I have been to SHOT Show three times in the past. The first time I screwed around too much and only observed and traversed about 25% of the show. The second time I went I was determined to at least walk up and down every single aisle. I achieved that goal but it did take me three days to get it done. That was a crazy amount of non-stop walking over those three days. The third time I decided to pick specific vendors to visit each day and spend a good amount of time in their booth looking at stuff. This was much more enjoyable but did leave me with a feeling that I was missing out on something I didn't get to see. That being said, the vast majority of the products I seen were really nothing unique or newly launched at the SHOT Show. 99% of the stuff you could see back at home by walking into your local gun store.

All three times I went, I got SUPER SICK right after when I got home. Getting the "Convention Crud" is a valid concern and happens to most who attend. Cramming a bunch of people into the same place with everyone flapping their gums and touching everything is a perfect recipe for sickness.

If you are just a normal consumer the SHOT Show isn't really worth attending. If you are a Firearms Manufacturer, Distributor, or Retailer then its worth while to build business relationships.