Gear reviews are an important part of the outdoor enthusiast’s knowledge base. But rarely do you get more than catalog-entry technical specs and a lukewarm recommendation. In our first ever gear review, we don't shy away from telling you what we think. On this episode we dig into the Sports Sandal category, how it evolved, and why we became unrepentant Bedrock believers. LAYERS presented by Polartec is a production of Rock Fight, LLC

Welcome back to LAYERS presented by Polartec. Today we introduce SURFACE LAYERS! SURFACE LAYERS are not so deep, hot takes on the outdoor industry. Episodes are short, sweet, and sometimes to the point. On this SURFACE LAYER, we are talking about a topic that is near and dear to the hearts of everyone who works in the outdoor space: Outdoor Retailer. The OR show has undergone some dramatic changes over its 40 year history, but remains a central point of conversation. In this episode, we take a look back at what the show used to be and what it is today - at least in my humble opinion. LAYERS is a production of Rock Fight, LLC

It’s been over 40 years since the Rise of Dressing Down began to change what we wear in the outdoors. And like life, the only constant over this time has been change. Episode 3 of LAYERS examines how the integration of technical fabrics into everyday life helped make comfort a performance feature, redefined the outdoors as anything that takes place outside and encouraged new groups of people to discover the secret of enjoying nature.

The 20th century saw the combined forces of trends and technology accelerate from a slow crawl to a manic sprint. Episode 2 looks at how the media exposed outdoor subcultures to the mainstream while growing an ‘extreme’ desire for authentic apparel. And discovers how this movement would morph performance and comfort into one of America’s most significant exports of the last century: Athleisure.

The term poseur has historically carried a negative connotation when it comes to the core outdoor enthusiast.. But what if we told you that it was the poseurs that created the way forward for many of the advances we now have to help get us outside? Part history lesson, part trail run, episode 1 will start our journey to better understanding how outdoor industry trends helped sportswear to become our daily driver.

LAYERS is a deep dive into the relationship between performance apparel, the multi-billion dollar Outdoor Industry, and the culture at large. Season 1 of LAYERS investigates the Rise of Dressing Down, or how performance apparel helped usher in the casualization of how we dress. We’ll discover how the modern outdoor industry got its start based on the participation of ‘poseurs,’ how subcultures fueled mainstream popularity, and how comfort is helping drive the authentic inclusion of new enthusiasts into the larger outdoor community. LAYERS presented by Polartec. The good stuff's in the middle.