Walmart was going to disrupt the outdoors. It was late August 2018, a year and a half after the retail leviathan purchased the online outdoor retailer Moosejaw for a reported $51 million. Walmart was ready to put its investment to work.

Walmart, as everyone knows, is the largest retailer on the planet. It sells everything from tire chains to whey protein at bargain-basement prices, but its focus in the outdoor space has always been more about car camping and hunting. Moosejaw, on the other hand, has sold high-end outdoor gear on its website for 27 years, growing its business from online only to 10 brick-and-mortar stores in the process. And now, with Walmart, it was poised to deliver on the industry鈥檚 long-held dream: to tap a staggeringly wider audience.

On March 10 2018, Moosejaw CEO Eoin Comerford told the Grand Rapids News that he was 鈥渧ery excited about the idea that [Moosejaw] can introduce high-end, premium outdoor products to people who perhaps have thought about getting into the outdoors, but haven鈥檛 been exposed to this product before.鈥� Walmart spokeswoman Jaeme Laczkowski said at the time that walmart.com reached about 100 million unique visitors each month鈥攁 potential gold mine. It seemed like exclusive brands would finally go all the way mainstream, picking up millions of new customers and welcoming them to the party of those who live for and love playing outside.

That鈥檚 not what happened. On August 27, Walmart launched a 鈥淧remium Outdoor Store Curated by Moosejaw鈥� on its website. Brands who鈥檇 agreed to be sold through the store included industry heavyweights like Deuter USA, Katadyn, Leki, and Therm-a-Rest among 50 other outdoor companies. But on launch day, one brand balked.

When the store went live, it advertised several Black Diamond products, including climbing slings, carabiners, ATC belay devices, and a harness. Within hours Black Diamond distributed a press release stating that it had directed Walmart to 鈥渃ease and desist鈥� use of the Black Diamond庐 and diamond logo trademarks because the store鈥檚 use of them was 鈥渓ikely to confuse consumers into believing that Walmart is an authorized dealer of Black Diamond.鈥� Shortly thereafter, those four other high-end outdoor brands all pulled their products from the site, too.

The backpedaling was fierce and unexplained. Most brands gave canned answers that offered no insight into their thinking. Deuter USA president Bill Hartrampf said in a press release, 鈥淲hile we appreciate the concept of what Moosejaw is trying to accomplish with this new initiative, we have decided this is not the right time to participate.鈥� It was all slightly strange, since when Moosejaw first introduced the premium store idea, at the Summer 2017 Outdoor Retailer show, several participating brands seemed excited. 鈥淭he concept made sense,鈥� Hartrampf told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淲e would be exposing our brand in a premium shop to a new, diverse group of consumers.鈥�

But after Black Diamond鈥檚 response, Deuter USA, Katadyn, Leki, and Therm-a-Rest stood firm in their resolve to steer clear of selling directly on walmart.com.

So what happened? It had nothing to do with Moosejaw鈥檚 relationship with those retailers鈥攁ll of them still do business with the e-tailer. And it had nothing to do with discounts鈥攁ll products were listed full price. The catch seemed to be that these high-end outdoor products would now be marketed under the Walmart banner, and that clashed with how the brands viewed themselves.

In his statement, CEO John Walbrecht wrote, 鈥淏lack Diamond remains committed to its specialty retail partners,鈥� which, in an August 31 2018, column, Forbes analyst Chris Walton translated to mean: Black Diamond wanting to maintain its cachet 鈥渙n the principle of scarcity.鈥�

The wider problem, Walton added, was that 鈥淲almart can鈥檛 escape its brand connotations.鈥� Walbrecht declined to comment for this story.

Comerford, Moosejaw鈥檚 CEO, evidently thought that the way the entire situation played out whiffed of elitism. In an 鈥淥pen Letter to the Outdoor Industry鈥� published on his LinkedIn page, he argued that the Premium Outdoor Store was created 鈥渢o grow the industry beyond its exclusionary, historical [white, male] audience鈥� and echoed what has become a mantra in the outdoor industry: 鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to grow this industry鈥e need to reach new audiences…younger, more female, more diverse.鈥�

That鈥檚 true. But when the rubber met the road, the old troll named elitism emerged and with it, questions that have been plaguing the industry for years: Who are we? And perhaps more importantly, who 补谤别苍鈥檛 we?

In some ways, that sense of elitism is what drew many people to the outdoors in the first place.

I know it enticed me, back when I was a kid first learning my way in the world, in the mountains of southern Idaho. When I hiked the trails outside of Ketchum, I reveled in the fact that so few people seemed to know the trails existed. When I fished the Wood River with my dad or camped in the South Hills with a boyfriend, I celebrated the beauty we saw because we were bold enough to earn it.

I鈥檝e spent the ensuing 30-plus years living and recreating in a community of like-minded folks, and the outdoors have been central to who I am. And it鈥檚 not just me. A quick survey I posted on Facebook asking when friends first realized that the outdoors and the outdoor community was their 鈥減lace鈥� turned up several stories like mine.

Diehard mountain biker and former cycling tour operator Kelly Grebe answered, 鈥淚 started riding my freshman year of college and oh my, I was addicted. There鈥檚 this community created when you can look at a fellow rider and know that they know what others do not.鈥� This 鈥渟ecret frequency of stoke鈥� Grebe experienced keeps her in the outdoor community that values isolated places and outdoor adventure.

But how to maintain that feeling when the outdoor spaces are busier and busier? Over the past three years, according to Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), participation in the outdoors has been on a slow but steady upswing. In 2017, 49 percent the U.S. population ages six and older participated in an outdoor activity at least once鈥攁nd 13.6 million people tried outdoor activities for the first time or returned after a hiatus. Though 11.9 million people stopped participating last year, 1.7 million more people got out in 2017 than 2016 (the last year for which data are available).

The fastest-growing demographics are Hispanics and Asians, whose participation in activities like running, hiking, cycling, and camping has inched up about 1 percent over the last five years. But while the industry has been striving for greater inclusion, demographically speaking, the majority of outdoor users are white (74 percent) and 54 percent are male. Nearly one third of outdoor users have a college education, and a similar percentage has an annual household income greater than $100,000.

The second-largest grouping of outdoor users (22 percent) has less than three years of high school, and a similar percentage makes $25,000 to $49,999 annually. (The average Walmart shopper, by comparison, is a 50-year-old white woman with an annual household income of $53,125, according to a study by Kanter Retail in 2017.)

Outdoor brands, of course, have done well to market a relatable version of the outdoor ethos to the mass consumer. And not all brands herald 鈥渟carcity.鈥� As they鈥檝e grown, businesses like The North Face, Yeti, Marmot, and Spyder have increased their market share by selling outside specialty retail. Today, you can buy Spyder gear at Costco, a Yeti cooler at Sam鈥檚 Club, see a Patagonia Nano Puff vest on just about any guy who works in finance, and find more of The North Face on the quad than in basecamp.

Marketing is also pivoting from the elite to everyday. Merrell targets consumers who have real lives yet still enjoy being outside. Particularly popular are ambassadors who juggle full-time or multiple jobs while getting outdoors.

For Merrell, the decision to skew to a wider audience was an easy one. 鈥淧eople say hike is the new yoga,鈥� said Strick Walker, Merrell鈥檚 chief marketing officer. 鈥淔or us, this means making footwear and apparel for the trail. It also means inspiring folks to get out there鈥攁ll folks.鈥�

Anecdotally, the message is resonating with its target audience. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to track sales specifically from our DEI efforts,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I do know is that the brand is growing and we have a clear mission. We know who we are, we love our ambassadors, and we will continue to tell stories about interesting people living interesting lives in the outdoors.鈥�

Lifestyle is a much bigger component of the industry than technical is. And maybe by viewing it that way鈥攍ifestyle first鈥攊t鈥檚 easier to understand how and where the industry needs to position itself to grow.

By wearing Patagonia, you can align yourself with the brand鈥檚 political and environmental work, even if you鈥檝e never set foot in Utah, caught a wave in California, or fly-fished a day in your life. Black Diamond jackets bestow the aura of elite upon their wearers鈥攅ven on the sidelines at soccer practice. Yeti coolers are a potent status symbol, whether you鈥檙e on the river or at a tailgate party.

Even without technical context, these things signify a certain value placed on outdoor experiences, a scrapper鈥檚 mindset for problem solving, and a view of the earth as something to be enjoyed and perhaps, protected. When it comes down to it, that鈥檚 not so different from what I felt all those years ago on the 鈥渟ecret鈥� trails of Sun Valley, and what I still feel to this day.

That鈥檚 certainly one argument for adopting an industry stance around inclusion rather than the exclusion that elitism implies. And that brings this whole thing back around to Walmart.

The millions of people who visit walmart.com are potentially millions of untapped outdoor users. And we need users, said Steve Barker, the founder of Eagle Creek and current Outdoor Foundation board member, to protect the outdoors and the environment. Though OIA鈥檚 statistics show an increase in overall outdoor participation, they also reveal a 鈥渓eaky bucket.鈥� While 10.6 million Americans returned to or started participating in one or more of the outdoor activities measured, 8.6 million stopped. That equates to a net gain of 2 million total participants and a churn rate of 8.3 percent.

We can鈥檛 continue to leak, Barker said, or fewer people will experience the outdoors, appreciate it, and advocate for its protection. That鈥檚 where Walmart could come in. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always been a variety of entry levels for the consumer wanting to get into camping,鈥� Barker added. 鈥淚f Walmart is having that conversation, then we need to engage them at a deeper level.鈥�

But Rich Hill, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, pointed out that having a good first experience with the outdoors is paramount for new customers鈥攖hat鈥檚 the reason they keep coming back鈥攂ut that鈥檚 something Walmart or Amazon can鈥檛 offer. Moreover, Hill said big-box retailers could put the entire industry at risk because they don鈥檛 understand how safety equipment works. 鈥淎 store like Amazon or Walmart is going to get someone killed,鈥� he said.

Hill realizes that sounds elitist, but, in his view, the outdoor industry has a responsibility to keep people safe. 鈥淚f that excludes some people from getting into the outdoors,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hen so be it.鈥�

While the connection between those who use the outdoors and those who advocate for it is notoriously difficult to quantify, there is no other widely accepted rationale for why it鈥檚 important to bring more people to our public lands. So let me offer one: all us lovers of the outdoors share something in common. Our connection to the wilds has to be earned individual by individual. But once it is, it doesn鈥檛 really go away. The world can do worse than to have more people feeling the outdoors in their chests and wearing it on their bodies鈥攁nd the future of the industry likely depends on it, too.

In the end, there鈥檚 probably room for both elitism and mass consumerism in the outdoor industry without one devouring the other. We鈥檙e just going to need a bigger tent.

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