You guys did a great job last spring!

This fall, I would like to see additional reports on products that are eco-friendly; women-specific gear; anything truly innovative, and maybe multi-purpose gear.

(My personal focus is on buying the lightest, best-quality gear I can afford, while keeping my environmental footprint as small as possible. And while this possibly isn't what retailers want to hear, I'm also working on buying only what I need, to keep my material possessions in check.)

Thanks for asking for our input, and have a great time at OR!

Hmm, See what's new in lightweight four season tents for winter camping (not necessarily mountaineering). MSR is coming out with some new stuff from what I hear; look for new lightweight packs. Talk to Henry Shires from Tarptent if he's there-he has a new tent made from Tyvek. Ask him if he's ever going to make a winter tent.

Maybe a "bang for your buck" section of new products. While I'm all for eco-friendly products and manufacturing, there is no way I can afford 99% of these products being a starving college student.

NLees,
Usually I go to the OR Show, too, but being in the midst of a major house rebuild, I may not take the week it requires. The major thrust of the "women-specific" gear seems to be "fashions for the outdoors", right down to the daily "fashion shows". To be fair, there is a heavy emphasis on men's fashions, too. I have told the tale here about going into one of the sock manufacturers' booth, where the reply to my question about what was new was to show me all the upcoming season's colors - ummm, I meant in terms of function, ya know, comfort, sweat wicking, that sort of thing. After all who cares about the color of a sock that's inside the boot? One women-specific company that sent me a pre-show mailer, called SkirtSports, is hosting a "demo" at the outdoor sessions called SkirtChaser Trail Run 2008. Lots of giveaways, they say. To show the orientation, the flyer says "women will start first and men 'SkirtChasers' will start three minutes later.

There is some movement toward designing packs, sleeping bags, and footwear for women. But too much effort seems to be selling "this year's latest fashions".

You mention looking out for eco-friendly products. There is a big emphasis on this, as there has been for several years now. Unfortunately, you do have to look closely, and behind the nice words. Dave, Alicia, and I have been trying to ask the tough questions, and I think we have been doing a fairly good job. Still, with all the words coming from more and more of the manufacturers, it is getting harder to sort out the real practice from the words.

For MTB, a lot of genuinely eco-friendly products are actually lower cost. The problem is that too many companies are using "green" talk to justify charging a premium price. That's why we try to probe behind the talk. Remember, I live on Social Security and a pension, so I have to live frugally, too. At least, a lifetime of being a cheapskate and dirtbag has taught me to find much less costly ways of doing the activities.

Does anyone make a amplifier for a cell phone, or is it even practical. They make them for short waves and C.B. radios I know. Just thinking about extending the range if it works that way, no expert here.
I can talk for a long, long ways when I get back to my truck on the C.B. but it would be nice during the trip too. (I do not "mike up" near town guys)
Also is the price on SAT phones expected to fall anytime soon?
Thanks

Bill's sock story reminds me of one of my many OR mantras: "New 'colorways' are not news."("colorway" is apparently the apparel industry's term for what color you can get a jacket or whatever in.)

In the weeks before OR, meaning now, we start getting overwhelmed with press releases and announcements from a range of outdoor companies. Sometimes it seems like the loudest ones are the ones that have little to really report.

Since lifestyle/casual apparel makes up such a large percentage of retailers' profits, it gets a lot of attention.

So, as Bill mentioned, you really do have to be on the lookout for what might be truly interesting in backcountry gear and sift through the hype.

Good luck, Dave!

Hey Dave, I have a new appreciation for what you folks go through at OR... fashion shows?? colourways???? skirtchasers?????? Gimme a break. (It's like a grownup version of eighth-grade girls at a mixed weekend retreat, in your cabin, complete with 10 pounds of makeup each, hair straighteners, curling irons, ipods, and Lululemon everything. Yikes!)

Considering the number of women who post here, haha, don't worry about it. We can do our own research...

I used to be in the marketing biz, people are EASILY manipulated by a little flash, a little creative hype, backed up with a charismatic sales rep.
We used to call the public "sheeple" instead of people.

Same is true of the new hires. (like I was) HA-HA

I look for performance, and get my info/reviews from people who use the gear.

NLees, the boys are just as bad! I once dumped a playstation out of a Boy Scout pack, no joke, not sure what they had planned for a power source, there was no TV where we were going.

Alicia, as I think I mentioned here a while back, I asked an REI clerk why she just assumed I was a member when I was buying a Voile shovel instead of asking the usual "Are you a member" question. "Oh, you're buying a member item, the non-members just buy clothes."

That probably sums it up pretty well as far as the emphasis on color and fashion. There are way more of them non-members than us "members" out there.

I'd love to see hear about the best in new food products, from freeze-dried meals (especially ones you would get to sample), to ultralight cookware.

Luckily, the fashion show has its own "auditorium" and "stage", in another section of the Salt Palace from the climbing section. So it's pretty easy for me to avoid that part (except for Ex Officio's rather tawdry display at the entrance to their booth at this past Winter OR). The tent, stove, and technical clothing manufacturers also tend to stick to the outdoor business, too, though the latest WPB jackets have their "colorways". It doesn't take too long to separate the serious outdoor companies from the mostly-hype ones.

But, as Tom and others have noted in this and other threads, the "Outdoor Look" and "Lifestyle" are what sells. The examples of companies that started out as hard core outdoor specialists then evolved to yuppie clothing have been mentioned many times here - Eddie Bauer, REI, etc. The number of us who really do go into the woods and hills is pretty tiny and a very restricted market. As noted on a geocaching website I visit from time to time, even GPSRs are becoming more "user-friendly", meaning that the buttons and functions, and information provided, are becoming fewer and fewer. Many of the new units do not provide altitude information, and an increasing number do not provide the reception information that allows judgment of data quality, mostly no satellite map and in some cases only a red/green/blue "light" to indicate "no/adequate/good" reception. In one new introduction, even the "estimated position error" has been eliminated, because "only techies understand what that means."

Great stuff guys (and gals!). Some very helpful ideas in here. Lightweight and eco-friendly are definitely trends we'll continue to follow. I like the "bang for your buck" idea too. Keep 'em coming.

Tom: I don't think Henry attends the OR shows, but I'll keep an eye out.

Thanks Dave, I think Henry makes about all the tents he can sell. He just came out with a new one made from Tyvek of all things. I think a silnylon version of it is on the way.

Do any of the European companies like Hilleberg or Terra Nova show up? I'd also love to see what the Japanese are up to. I've seen some really interesting tents and things on a Japanese website, but unfortunately, no English translation.

Hilleberg is always there. Bo is a fun guy to talk to, one of the things I will miss this time. The Japanese and Chinese always have lots of exhibitors, but they seem to be more interested in manufacturing contracts rather than linking up with retailers to sell the tents and other gear with their own brand names on them.

The house rebuild has made it impossible for me to go this time. Hopefully, things will be less hectic by the time of the Winter show.

Hilleberg and Terra Nova will both be there -- Terra Nova is just starting a push into the U.S. market. As far as the Asian brands go, it's a real mixed bag. In addition to the suppliers Bill mentioned, there are a few established brands that exhibit -- Snow Peak, MontBell, etc. -- and a number of companies trying to crack into the U.S. market, though rarely with anything innovative original. In fact, it's not uncommon for one or another of these companies to show up with low-price knockoffs of gear from better-known American companies. In at least one instance a Chinese company has been served with a cease-and-desist on-site for patent infringement.

Tom: Do you have a link for the Japanese tents you mentioned?

Although I'm not one to care about a fashion parade, I am interested in textile products that address one aspect of "lifestyle" that seems to run against the current trends; I find that more clothing products are predicated on one's having a model's figure. Once upon a time I was svelte and trim. Not so anymore...I am areobically fit, but not trim. Are there products that are being developed for folks like me?

A second point: I'm part of the aging outdoorsmen...Smaller GPS units and electronic gizmos are all well-and-good, but I'd appreciate products that actually have larger displays. What products are being developed for people with less-than-stellar physical abilities? (Laugh while you may at orthopedic shoes- products that address the needs of elders who still want to access the outdoors are likely to find ready markets in upcoming years. Old cusses have money and power in our society- what are outdoor manufacturers doing to tap this group?)

On a really different note, What's going on in really lightweight waterproof clothing?

Thanks.