Khruangbin Grooves, Pit-side Concert Shots, and Behind the-scenes Action From Outside.
Edition 21 - I’m bringing you the best of the Outside Festival and why Outside+ might just be your new adventure wingman.
Intro Cache»
As I sit down to write this edition of CACHE, I’ve got the diffuser on my desk lit up and some sweet orange essential oils from Muji lofting into the air. There’s some Khrungbin playing on my noise cancelling Sony headphones and good memories stream through my brain about my recent experience at the Outside Festival. I’m enjoying these vibes!
In the last edition, we visited the basics about the Outside Festival and I showed you a few images from my attendance last summer. However, this summer was even better and I had an incredible time meeting new people, connecting with leaders from outdoor brands, and shooting photos of the entire event.
Outside provided me with a media pass and I was able to capture the majority of the event, including some amazing moments right on the edge of the stage while some great bands entertained the crowd. Shooting from “the pit” was one of my highlights on Saturday.
In this edition of CACHE, we’ll explore some of the best things that came out of the Outside Festival this year and some benefits that you get with an Outside+ online subscription. Dive in and checkout all the goods that Outside has to offer. It’s worth taking a look.
Photo Cache»
So what is this festival all about anyway? The Outside Festival is an annual celebration of outdoor culture held in downtown Denver, Colorado. This year, there was live music, adventure films, engaging talks with Alex Honnold, and interactive experiences with outdoor brands and their sponsored athletes. Attendees enjoyed activities like climbing, yoga, cold plunges, and gear demos, alongside performances by bands such as Khruangbin, Husbands, and Lord Huron. The festival also included the Outside Summit, a networking event for outdoor industry professionals, fostering discussions on innovation, equity, and sustainability in the outdoor industry.
Below is a gallery of some booth images I took at the event this year. There were some common brand names we all know and love, but there were also some new ones that made a lasting impression.
A lot of swag was being given away this year and it was really fun hanging out at each of the booths and networking with the people there. The best booth by far was by Capital One (I bet you didn’t expect me to say that). All Capital One x REI card holders were allowed to visit their booth and enjoy two, free drinks along with a spread of veggies, sandwiches, and desserts. I was thoroughly impressed by the people running the booth and by the way in which their location overlooked the concert venue. It was “THE place to be”.
Capital One and REI also did a collab and provided card holders with personalized bandanas. They were well worth the wait (standing in line with a beer, of course).
At the event, there were everyday rad people as well as some famous ones. The famous ones included Jeremy Jones, Alex Honnold, Conrad Anker, and some social media personalities you might recognize below.
The band lineup at the Outside Festival was impressive. Here’s who was there and a sample of the events that happened on Saturday.
And some band photos too…
The Outside Festival is a one-of-a-kind event and I highly recommend you block your calendar for next year and get yourself an Outside+ subscription in preparation for attending.
If you would like to see more, check out additional imagery on my website at johnlaguardia.com. You’ll also find featured assets from commercial shoots with some of the amazing brands I work with.
For booking, click the button below to get started.
Video Cache»
I think you are really going to enjoy this short video called Masters of Craft. Meet the sought-after professional bamboo fly rod maker who personally hand engraves his own rods—and puts them to apt use. Click or tap on the image above.
You can access more great content like this on Outsideonline.com. With an Outside+ membership, you get some incredible benefits like:
Discounted tickets for the Outside Festival
Premium access to GIA GPS and Trailforks apps
Digital editions of Outside Magazine
Keep reading for more details in the Tech Cache below.
Audio Cache»
Leading up to the Outdoor Festival, I listened to all of the headliners for the event on Spotify. Khruangbin became my new favorite. I’ve been listening to them in the car, while mountain biking, and while running. I love their vibe and shooting photos of them on stage made me like them even more. I found a Spotify playlist for you below. Check them out and see what you think.
Gear Cache»
Speaking of listening to music while mountain biking, this time for the gear cache, I’d like to pass along a 2 minute helmet hack that I discovered this past week while getting ready for a ride.
Ok. I admit that this is a little MacGyver-ish but it works incredibly well.
Step 1 - You’ll need a pair of Chips® Ski Helmet Headphones. Remove them from your ski helmet.
Step 2 - You'll need some duct tape. Cut two 5” strips about 1/2” wide.
Step 3 - Charge your Chips®. Then place them over the helmet air vents just behind the ear space.
Step 4 - Use the duct tape to affix the Chips® to your helmet and make sure the tape is pulled tight.
Step 5 - Connect your phone via Bluetooth to the Chips® and rock out to some music while you ride.
Although this method isn’t the most stylish, it works incredibly well and allows you to still hear other ambient noises around you while riding. It also doesn’t bother the friends you ride with as the volume doesn’t need to be up very loud for you to hear it.
Pro tip: Use strong electrical tape the same color as your helmet to make it blend in more.
See the rough photo above to get a better idea on how this works.
There’s no need to go out and purchase expensive bone conduction headphones if you already have Chips® with access to Siri voice commands and press to stop/play/call. 🤯
Tech Cache»
In this tech cache, we’ll explore all the great benefits of the Outside+ online subscription plus some ways in which you can plan to get to the Outside Festival next year.
If you missed my write up on the Outside+ subscription last summer in edition 8, below are all the deets:
I am one that dislikes paying subscription fees whether that be for Netflix, composting services, or adventure magazines. This day and age however, subscription services are everywhere. I have recently found myself discovering value in some of these services.
In preparation for attending the Outside Festival in Denver, I recently stumbled upon an outdoor adventure related subscription service that actually makes sense. Let me introduce you to Outside+.
Included in the annual subscription for $89.99 are the following:
Digital Access to Outside Network
Outside Watch
Outside Learn
Trailforks Pro ($53.99 Value)
Gaia GPS Premium ($59.90 Value)
Outside Magazine Digital ($10 Value)
In addition, you also get discounted tickets to the Outside Festival in Denver. This alone, makes the subscription worth it.
The Outside Network is a place where you can find some helpful articles on topics like Adventure, Health, Travel, Culture, and includes Outside’s seasonal gear guides.
Outside Watch is a one-stop-shop for streaming outdoor lifestyle films, exclusive original shows, and classic outdoor movie favorites like the ski films I used to watch when I was a kid.
Outside Learn is a place where you can engage in learning outdoor skills online. Currently, I’m watching a course on backcountry navigation and it is increasing my confidence out in the wild.
Trailforks Pro is an awesome, crowd-sourced database and mobile app that will help you map out your next epic mountain bike trip. This app was instrumental in me successfully routing and completing the 50 mile Dakota Five-0 mountain bike event during COVID here in my home town.
Gaia GPS Premium is hands-down THE BEST mapping app to take your adventures off the grid. You can build comprehensive trip plans using multiple map layers for backcountry skiing, backpacking, fishing, overlanding, etc. I was already paying for an annual subscription for this tool when I found out about Outside+. Now I have access to so much more for a few dollars more per year.
The Outside+ subscription also includes access to the digital version of Outside Magazine. So, if you are already enjoy reading the print version, this is an added benefit with this subscription.
The staff at Outside continue to bring value through the Outside+ subscription each month. I highly recommend investing a small portion of your hard earned cash on this subscription which will pay dividends for years to come. It will make you better informed about the outdoors and will provide you with tools you can use to stay safe on your adventures.
Ways you can get free or discounted tickets to the Outside Festival:
Volunteer
When you Volunteer at the Outside Festival, you get:
A 2-day General Admission ticket free
A festival t-shirt
A meal during your shift(s)
Credit Card Discount
If you are a Capital One/REI card holder, you can get early bird pricing. You’ll also be able to escape the crowds by accessing the Capital One lounge for free at the event.
Outside+ Membership Discount
Instead of paying $238.04 for 2-Day GA+ tickets, use your Outside+ membership discount code that is located in the benefits section of your account. You’ll get expedited gate entry plus free access to the Outside+ lounge which is a great spot to relax in the shade and recharge.
I’ve had the Outside+ subscription for a couple of years now and recommend it for all of the value it returns. It has made adventure trip planning easier with GaiaGPS and has helped me more accurately track and plan my mountain bike routes in Trailforks.
Discount Cache»
Awesome Deals For You From Recommended Brands!
Check out these special discounts on gear and services from some of my favorite brands. Whether you’re upgrading your photography equipment or gearing up for your next outdoor adventure, there’s something for everyone. Oh yeah - stay tuned next time for some incredible 4th of July deals coming your way!
Artifact Uprising - 15% off premium photo printing to CACHE subscribers. Use code JOHNLAG15.
Hyperlite - experience better backpacking this year.
Moment - shop the last year’s gear sale for great deals.
Ombraz - up to $50 off these great, armless sunglasses.
Outside+ - get a 7 day free trial then get the goods.
Pixieset - try for free and get $20 off your plan.
Readwise get a free, 60-day trial and start retaining the important things you read.
REI - Great deals abound as we head into spring and summer.
Snow Peak - Sign up for their newsletter and get 15% off. Check out their new fly fishing line!
Topo Designs - Get 20% off using code JOHNLAGPHOTO_20OFF at checkout.
3 Things You Can Do Now»
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Wishing you an epic day and a weekend full of adventure!
