Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the penultimate episode of the podcast, Colin True explains why it’s time to bring The Rock Fight  to a close and why ending things at their peak feels like the right call. Drawing parallels to sports dynasties, iconic artists, and cultural moments that knew when to walk away, Colin reflects on the three year run of the show, what it became for the outdoor industry, and the realities of podcasting, media, money, and burnout in

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True dive headfirst into some of the biggest questions lurking beneath modern outdoor culture: how ethical gear really is, whether extreme landscapes like Death Valley are misunderstood, and if quilts can truly replace traditional sleeping bags. Along the way, the episode delivers practical advice, reality checks, and the kind of gear nerdery listeners h

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight Colin, Eoin Comerford and Producer Dave talk about some recent headlines to come out of the outdoor industry including recent comments made by some of the industry's more notable CEO's. For the Lightning Round they do quick hits on J Crew, JD Sports, and OR's new athlete team. Then they unpack the launch of Stoke Footwear , a running-inspired shoe brand built for “real American men” that’s already landed in

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True tackle three listener questions that sit right at the intersection of aspiration and anxiety: fueling a thru-hike, learning a notoriously expensive winter sport without going broke, and finding real support for runners with larger chests. Along the way, the conversation veers into enchilada fantasies, mountain-town economics, and the surprisingly complex

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! This week on  The Rock Fight , the crew digs into a round of reactions to some of the latest headlines to emerge from the outdoor industry! From Fleet Feet’s growing footprint, to the maturation of the hydration category and what it means for brands like Hydro Flask and YETI, the conversation spans retail scale, category fatigue, and where real opportunity still exists. The episode also explores why more brands are opening their o

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True kick off the year by easing back into listener questions with a mix of thoughtful ethics, practical physiology, and a healthy dose of bureaucratic reality. What starts with reflections on winter safety and outdoor education quickly turns into a wide-ranging conversation about fires, fluids, permits, and the fine line between optimism and logistical hell.

Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight Colin and Producer Dave help break down Eoin's ten predictions for the outdoor industry in 2026! From tariffs and retail shakeups to REI’s membership future, used gear going mainstream, peak trail running culture, and AI becoming your next gear buddy. Then for The Parting Shot presented by Garage Grown Gear, Colin calls out Timberland’s latest boot , using it as a case study in what happens when legacy

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this special end-of-year episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True ditch listener mail in favor of interrogating each other. The result is a wide-ranging, deeply nerdy, and occasionally unhinged conversation that blends wildlife biology, outdoor industry reflection, and a full-blown gear-of-the-year showdown. Equal parts reflective and ridiculous, the episode feels like a campfire conversation where t

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this special episode, Colin, Owen, Shawnté, and Producer Dave hand out the 2025 Rock Fight Awards , recognizing the outdoor industry’s biggest wins, painful missteps, strangest products, and standout brands and individuals of the year. From trail running’s continued dominance to zombie brands, WTF products, creative breakthroughs, and a few well-earned shots across the bow, this is a no-filter temperature check on where the out

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby , host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True tackle some of the most quietly judgmental corners of outdoor culture—those moments where people wonder if they’re doing the outdoors “right,” hoarding too much gear, or willingly subjecting themselves to freezing misery for a good cause. The result is an episode that dismantles outdoor status games, celebrates thoughtful decluttering, and offers a

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight , the crew runs a temperature check on the outdoor industry national trade show scene! From fragmentation to event fatigue, Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave break down whether outdoor still needs a single “north star” gathering; and who should be responsible for making it happen. But first they hit a rapid-fire six-pack of industry stories, including: ANTA’s push into the U.S. market Arc’teryx livin

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert and producer Colin True take on some of the most gloriously niche problems an outdoor brain can produce: climbing chalk ethics, poncho pride, and the logistics of dropping a deuce when everything is frozen solid. “The Great Chalk Debate, Poncho Town & The Snow Poop Protocol” leans hard into the mix of humor, gear-nerdery, and real talk that’s become the show’s trademark. Qu

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode, Colin, Shawnté, Eoin, and Producer Dave deliver their on-the-ground, end-of-show  breakdown of The Running Event  and Switchback 2025  — recorded moments after the TRE Retailer Awards wrapped in San Antonio. The crew dig into what worked, what surprised them, and what the outdoor industry should take away from a trade show that knows exactly what it is . On The Docket! The TRE Retailer Awards: Emotion, community &

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! From San Antonio, TX it's The Rock Fight LIVE! Colin, Shawnté Salabert, Producer Dave and Eoin Comerford take the stage at The Running Event & Switchback 2025 for a fast, funny, high-energy conversation on the annual trade show. On The Docket! The Future of TRE & Switchback: Christina Henderson and Kent Ebersole discuss where the event is heading, how outdoor fits in, and whether an awards program is coming. RUNHER Magazine found

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert wades into the big emotional, existential, and extremely practical questions of outdoor life. From what happens to our ashes in national parks to whether love really blooms on long trails, how not to die (or freeze) while ice fishing, and what rain shells are actually worth obsessing over. Spreading Ashes, Ice Holes & On Trail Meet-Cutes! is equal parts tender, nerdy, and d

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! It's an action packed episode of The Rock Fight as Colin, Eoin Comerford, Producer Dave are joined by Gear Abby herself, Shawnté Salabert to preview and offer their predictions for this week's edition of The Running Event & Switchback! They also dig into Dick's Sporting Goods plans for Foot Locker and respond to a listener email about the profitablity of resale economics. Lastly it's the final interview recorded at GOA Connect in

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In the latest episode of Gear Abby, host Shawnté Salabert wanders from bookshelves to snowfields to elk harems to satellite signals. “Sexy Elk, Big Decks & Women Adventure Writers!” serves up exactly what it promises: big feelings about representation in outdoor literature, practical beta for winter curious folks, real-talk wildlife etiquette, and a surprisingly heartfelt ode to non-phone electronics in the backcountry. Question 1

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave break down two major outdoor-industry storylines: Nike’s push into trail running and Sierra’s rapid suburban takeover. Plus listener feedback, The Lightning Round, and The Parting Shot! On The Docket! Mailbag:  A listener response to the Patagonia Impact Report and how they make their stuff. Nike Targets Trail Running:  Does a Hoka lookalike and a new race sponsorsh

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin, and Producer Dave sit down with Tony Post, founder and CEO of Topo Athletic, live from GOA Connect in Kansas City, to talk about the booming trail running market and Topo’s big year. Topo has quietly become one of the most talked-about brands in trail running. Growing 70% last year and expanding into 25 countries all while staying true to its specialty roots and never running a sale on its web

Click to listen on your favorite podcast app! In this episode, Gear Abby comes in hot with two spicy debates (permits and tent footprints), cool everyone down with plein-air watercolor wisdom from guest artist Latasha Greene (Jitterbug Art) , then map out U.S. options for European-style hut hiking. As always: humor + hard facts + actually useful takeaways. Question 1: “Permits are stupid.” (…and how to talk your brother off that ledge) A listener asks for ammo to convince her