Glamping, bikepacking, SUP - urbanization promotes new outdoor movements

From millennials to families to seniors: All have different demands and live their very own interpretation of the outdoors, whether luxury camping or minimalist biking trips. Not least in view of constant urbanization, there is a growing demand for "Outdoor+", i.e. outdoor sports that go beyond classic outdoor activities such as hiking or climbing.

ISPO.com presents the most important trends and developments in this young segment for 2020. They and many other innovations will be presented for the first time at Europe's largest outdoor trade fair OutDoor by ISPO in Munich from June 30 to July 3, 2019.

"Studies show that a person today spends 95 percent of their time indoors. A fact that not only has a significant impact on health, but also has a major effect on our creativity and social interaction," explains Marc Fischer, Senior Director BU Outdoor Europe at adidas Outdoor. Accordingly, it is important to get people back outdoors and bring outdoor into cities at the same time.

"For summer 2020," says Fischer, "the MyShelter Parley jacket, among others, with its modern silhouette, bridges the gap between urban living spaces and outdoor worlds, inspiring a new generation to get outside." It's a trend that will continue to be of great importance in the future. After all, more than 75 percent of the German population already lives in urban living spaces. Oliver Puchert, Purchasing Urban Outdoor Culture, Sporthaus Schuster, comments: "People who like to be outdoors dress accordingly. Urban outdoor has just really arrived with the end consumer."

The new Kånken Totepack from Fjällraven has a good chance of becoming the fashion must-have from 2020. It combines shoulder bag and backpack in the legendary Kånken backpack style. Bike commuters pack the Totepack on their backs, for lunch appointments it can be worn loosely over the shoulder. And it also serves its purpose on an after-work trip to the lake.

The US shoe manufacturer Keen focuses above all on sustainability and upcycling: The upper material of the latest UNEEK sneaker model is made entirely from recycled PET plastic bottles.

Purchasing specialist Oliver Puchert sees a further growth sector in the area of urban mobility: "In larger cities in particular, cycling and e-mobility are booming. City commuters want an outfit that suits them and their lifestyle, that can be worn equally during the ride and the day at the office."

Vaude has developed a cycling shoe specifically for the Commuter with a Dualflex sole that provides both good power transfer to the pedals and a comfortable roll-off when walking. Munich-based eco-bikewear brand Triple2 sees strong growth in demand for feminine and sporty styles in 2020, particularly in the women's segment.

Maike Niehoff, Marketing Manager at Triple 2, summarizes the focus topics for next summer as follows: "We continue to focus on Merino, Ocean Waste, PFC Free and Made in Europe. New for 2020: a Merino-Tencel blend in the cycling jerseys."

Yoga fans also place a particularly high value on soft, flowing fabrics for their outfits. This is the case with the new Motion Seamless Tight from New Zealand merino expert Icebreaker. The so-called Cool-Lite material combines the two natural functional fibers merino wool and Tencel, processed in a seamless construction for high wearing comfort.

Camping is back in and much more multifaceted than before. While the German manufacturer Heimplanet is particularly targeting a young, hip audience with its stylish, inflatable tent models, Lotus Belle mutates camping into a luxury vacation: the glamping tents from Austria offer 12 to 65 square meters of space.

"Being close to nature and sustainability take a higher priority nowadays, which opens up completely new possibilities in terms of outdoor lifestyle and glamping," explains Liese Gritsch from Glampingwelt. The trend fascinates Europe and is making its way into both tourism and the event sector.

Day trips by bike are booming, with 761 million day trips per year in Germany. According to the ADFC, two-thirds of them start right on the doorstep. Outdoor brands are also responding to this trend with an expanded range of products for bike touring and bike packing. The Heilbronn-based sporting goods manufacturer Ortlieb is a bike bag specialist and is presenting a completely new set-up for bike vacationers for 2020 with a handlebar bag, top tube frame bag and multisport bike backpack and saddle bag - all waterproof.

Not only on the bike, but also on foot, the new unisex rain skirt of the Bavarian sportswear label Maloja protects. Thanks to a waterproof 2.5-layer laminate, the knee-length skirt protects against wetness, is well ventilated and can be converted into a waterproof seat.

What began as a leisure activity has developed into a veritable sport: stand-up paddling. The growth rates of SUP athletes are still high, which can also be seen in the products sold through retailers, knows Flo Brunner, marketing expert at Starboard: "The trend is clearly going in the direction of touring, alongside fitness areas such as SUP yoga are becoming more and more important."

For Brunner, stand-up paddling is a kind of "gateway drug" to the world of water: "There are only a few sports where getting started is comparatively easy and independent of gender and age."