My friend and I will be in attendance on the Sat, and looking forward to meeting / listening to Alex and Noah from Northern Scavenger... I really enjoy their content we have been inspired to trip in Wabakimi this year thanks to them.
We also haven't been to the show in a couple of years, so we might as well.

and I agree with "Swift Fifteen" ..... I will also probably buy some gear I already have / don't really need!

Going first thing Friday morning. Looking for a few things, and see what deals are to be had for a new canoe.

I just got back.
Saw Brad Jennings and Leah Catherine from Explore the Backcountry showing slides of their trip down the Pukaskwa coast of Lake Superior. They had practised their talk, and it showed.
Also saw a few minutes of Camper Christina presenting about solo tripping. It was too crowded at this point so I went elsewhere after five minutes, just because of the jostling.
Becky Mason did a demo in the pool. The pool is about 20 feet by 50 feet. She never once hit the edge of the pool, paddling a 16foot prospector she had never been in before. If you’ve never seen her paddle, you wouldn’t believe how effortlessly she can manoeuvre a canoe.

Kevin Callan was signing copies of his new book up front at The Cdn Outdoor Equipmt Co. Didn’t get a chance to talk to him. And I somehow missed Hap Wilson’s talk.

Had an enjoyable couple of hours, though. Restocked the first aid supplies at First Aid Zone and bought a Silky Bigboy saw at Boreal Ventures.

The usual strange mix of camping, canoeing, scuba diving, and overseas tourism was on display. Souris River, Swift, H2O, and Northstar canoes were there. I noticed the Ontario Parks people were not there—-they usually have a prominent display in the centre. Big push on by Newfoundland and Labrador this year.

That’s my report!

I went today as well for about 2hrs. It was worth checking out since I've never been before, but probably wouldn't go back unless there was someone I specifically wanted to meet/talk to, or a specific purchase I wanted to make.

It actually makes sense that they have a bunch of different categories in the one event; if it was just camping or canoeing, it would be too small and there wouldn't be enough draw to the event. Having several different categories will bring in a more varied demographic of people. And from an exhibiting standpoint, it gives organizations the opportunity to speak with potential customers that have an interest in a related category. If I'm a canoe tripper, maybe something from the scuba section will draw me in; I have the general "outdoor enthusiast" gene in me... but I would never buy a ticket for a scuba consumer show otherwise. ​Working in marketing I've attended and exhibited at quite a few consumer and industry shows, and they're all pretty much the same. We're just biased because we're part of the niche camping community so we want a show that tailors specifically for us, but in the broader sense, for it to be successful they need to attract the general masses... so calling it Outdoor Adventure and having several categories is pretty much essential.

For example, there's the Wilderness and Canoeing Symposium, which is more niche focused, but I assume will be a completely different experience.

I went on Friday with one of my sons to wander and look at a Keewaydin. Worked Sat and today, wondering now if I met anyone I was at the Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co.