Show and Tell: The Great American Outdoor Show
One of my fondest memories from childhood was the annual Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s Show in Portland, Oregon. As a youngster, my focus was on the trout tank, which was to be expected for a six year old boy. As I matured, my attraction fell in line with my father’s interests and we navigated the show together for 12 wonderful years. Life, the military and other commitments have kept me from returning to the Pacific Northwest for the show, but Dad and I always talk about his annual visits and reminisce about the days we shared the event together.
Now that I live on the east coast, I have discovered the National Rifle Association (NRA) sponsored Great American Outdoor Show (GAOS) in Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania. Boasted as the largest outdoor show in America, the GAOS is certainly a pleasurable way for a sportsman to burn a day or two.
Red carpet photo opportunity while my legs were still fresh.
This year, 2022, was my second show in 4 years; both trips with a good friend and hunting partner, Andy Young. Andy and I traveled north to Harrisonburg, shared lodging and made a “man’s trip” of the experience. Lodging is ample in Harrisonburg and the neighboring city, Hershey. Although making reservations early is always a good plan, we adjusted our weekday plans mere days from arriving without issue.
Is it worth taking a day off during the week rather than a weekend adventure? Andy prefers weekday visits as he has experienced increased attendee numbers in previous weekend trips to the show. Taking his advice, we plan our visits during the week, towards the tail end of the show. This year, we attended the show on Thursday.
Event map for the 2022 show
We arrived 15 minutes early to find the boys in blue attempting to manage the traffic congestion anxious outdoorsmen were creating, which turned out to be the longest wait for the entire day. Parking seemed to be ample, with multiple lots and two entrance options and the GAOS event planners ensured abundant parking attendants and entry options. Once parked, we shuffled to our place at the end of the camouflage trail snaking down the sidewalk and around the end of the building. Regardless of the approximate 100 people standing in line ahead of us, we were in the building within 10 minutes of the doors opening. The transition spent from parking to entry was just enough time to get the legs warmed up for the 8.5 hours we had ahead of us. The crowd was light and we easily maneuvered our way to each exhibit.
Why is the GAOS considered the largest show in the lower 48? The event hosts over 1000 exhibitors in 650,000 square feet of space. The show is broken down into 11 different event rooms including, firearms, archery, fishing, guide/outfitters and a 30 target 3-D range!
Indoor 30 target 3D range
If you are planning a single-day visit, I highly recommend developing a game plan prior to attending the show. There is too much space, an overwhelming number of exhibits and hundreds of people shuffling about. Our plan consisted of optics for Andy’s current rifle build, the archery room and an elk outfitter for Andy’s first trip out west. Of the 9-hours available for the day, we used all but 30 minutes of it to cover the entire event, accomplishing everything we had planned plus a bit more.
There are unexpected treasures sure to peak your interest. Within the first 20 minutes inside the building, I was introduced to Silencer Central and their new Banish 46. I currently have a custom 45-70 lever-action build in progress, the Fauda Project, with the intent of suppressing the beast. The Banish 46 is an all-titanium suppressor designed for large caliber rifles and is 20% lighter and quieter than other cans in its class.
Silencer Central Banish 46 and other suppressor options.
CVA had an impressive booth this year with ample models of their Cascade bolt-action centerfire rifles on display. Andy I monopolized two of the company's subject matter experts with a salvo of questions and points of curiosity. Needless to say, we were both impressed. Enough so, Andy is currently shopping for one of the models.
LIMB-itless Outdoors getting “the feels” for the CVA Cascade.
Throughout our GAOS adventure, we had the pleasure of meeting numerous companies, their representatives and some great products. A few I would like to highlight by name are:
Clockwise from top left: Working Class Bowhunter, Lakewood Cases, XOP, Whitetail Adrenaline
My disappointment of the day was the reflection upon our GAOS trip in 2019. Andy and I both agree the show was bigger four years ago. One big difference was the presence of bow manufacturers, or lack of. In previous years, every major bow company attended the show, providing archers the opportunity to shoot ALL of the flagship bows for the year. This year, Gearhead Archery was the only company present with their products. Every other aspect of the first post-COVID NRA sponsored Great American Outdoor Show was worth the travel and the miles walked during our 8.5 hour adventure inside the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex .
Be LIMBITLESS. Get OUTDOORS.
