The Self-Inflicted Wound Hall Of Fame! Plus: Takeaways From REI's Annual Member Meeting The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary podcast

The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary « »

The Self-Inflicted Wound Hall Of Fame! Plus: Takeaways From REI's Annual Member Meeting

20d ago 58:02

Content provided by Colin True - outdoor industry journalist. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Colin True - outdoor industry journalist or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Welcome to Monday's on The Rock Fight your home for the best outdoor industry discourse! There are two big topics on the docket today.

First! After checking in on the recently released Outdoor Retailer floor plan (04:59), Colin, Producer Dave, and Outdoor Industry Insider Eoin Comerford go through the key takeaways from the annual REI members meeting that went down last week.

Here are the topics they hit along with time codes if you want to skip around:

Takeaways from the earnings report including a look at revenue, merchandise/inventory, and payroll. (10:28)
The impact and go forward options after REI's board failed to get three seats filled thanks to efforts by REI's union. (21:10)
What's the brand vibe? Taking a look at the erosion of of goodwill when it comes to REI and how does all of this information impact the broader outdoor industry. (24:19)

Second! Colin, Producer Dave, and Eoin present the inaugural inductees into the Self-Inflicted Wound Hall Of Fame. The history of the outdoor industry is loaded with numerous brand boners, some of which make you stop and ponder, "how did that happen?!"

Today we present three hall of fame worthy examples and suggest how the outdoor industry can avoid such blunders in the future. (30:13)

The 2025 Self-Inflicted Wound Inductees are:

Lulu's See Thru's. Presented by Colin True. (35:45)
Backcountry Sues Everyone. Presented by Eoin Comerford. (40:04)
The Higg Index Debacle. Presented by Producer Dave. (45:02)

Lastly, for The Parting Shot, Eoin wants REI to stop gaslighting us and it's a totally fair request. (53:33)

Check out hundreds of wildly cool products by visiting and shopping at Garage Grown Gear!

Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.

Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to [email protected].

362 episodes