Outdoor Adventure Show Toronto Day 2 (Sunday)

It was time to head back to the Outdoor Adventure Show for the second day.  Today the presentations I was hoping to watch were later in the morning, so that gave me time to walk around and chat with more people and visit more booths.  I stopped to take a picture of the camping display on the other side of the entrance hall.  It was a nice set up and there was a video playing with pictures of outdoor activities. Thanks Christina for taking my picture!

After this I headed into the showroom, but didn’t get very far before meeting up with more outdoor people I knew.  I bumped into Gayle from Sometimes Eventful she runs a twitter chat with the hashtag #WeGetOutside.  Here you get to chat with lots of other outdoor enthusiasts.  During the weekend, I also met Alex from Northern Scavenger.  If you haven’t followed their site, please go find it.  They have done some pretty cool trips (even got to borrow a Kevin Callan boat for one!).  Head over to their YouTube channel to see more.

A few steps into the main doors, there is a HUGE display or Eureka gear.  This booth is one that I have a very hard time walking by as there are many items I want to add to my gear collection.  After last years show where I was able to see the NoBugZone set up, I knew that was an item I wanted.  It wasn’t too much longer after seeing it in person that I went online and purchased it!  This bug shelter has been wonderful! 

This year I also was able to chat with David Lee (The Passionate Paddler) once again about Eureka gear.  He has been with Eureka for many years and is very knowledgeable about their gear.  I had my eye on this little solo tent!  I had to make sure it would fit, so I crawled inside to test it out.  (This would be great for my very first solo trip!! *hint hint*)

While checking out the Eureka gear, I bump into Colette. She has been a follower and it is so nice to meet people in person! We had to take a selfie 🙂

While strolling through the aisles waiting for the last couple of presentations I was planning to see today, I checked out some of the other booths.  This one is where you can explore Ontario by Bike.  We are avid bikers and you just never know when we might do a bike camping trip!

Just behind this booth was the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.  This is in my backyard.  There have been many days when we go for a drive and we follow this “trail” from one community to another.  In our area is takes you along the roads that are next to Lake Ontario.  There have actually been some neat swimming places we have stumbled across it while following these signs.

I headed over to the Friends of Temagami booth next. Last year we explored a very, very, very small portion of this park. I knew from that very short trip that I want to explore more of this park.  In the booth you were able to purchase their map along with other paraphernalia.  I just might have to get a t-shirt in the future. They look so comfy. 

While at this booth, Nicole and I chatted about other possible locations to go and explore in Temagami.  On the map behind us, the area we explored is waaaaay down the in lower left corner. Maybe a couple of fingers wide.  There is so much more to go and see! I will get back there soon.

I then headed back to the Ontario’s Highland booth. I was there to get my picture in the big chair 😛 Just after this photo op, I bumped into Alan from Kingdom Outdoor Products.  I was able to pick up one of his Keynoes!  I got a red canoe to match my canoe at home. I had to laugh at myself when I got home and placed this on my key chain. It had character marks already. Love it!!

It was time to take in another presentation. Today I was listening to Adam Shoalts talking about his trek across the northern part of Canada.  I have been to the Yukon, which was his starting point, and it was nice to see pictures of places I recognized.  The other part that really hit home was his picture of a handful of berries where he had blueberries, raspberries and bake apples (called cloud berries everywhere else in Canada).  Bake apples are one of the best berries you can find in places in Newfoundland. They are hard to get, but well worth it.  

Right after this presentation, I was able to watch Explore the Backcountry, this time it was Brad and his dad Wayne, talking about their canoe trip to the Florida Everglades.  It was amazing to see the beauty this place has to offer.  Although, I don’t know how well I would handle the idea of having crocs swimming around all the time, or the poisonous snakes! 

This brought the conclusion to all the presentations I was planning on catching, and now my time was winding down.  I knew I had to leave soon since I still have a few hours drive to get home.  I wandered around the showroom and stopped to talk to Kiley at Frontenac Outfitters.  On our first backcountry canoe trip with our son when he was 4, we rented a canoe from this company.  If you get a chance to visit their location, you can try out as many boats as you want before you buy.  They also offer rentals, which is what we did when we went for our trip in Frontenac Provincial Park.

The outdoor show also hosts many demonstrations in their pool location in the paddling section.  I missed all the demonstrations, except for catching the last part of these kids exiting this raft.  Many of the paddling companies will showcase their new products, and also complete demonstrations on skills that you can learn while paddling.

Before heading home, I had to stop at the Giddy Yo booth.  They had samples of chocolate and I probably had five different samples before leaving.  These are so tasty!

My time was now up.  I had to be getting home, but I just didn’t want to leave. I found that I was slowly walking the aisles, still checking out gear, and stopping to listen to the entertainment at the front doors.  I went to say goodbye to the show office people, thanking them for giving me media passes, and to also take a quick shot of the show from above. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this show and be sure to go back to check out Day 1 if you have missed it.  If you do not live in Toronto, have no fear, as the Outdoor Adventure Show can be seen in many other cities across Canada. Just check out their page for all the details.  Thanks again, and hopefully I will be back again next year.