SHOT Show marked its silver anniversary (25 years) with a robust show in Orlando, Florida. Exhibit space and exhibitor numbers were up, attendance was good, a record for locations other than Las Vegas, and by and large the atmosphere was cautious optimism. Accelerating the trend from last year, the Law Enforcement section of the show was considerably expanded, continued fallout from the war on terrorism.
They scheduled SHOT Show to overlap the Miami Boat Shows this year, so your
faithful scribe had to do four days work in two and a half in order to go visit
boating shows. Apologies to those with whom I couldn't spend much time and
to those of you reading this if I missed something.
Cutlery and lights were again the products that captured most of my attention, both critical tools for the survivor. SHOT Show remains one of the premier shows that most companies use to introduce their new products in these categories. Not that I had time for much else. As usual, I have focused mostly on utilitarian equipment, especially with regards to knives, equipment that most relates to the preparedness and survival focus of the Equipped To Survive site. In other words, I have not necessarily covered all new products from these companies, just those that caught my attention, are legal for the average consumer to purchase, interested me, or I thought would interest my readers.
Prices quoted are manufacturer's suggested retail price as
of March 1, 2003 (we don't waste pixels, or your intelligence, on 95 cents, we
just round up). Most production knives, lights and the other gear covered here
can be purchased at significantly discounted prices from those quoted.
To hopefully make it easier for everyone, I've split this SHOT Show Report into three sections: Knives (including multi-purpose tools), Lights (including flashlights and headlamps) and Gear (covering everything except knives and lights). Click on the link below to get to the section, or the links on the bottom of each of the section pages.
I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Matt Jachyra, an active participant in The Survival Forum here on Equipped To Survive, who volunteered to assist in some of the grunt work necessary to get this report complied, coded and available for you.
Assembling this SHOT Show Report is a major undertaking for this one-man show. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Equipped To Survive Foundation if you find this report to be of value to you. The Equipped To Survive Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit corporation that supports the continued operation and expansion of Equipped To Survive and which allows me to attend shows such as this and report to you on the latest and greatest gear. In many cases Equipped To Survive has been first by months to publicize new and exciting survival and preparedness gear. Again, donations are fully tax-deductible. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation or to find out more. Thanks very much for your support and consideration.
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SELECT AND USE OUTDOORS AND SURVIVAL EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES AND TECHNIQUES AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please review the full WARNING & DISCLAIMER about information on this site. |
Publisher and Editor: Doug Ritter
Email: Doug Ritter
URL:
http://www.equipped.org/shot_show_2003.htm
First Published: March 10, 2003
Email to: info@pulvertech.com
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