“It felt like summer camp.” -Hatie Parmeter, Attendee
"Stay Wild means to not lose touch with the spirit of adventure and wonder. When you stay wild, you don’t see boundaries or limitations—only endless horizons.” -Tobias Hayduk, Juniper Ridge, Exhibitor and Workshop Leader
“Heck yes! I drank canned wine while looking through a telescope at the rings of Saturn. I baked cobbler over a camping stove while listening to people talk about art. I met new people, ate too much chocolate, and generally had a blast. I came away with several concrete connections: makers, thinkers, artists, etc., all of whom are driven and successful in their respective fields. Badass. And, for the record, I made more connections at the Stay Wild EXPO than at the Outdoor Retailers show, which says something.” -Charlotte Austin, Adventure Writing Workshop Leader
“LA Swim’s Jeff Edwards, Mokuyobi and Mowgli Surf’s Alex & Julie, and the guys at Hi-tec network were awesome people! They really offered a different sort of feeling—a true connection—that really added to the experience of this awesome festival.” -Haruka Ito, Attendee
“I want to see this event blow up and become a force to be reckoned with.” -Tony Vontz, Edgevale Exhibitor
“I took advantage of some of the workshops and learned how to bike, fly fish, and make my own camp chair. After bike fishing, I met up with a friend of mine I’d told about the EXPO and who ended up taking one of the printmaking workshops. We sat on the lawn in the sun, ate food and drank beer after our classes, and shared what we had done. Life was good.” -Jenn Levo, Attendee
“Crazy, crazy, crazy daze…I was running around the whole time trying to party with everyone. I literally had to put a small fire out one day. When the whole fest was over I woke up and cried. It was a happy cry though. My best souvenir is a fresh scar on my hand from building the Maker’s Market booths.” -Scrappers, Stay Wild’s Main Helper
“The volunteer night was a great start to the weekend, mixing and mingling with other folks I then saw throughout the festival. Heck, I’ve gotten beers with a few since the expo! New friends are always awesome!” -Michelle Week, Volunteer/Attendee
“I went on the cliff jumping adventure and I loved it. It was a lot of fun and a great group. I bought the ticket to go cliff jumping before I bought my ticket to go to Portland! Everyone was interesting. I wish I had been able to stay longer to meet more people.” -Courtney Owen, Attendee
“We loved the variety of vendors and interesting people who worked on or started those brands, as well as the diverse crowd that came through the event. As a vendor it was also fun to be amongst friends I’ve already made. Like Seth from Red Clouds, Emily and Tori from SeeSee, and also Magda! It was a great mix of people I know and love and new people I was super happy to meet.” -Jenny Czinder, Strange Vacation, Exhibitor
“I had a blast! I took the bike fishing workshop, which was excellent (bring it back!). I loved the trade show. But I heard a few complaints about the 4 p.m. closure — some would have liked it open later. Not sure how the vendors felt — I’m really glad they got to get out and not be stuck in their booth in the evening.” -Michael Mann, Attendee
“Kook Out [the surf party field trip] was amazing!”-Hannah Vernasco, All Good, Exhibitor
“I met so many interesting people who were either stoked on ESC and wanted to learn more, or had really interesting helpful info to share about hammocks and domes.”-Kara Caldwell, Escape Collective, Exhibitor, Workshop Leader
“I really enjoyed the energy. It was nice being welcomed since we were visiting from Arizona! I took the printmaking workshop, and had a great time. I would love to see multiple print making workshop sessions next year, and even an adventure hike drawing session would be fun as well for a field trip. The trade show had a good flow. Maybe move the knife throwing to an outside location? My first day at the expo, I went around and met all the vendors. By day two and three I was making purchases to bring back to my friends and family. There were some great bands this year. I would say the Matson 2 were one of my favorites. I would love to see Calvin Johnson next year. I liked how it was laid out, and even when it was busy you could still find a quiet patch when you needed it.” -Matt Connelly, Attendee
“I vote to rename it the Stay Wild Adventure Festival. EXPO sounds pretty trade showy with rod and drape and a big boring square room.” -Jason Goodman, Swift Industries, Exhibitor, Workshop Leader