We Like Outdoor Retailer Companies With Good Stories

The Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah, features a pretty impressive collection of gear from some of the top producers in the world. We like almost everything we’ve seen here, but we especially like the companies that have good stories behind their products.

Take, for example, Goal Zero, a company that produces portable power generators to recharge phones and provide power for lights in places where power would not otherwise be available. Their products are great, but we’re also impressed with the company’s dedication to help out after disasters and in other situations in which people are suffering.

Before today, we weren’t familiar with a company called AQUAOVO, which produces some pretty sweet-looking water filters. But we especially appreciate the fact that the company donates part of its proceeds to the ONE DROP Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing sustainable water access programs worldwide.

And, if you’re a Boy Scout, you’ve probably heard of the Center For Outdoor Ethics and their Leave No Trace principles, which we should all abide by in the outdoors. Reps from the company are right down the hall from the BSA booth at the OR show, handing out cards with LNT reminders for all outdoorsmen.