Trailspace Blog Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer: Kids' Gear
Here’s a belated follow-up on one of the trends I noticed at Outdoor Retailer: more and more manufacturers of highly technical gear and apparel have begun making fully-featured kids’ versions of their signature products. This gear doesn’t just look like Mom’s and Dad’s, it functions just as well too. Here are just a few of the new products that caught my eye:
|
Vasque Kids’ Sundowner hiking boots Vasque has scaled down its signature hiker, the Sundowner, to fit the younger set. The Kids’ Sundowner features the same one-piece leather upper, lugged sole, padded ankle collar, and classic appearance as the adult version. Available in kids' sizes 10-13 and youth size 1-6, the Kids' Sundowner will retail for $60 and should be available in late summer 2008. |
|
Osprey Sprint Series backpacks Osprey’s new internal frame backpacks for kids, the Ace (2,900 cubic inches, $149), Jib (2,100 cubic inches $129) and Imp (1,400 cubic inches, $99), feature the same construction and technical features as Osprey’s adult line, but are sized down and redesigned specifically for Junior’s proportions. The smallest pack, the Imp, can even be clipped onto many of Osprey’s adult packs (for those times Mom or Dad has to carry the load that last mile into camp). The Sprint Series packs will be available this spring. |
 | 66° North kids’ outerwear Iceland’s 66° North makes a surprisingly complete line of children’s outerwear. Many pieces in the adult line have direct descendants in the kids’ line, including waterproof-breathable outerwear and 66° North’s signature down insulation in kids’ proportions. Shown at left, the kids’ Askur ($130, available in mid-August) and adults’ Stormur ($336, available now) jackets are feature-for-feature nearly identical, from the Polartec WindPro Highloft fleece to details such as draw cords, pockets, and zippers. Many of the kids' models also have a feature the adult versions lack: reflective taping for increased visibility in low-light conditions. |
Outdoor Retailer Wrap-Up
This morning Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2008 draws to a close. In addition to the few items I’ve reported on here, I’ve seen a plethora of boots, backpacks, sleeping bags, water bottles, and all manner of base layers, soft shells, and waterproof-breathable outerwear. None of it, to be perfectly blunt, has been earth-shatteringly innovative.
The story of this OR has been one of small, incremental improvements: lighter weights, more eco-friendly materials, and (dare I say) more urban styling. In the coming weeks and months we’ll continue to report about these and other trends, as well as detailed reports on a few additional products that caught our attention.
For now, though, it’s time to pack up, say goodbye to the beautiful Wasatch Front, and head for home.
Outdoor Retailer: Packable Dishes
Fold it. Squish it. Flatten it. Packable backcountry dishes have come a long way from the traditional scout mess kit. Designers continue to experiment with different dish materials and innovate with ways of compactly storing them. The latest entries are the Sea to Summit X-Bowl and X-Plate, and the Flatterware Collapsible Cup.
The Flatterware Collapsible Cup is a 12-ounce capacity cup that collapses to the size of a hockey puck and stores within its own lid and base. The cup expands with a simple twist and collapses with a twist and push. The Collapsible cup weighs 3 ounces and will retail for $5.
For more info on the X-Bowl and X-Plate, available this spring, see our summer OR coverage.
Outdoor Retailer: Sweating the (Really) Small Stuff
Apparently nanotechnology – product engineering at the molecular level – has arrived in the outdoor industry. This week I’ve noticed several products or technologies being touted as “nano”:
- NanoSphere is a similar nanotechnology treatment applied to some of Schoeller’s soft shell fabrics, claiming to offer increased water- and stain-resistance.
- A company called NanoHorizons makes an anti-fungal treatment called “SmartSilver” that promises to control base layer body odor.
- Hi-Tec’s “ion-mask” waterproofing uses nano technology to encapsulate individual fibers of any fabric or material, creating a highly water-resistant barrier without impacting breathability.
All three technologies utilize tiny (nano-scale) particles that bond permanently to the fabric, providing their benefits (water-, stain-, or odor-resistance) without otherwise impacting the material’s performance.
In the demonstrations that I saw, both the Hi-Tec and Schoeller treatments appeared to provide more aggressive protection than traditional DWR (durable water repellent) finishes, with water beading up and slipping off treated surfaces very easily.
Outdoor Retailer: Easton Snowshoes
Easton Aluminum, long a supplier of aluminum snowshoe frames for the likes of Atlas and Tubbs, will be launching its own line of snowshoes for winter 2008-2009. The Easton Artica line will include three different models – Trail, Hike, and Backcountry, for uses from recreation to expedition – in a number of different sizes for both men and women.
The Easton snowshoes include several design features not found in other snowshoe lines. Most interestingly, the asymmetrical frames are not made entirely of Easton aluminum tubing; rather, side rails of tubing are joined at the tip and tail by plastic couplings that allow the frame to flex in uneven terrain. Easton says this provides better traction on firm snow, especially sidehills, and less stress on ankles, knees, and hips. Likewise, on the Hike and Backcountry models, the left and right halves of the underfoot crampon pivot separately to provide additional grip in sidehill situations.
All the Easton snowshoes will feature PVC-free decking, and 80 percent of the materials used in the snowshoes will be recyclable. If recycling is not available in your area, Easton will take the snowshoes back for recycling.
Prices for Easton snowshoes will range from $160 to $260.
Outdoor Retailer: Rossignol Harness Pant
Ski maker Rossignol debuted a very interesting pair of pants at Outdoor Retailer. The Harness Pant is an insulated, waterproof-breathable ski mountaineering pant that features an integrated climbing harness.
The minimalist 3.3-ounce Cilao harness is sewn into the pants, with the belay loop rising above the waistband and a single gear loop on the right hip. A pair of inseam zippers provide ventilation and allow for adjustment of the harness’s leg loops, which are inside the pant legs. When not being used the low-profile harness, which complies with European, American, and Canadian standards, is mostly hidden and out of the way.
While the Rossignol Harness Pant is designed specifically for ski mountaineering, it could also have applications in alpine climbing and glacier travel. However, the minimally padded harness is unlikely to provide much comfort on a hanging belay, and the single gear loop limits the amount of hardware a climber could comfortably carry.
The fact that it’s insulated also limits the Harness Pant to winter activities, but the concept could easily be extended to other products. For example, a soft shell pant with a similar harness could be a nice option for via ferrata routes or for alpine scrambles that require only short sections of roped climbing or rappelling.
The Rossignol Harness Pant will be available in September with an MSRP of $295.
Outdoor Retailer: Merrell Gatherer Jacket
When boot- and shoemaker Merrell decided last year to enter the outerwear market, the company didn’t want to do so with a “me-too” collection of copycat clothing. What they came up with is a line of outerwear that fuses technical fabrics and features with a decidedly sophisticated urban style. But they didn’t stop there. Merrell’s product managers challenged their designers to create something entirely new and “out of the box” every year – a “concept piece,” similar to the futuristic concept cars that automakers roll out at the big car shows.
This year’s concept piece is the Merrell Gatherer: a lightweight insulated jacket with a surprising omission: the jacket’s sewn-though baffles don’t contain any insulation. Instead of coming filled with a pre-determined amount of down or synthetic insulation, the Gatherer features several strategically-placed zippers that allow the wearer to stuff the jacket with whatever insulation material they like: dried leaves, scraps of yarn, pine needles, shredded newspaper, and any other reused, recycled, or found materials.
The translucent nylon fabric gives a glimpse of whatever you’ve chosen for insulation, so the jacket becomes a vehicle for both self-warmth and self-expression. While the Gatherer concept – a combination of do-it-yourself creativity, exploration, and personal expression –may be a bit more art-school than outdoors, Merrell hopes that it will push designers, consumers, and other companies in the outdoor industry to think more creatively and to consider new approaches to designing technical outerwear.
Like many of Detroit’s concept cars, the Gatherer may never become a mainstream technology. But unlike those four-wheeled concepts, the Merrell Gatherer concept will be made available to the public in limited release. Men’s and women’s versions will be available in limited quantities this fall through the Merrell web site and select Merrell retail stores for $99.
Outdoor Retailer: SteriPEN Journey
When was the last time your water purifier smiled at you?
Probably never. The folks at Hydro-Photon are aiming to change that with the introduction of the SteriPEN Journey, an ultraviolet water purifier that smiles when you use it correctly.
The SteriPEN Journey’s LCD display will not only display a smiley face when you’ve finished purifying your water, it will frown if you remove the device from the water too soon. It will also tell you how much water you’re purifying, how long until it’s done, and whether the battery needs replacing.
In many ways the Journey is a hybrid of SteriPEN’s existing products, the Classic and Adventurer. The Journey combines the form factor of the Classic – allowing easy mating with a variety of water bottles – with the feedback of the Adventurer, but with a more informative interface. (The LCD replaces the Adventurer’s blinking lights.)
The Journey doesn’t really do anything that the previous models didn’t do, but it provides much clearer feedback about the purification process. This should make it easier to use and lead to fewer user errors.
The SteriPEN Journey will be available in April with an MSRP of $129.95.
Outdoor Retailer: Kahtoola FLIGHTdeck TS
Last winter we reviewed the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem, an integrated winter travel system made up of a snowshoe deck that mates with a neoprene overboot. For fall 2008, Kahtoola is doing away with the neoprene overboot and offering a more traditional snowshoe-type strap binding, while maintaining the step-in, step-out convenience for switching between snowshoe and traction device.
The new binding, dubbed the FLIGHTdeck TS (for Two Step), features the same underfoot traction as the original overboot, but allows the use of insulated winter footwear. When clipped together, the binding and snowshoe deck appear similar to many other modern snowshoe designs. The advantage is that once strapped in, you can quickly switch from floatation to traction by unclipping the binding from the snowshoe deck.
Whereas the original FLIGHTsystem required the overboot to be sized to your foot, the FLIGHTdeck TS has a wide range of adjustability, making it feasible to share the system between different-sized friends or family members.
The FLIGHTdeck TS will be available in October with an MSRP of $269.
Outdoor Retailer: Everlite Solar Headlamp
Yesterday I mentioned that Outdoor Retailer includes a lot of small companies or individual inventors trying to get a foothold in the outdoor industry. Everlite is one such company, and their Solar Headlamp has been getting some attention at the show, including a Backpacker magazine Editors' Choice award.
At first glance the Solar Headlamp is a familiar item: a 5-LED compact headlamp along the lines of the Petzl Tikka. But unlike other LED headlamps on the market, the Solar Headlamp will never need replacement batteries. That’s because it comes with a small solar panel that charges the headlamp’s built-in rechargeable NiMH battery.
The 2.3 x 4.5 inch, 3-ounce solar panel plugs into the headlamp for charging, and can be attached to the top of a backpack or other sunny spot via the included Velcro mounting kit. When fully charged, the headlamp can run for 10 to 12 hours on its brightest setting, or longer in one of its other modes.
Other unique features including the ability to charge your other electronics, such as cell phones, iPods, and PDAs. Just plug into the headlamp with Everlite’s optional adaptor and your gadgets can power up from the headlamp’s stored solar power.
The Everlite Solar Headlamp retails for $50.
Outdoor Retailer: Patagonia Ascensionist Jacket
Patagonia’s fall 2008 clothing and outerwear
line, which debuted today at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, includes a staggering number of products that seek to “close the loop” by being both made of recycled materials and fully recyclable at the end of their useful lives. Fully 47 percent of products in Patagonia's fall 2008 line will be recyclable, up from 34 percent in fall 2007.
Among those products is the Ascensionist Jacket, a 19-ounce, water-resistant and breathable soft shell designed for alpine climbing and skiing. According to Patagonia’s Tim Rhone, the Ascensionist is the first soft shell that is both recycled and recyclable. The jacket is made of 45 percent recycled double-stretch polyester and can be recycled through Patagonia’s Common Threads recycling program.
The Ascensionist includes a helmet-compatible, 3-way adjustable hood, articulated arms, a draw-cord hem, two hand warmer pockets with DWR-coated zippers and zipper garages, and one internal pocket. It will retail for $225 and come in men's and women's models.
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2008
In twelve short hours the doors to the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City will swing open to thousands of outdoor retailers, media, and other members of the outdoor industry. Inside, manufacturers -- from behemoths like The North Face down to individual inventors looking to gain a foothold in the industry -- will be previewing their fall/winter 2008 product lines.
Over the course of the next four days, I’ll be cruising the show floor and meeting with manufacturers, checking out their new gear, trying to separate the hype from the substance, and keeping an eye on industry trends. Every day I’ll be reporting my findings here in the Trailspace blog. Tune in Wednesday night for the first installment.
Outdoor Retailer: Rock On Cards
Need a card to send your favorite hiker, climber, paddler, or mountain biker? Rock On Cards makes cards and posters with photos of outdoor athletes climbing, running, and hiking alongside motivational quotes (such as, “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” - Seneca). Their web site is a bit rough and only seems to work in Internet Explorer on Windows, but the cards are nicely done. I picked up a bunch of cards at Rock On’s booth at Outdoor Retailer, but I’m now having a hard time parting with them ($2.50 a card, $16 for a collection of 8).
Outdoor Retailer: Recycled Sleeping Bags
We all know that “green gear” is a huge trend, but consumer demand can lead to “greenwashing,” where companies slap a tree on their packaging, mention something “eco,” and call it good. However at Outdoor Retailer earlier this month, I was pleased to find a number of gear companies that are sincerely working toward making their products “less bad.”
Recycled sleeping bags were a big thing:
Big Agnes’s Skinny Fish 20° and Ripple Creek 35° rectangular sleeping bags topped the recycled content bags at 99 percent (the zippers aren't recycled). They're made with Climashield HL Green 100% recycled content insulation, 100% recycled rip-stop nylon shell and liner fabric, and drawstring cords and stuff sacks derived from recycled content. (Skinny Fish: 4 lbs, $179.95; Ripple Creek: 3 lbs 8 oz, $159.95).
Also as part of its Re-Routt Collection, Big Agnes’s new Diversion Air Core pads will feature 100 percent recycled shell fabric, Climashield HL Green insulation, and a recycled aluminum valve (20" x 72" x 2.5", 27 oz, $89.95). And Big Agnes is changing its Crystal 30°, Nugget 45°, and Lost Dog 50° bags and its Air Core sleeping pads over to PrimaLoft Eco synthetic insulation, a 50/50 blend of traditional PrimaLoft fibers and recycled fibers.
Marmot is introducing a line of EcoPro sleeping bags that use EcoPro UpCycled insulation: 80% recycled insulation and 100% UpCycle PET Polyester shell fabric (both made from recycled soda bottles). The EcoPro sleeping bags are available in men’s 15- and 40-degree models, and men’s and women’s 30-degree models (EcoPro 15°: 3 lbs / 1360 grams, $165).
And as we mentioned earlier in our OR coverage, Sierra Designs' men’s Verde 20 (3 lbs 2 oz, $179) and women’s Déjà Vu 20 (2 lbs 13 oz, $179) are SD's greenest bags (“90 percent sustainable,” says Sierra Designs). The bags feature EcoSensor shells (from recycled polyester textiles and PET bottles), Climashield Green insulation (100% recycled), and Cocona linings (a mix of recycled polyester and Cocona yarn).
Also part of Sierra Designs' Green Effect Program the men’s Nahche 0 (4 lbs 1 oz, $269) and women’s Winema 0 (3 lbs 12 oz, $269), have Cocona linings, EcoSensor shells, and PrimaLoft Eco recycled fill. The men’s Lazer 30 (2 lbs 2 oz, $199) and women’s Flare 30 (1 lbs 15 oz, $199) also use PrimaLoft Eco fill.
Outdoor Retailer: Primus Intros EtaPower Multifuel and Canister Stoves
While I briefly mentioned the Primus EtaPower MF (multi-fuel) backpacking stove on Day 3 of OR, here's some more information about it and the new integrated canister EtaExpress for all the stove gearheads.
Primus EtaPower MF
Unlike many stoves that call themselves “multi” or “all-fuel,” but really only burn liquid fuels, the EtaPower MF is an actual multi-fuel backpacking stove that will burn any available fuel—butane, propane, diesel, paraffin, or aviation fuel. According to Primus, the EtaPower MF “blends the most fuel-efficient stove design in the world with the convenience of omnivorous multi-fuel technology.” Primus claims its ETA burner design is twice as efficient as average stoves, allowing for faster boiling times, less fuel consumption, a lower total weight, and a more environmentally friendly stove.
The EtaPower MF has a piezo ignitor and comes with a burner stand, windscreen, 2.1 liter EtaPower pot with heat exchanger, and .35 L fuel bottle that nests inside; additional accessories include a frying pan, handle, and bag that doubles as pot insulation. If you don’t need the multi-fuel option, Primus already has the EtaPower EF (easy fuel) out for $80 less. Can’t wait till 2008? You can watch Primus’s online video about EtaPower stoves.
EtaPower MF Specs
- Weights:
EtaPower MF stove, screen, and hose: 13.4 oz (385 g)
1.7 L pot: 7.7 oz (220 g)
.35 L fuel bottle: 2.6 oz (75 g)
Pot gripper handle: 1.6 oz (45 g)
Ergo pump: 3.7 oz (105 g) - BTUs: 1500 to 2000 per hour
- Boil time: 2.5 to 3.5 minutes
- Packed Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 5.5" (210 x 210 x 135 mm)
- Availability: around January 15, 2008
- MSRP: $190
Primus EtaExpress
Built on the same heat exchanger foundation as the EtaPower, the EtaExpress is a compact, 14.7 oz, integrated canister version, designed for the solo traveler. It consists of a lightweight stove (2.9 oz) with piezo ignitor that mounts directly to an LP gas canister, a clip-on wind screen for fuel efficiency, and 1 L pot with fry pan lid. A heat exchanger mounted directly to the pot keeps the flame focused where it's needed, reducing heat loss, maximizing fuel efficiency and lowering boil times. The stove and a 230 g LP gas canister store in the 1 L pot for transport.
EtaExpress Specs
- Weights:
EtaExpress stove: 2.9 oz (82 g)
1 L pot w/ fry pan lid: 10.4 oz (295 g) - BTUs: 8500 per hour
- Boil time: 3.15 minutes
- Packed Dimensions: 4.5 x 5.9" (115 diameter x 140 mm tall)
- Availability: around January 15, 2008
- MSRP: $89
« Previous blog posts | Later blog posts »
