Outdoor Industry Exploding

A recent article in Outdoor magazine used up some ink patting its eponymous industry on the back. But this self-congratulatory stance is not undeserved. So-called “outdoor” lifestyle gear and accessories are a burgeoning behemoth of a business these days. As more and more Americans are re-discovering the benefits of being out in the wild places, the “active, outdoorsy” lifestyle is becoming more prevalent, even – perhaps especially – among city dwellers. There are – literally – more boots, hiking or otherwise, on the ground in the States than in recent memory.



Campgrounds across the country are filled to the brim with people seeking peace and adventure in the natural places of this nation. America is a classic incubator for this phenomenon, as it is the world’s leader in protected National Parks and other wild spaces.

Every year, thousands trek the Appalachian Trail, hike to the summit of Pike’s Peak or cruise up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Millions more spend day trips picnicking in local, state and federal preserves and parks. The jury is in, people love being outdoors.

But how popular, exactly, is the “outdoor” industry? According to the spotlight feature in Outdoor, a 2005 study commissioned by the Outdoor Industry Foundation came up with a mind-blowing economic impact number: $646 billion. By comparison, that’s nearly what Americans, as a whole, paid for pharmaceuticals and car sales and parts … combined.

Then the other boot dropped. Outdoor reports that this massive number was derived through one of the least scientific methods possible – the random survey. While folks within the industry were quick to support and defend the initial report, others asked for a bit more.

In answer to this request for more information, President Obama signed a bill known as the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act, which directs the Department of Commerce to conduct a more accurate assessment of the outdoor recreation industry’s actual impact on the American economy.

This is a huge question because it could provide the protection necessary for the nation’s nearly 640 million acres of public land, as well as countless other local parks and green spaces.

It’s no secret that industrial interests want to “harvest” that land. They have wanted to mine and destroy America’s parks since before there were America’s parks. That, in fact, is one of the primary reasons for the National Park System – to protect certain wild spaces from the ax and the shovel. That’s a tough argument to make up against realities like cheaper fuel for American families. But, if the outdoor recreation industry can defend its wild spaces using real economic impact, they have more sound footing from which to deliver their message.

William Doonan is a tax law and legal expert in New York.