the US dedicated purely to electric bikes. Since both shows are relatively new, they’re smaller than OR, which is more than 40 years old, and it made sense to colocate them in a large space like the Colorado Convention Center.
The convention center in downtown Denver is a large venue with over 2 million square feet of space available. As such, the colocated shows only took up a portion of the overall space in the sprawling venue. That said, one of the key features of the show was the 28,000 square foot indoor demo track that allowed attendees to zip across the concrete show floor on e-bikes and e-mountain bikes and test their skills on a tight—turning course, complete with wooden ramps and features.
Checking out the (e)revolution demo track.
We enjoyed the track features and learning how different e-mountain bikes handled. The Giant Trance X Advanced E+ bike, which weighed about 45 pounds and had all the bells and whistles—including electronic shifting and electronically controlled suspension (for a shockingly high sticker price of $14,000!) — handled much like a regular mountain bike and cruised over the obstacles nimbly but with an option to pack as much or as little extra pedaling power as wanted.
The (e)revolution demo fleets.
The Riese & Müller Supercharger 2 we tested, on the other hand, felt like a stealth speedy tank between our legs. At more than 65 pounds, we wouldn’t want to take that well-equipped bike on the toughest trails with the tightest turns and drops. But we were impressed with its ability to catapult us from zero to twenty in under 100 feet of distance, and we think it would be a great townie and park bike for people who want to spend upwards of $7,000 on a powerful commuter bike.
We also appreciated the range of e-bikes at the show. From mountain bikes to cruisers to city folding bikes — all were on display and available for rides on the showroom floor. We liked seeing models like Lectric’s $799 XP Lite Lectric Blue eBike alongside the more expensive mountain and road bikes. The XP Lite is great for those commuters with limited space, easily folding down for storage—even the pedals fold!—in an office, elevator, or small apartment.
LifeStraw’s new Solo filter is dwarfed by the *L Gravity Water Purifier System.
In terms of new outdoor gear, we didn’t see a huge swath of new products, but we did see some new products that piqued our interest. For instance, LifeStraw continues to add to its line of Peak Series water filters and purifiers. We're looking forward to testing their new 1.7-ounce Solo straw, which attaches to most standard plastic bottles, like SmartWater bottles, and will filter up to 500 gallons at up to 3 liters a minute. We also got a glimpse of the new 8L Gravity Water Purifier System for car camping and basecamps, which can remove viruses at up to 30 liters per hour. Both will launch later in June.
Checking out the Skotti Grill, which easily packs down into the orange case.
We had a chance to check out a unique flat-pack gas grill in the Skotti—a 6.6-pound gas grill that packs down into a package less than an inch thick and uses a standard isopropanol camping fuel canister. The Skotti won a Red Dot Design Award in 2019 in Europe but has only now been introduced to the US market. The $189 German grill isn’t ideal for a backpacker, but would be a great addition for a multi-day raft trip, people who live in small spaces who want to grill in a nearby park, or car camping.
Checking out the Space Acacia Tent.
Another unique new introduction at The Big Gear Show was the SUP-inspired 4-season Space Acacia tents. The car camping/basecamp tents are as at home on the ground as on the open water. That’s thanks to an insulated, inflatable floor which is designed like an inflatable SUP, negating the need for air mattresses. The tent itself folds down like a shade canopy, and the sides and the poles on the side and top are integrated into the tent and designed to pop into place by pulling on the exterior handles.
The West Slope Case from Cold Case Gear was also an interesting piece of gear we hadn’t seen before. It offers insulation and protection in an IPX8-waterproof rated case that closes with magnets rather than a roll-top or ziplock-type feature. As such, it can protect a smartphone from overheating on 90-degree days on the river or trail and keep it from experiencing cold-induced battery drain on the coldest winter days.
WNDR’s first line of clothing is coming soon!
We also saw the latest from the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator with ICELab, which always seems to impress with unique new products like PACT and Gnara (formerly SheFly). This year we were impressed with WNDR Outdoors, which will launch with a line of plus-sized clothing for women designed by and for plus-sized women.
We are also impressed with the promise of Coastal Range Equipment’s upcoming Coastal Range Backpacker, an all-in-one backpacking cook set designed by a former JetBoil engineer that promises to blur the line between all-in-one cook sets and ultralight mini stoves. The new stove and pot set should come in at 8.5 ounces (about 30 percent lighter than JetBoil’s Flash cooking system). However, we didn’t see a working prototype.
Another in the cohort, Near Zero, offers a sort of idiot-proof backpacking kit. With full kits starting at $750, buyers get a 50-liter backpack, 2-person tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and pillow. The backpack has removable dividers that help new backpackers pack everything properly, and it all comes in at 9 pounds. As gear snobs who like to try everything out before making solid recommendations, we’re a little wary of the components since we haven’t had time with each, but from first glances, it looks like a kit that could really help someone get started in backpacking.
Attendees chatting at Day 3 of The Big Gear and (e)revolution.
The show had 250 exhibitors and saw roughly 4,000 attendees. Still, The Big Gear Show is a far cry from the size and scope of the OR show in its heyday. The first summer OR in Denver (2018) had close to 26,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibitors. Since COVID, its numbers have nosedived in both exhibitors and attendees. As such, it seems the future of outdoor gear trade shows still seems very tenuous, and we’re looking to other unique events like the Outdoor Market Alliance Media Showcase to help introduce the latest and greatest in outdoor gear. Still, we think The Big Gear Show and (e)revolution offer a more affordable alternative to OR, and both have plenty of room to go as demand grows.
