Q2 2026 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report: Executive Summary

The outdoor retail market spent the second quarter of 2026 holding steady on the surface while quietly weakening underneath, as American consumers bought fewer products at higher prices.

The Q2 2026 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report, from the Outdoor Industry Association and drawing on Circana's Athletic Specialty and Sporting Goods (ASSG) retail panel, tells the story of a market whose stability is more fragile than it looks. Total dollar sales slipped less than 1%, yet unit sales fell 5.3% across every major product category, with higher average prices masking a real pullback in demand. Consumers remain committed to outdoor recreation, but rising costs for housing, food, fuel, and insurance — paired with cooling employment and the lowest consumer sentiment in a decade — are squeezing discretionary spending, especially among younger adults. Understanding where prices are propping up sales, and where demand is genuinely eroding, is the challenge for brands and retailers today.

Inside the report, you'll find the key trends shaping outdoor retail, including:

• A widening gap between dollars and units, with total sales down less than 1% even as unit volume fell 5.3% — a sign that price, not demand, is holding the market up
• Footwear and equipment leading the unit declines, down 7.4% and 12.2%, even as the average footwear price jumped 9.8% to $75.62 and consumers hold onto their casual shoes longer before replacing them
• Apparel as the lone dollar-growth category, up 4.4% on the strength of everyday basics like active tees, caps, socks, and sport jerseys
• Mounting pressure on young adults ages 18–34, who face disproportionate financial strain and declining outdoor participation — both the greatest risk and the clearest long-term opportunity
• Pockets of real growth worth watching, from travel accessories to birding optics, with binoculars and monoculars up double digits and early signs of a surge in women's fishing

The report breaks down every product category and best-seller list in detail, drawing on quarterly data from the Circana Outdoor Retail Panel. Download the Executive Summary for the high-level takeaways and contact membership@outdoorindustry.org to get access to the full report.