Outdoor Retailer Is Betting Big on Independent Brands

By Kate Robertson

The Garage Grown Gear and Founded Outdoors Pavilion will feature up to 100 retail-ready emerging brands. Find out who will be there.

Outdoor Retailer’s 2026 Minneapolis show is putting independent brands front and center on the trade show floor in a collaboration with two organizations that have spent years championing smaller brands: Garage Grown Gear and Founded Outdoors.

Together, they’re hosting the GGG + Founded Outdoors Pavilion at the show, which runs Aug. 19 to 21, 2026 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The 3,000-square-foot pavilion will be planted squarely in the middle of the floor, designed to showcase the most progressive, emerging trends in the industry. Up to 100 small and medium-sized retail-ready brands from across North America will exhibit there, with 28 already signed up and ready to show what they’ve built.

This isn’t a side room tucked in a back corner. It’s a statement.

For buyers, the Pavilion is an opportunity to source products they won’t find on Amazon or at big-box retailers. For brands, it’s a rare chance to stand in front of the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

The Brands You’ll Discover at the Campsite Pavilion

The GGG + Founded Outdoors Pavilion is home to some of the outdoor industry’s most exciting emerging names. Here’s a look at the brands making their mark at Outdoor Retailer 2026:

Luxefly Basecamp

MyTrailPals LLC

Nebu Summit

Nomaste

One Bottle Hydration

Pillow Strap

Poe and Co. Folk Foods

RecPak

Salsa Queen

SkyGOAT

The pStyle Company

Thicket Adventure

Trail Goods Company

Ursack

Each brand in the Pavilion was selected for its retail-readiness, creative storytelling and forward-thinking product development. These are founders who have refined their offerings, built communities around their products, and are ready to scale with the right retail partnerships.

Opportunities Extend Beyond the Trade Show Floor

The Pavilion will serve as a gathering point for independent founders to connect with buyers who are actively seeking differentiation, and where the broader industry can witness the depth of innovation happening outside the traditional supply chain.

That coalition extends beyond the trade show floor. The day before the show opens, the inaugural Ascent Summit on Aug. 19 will bring together more than 200 founders of independent and specialty outdoor brands for educational panels, hands-on learning sessions, and tours of Garage Grown Gear’s headquarters in St. Paul.

Ready to explore what’s next for the outdoor industry? Visit the Outdoor Retailer page to learn more about exhibiting brands and how the Pavilion can transform your store’s offerings ahead of Outdoor Retailer 2026.