Outdoor Retailer Gear Show Highlights

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Here are a few packs, sleeping bags, and other gear highlights we spotted from Lowe Alpine, Mountain Equipment, Gregory, Backpacker's Pantry, Jetboil, The North Face, and more.

Full article at http://www.trailspace.com/articles/2012/08/06/outdoor-retailer-gear-highlights.html

With the amount of military veterans that come into our store to get snow peak cups and jetboil stoves, I'm not at all surprised, but am delighted to see the Flash System offered in Multicam. 

Multiple times I've had people tell me when they've been in the field up in mountains in Afghanistan that they had one of these and fell in love with it, come back home and want one for their home use.

Interested to try the new Backpacker's Pantry meals and see how they hold up. They've yet to leave me disappointed. 

I sympathize with most companies that show at OR, especially those referenced in the first four stories. The reality is that most gear categories are commodities, like gasoline or corn, since they are all using the same materials and same designs. So they are forced to differentiate their products with marketing stories that emphasize subtle differences with other competing products. To me, these "innovations" often seem like gimmicks, the brainchildren of non-users. I have to wonder whether these companies would be more successful in breaking out from the competition by instead focusing on:

* price, e.g. see GoLite

* system packaging, e.g. see GSI or Sierra Designs

* consumer education, e.g. see REI

* brand story, e.g. see Patagonia

Among other non-product considerations.

I agree with Andrew - I don't see a lot of useful innovation in most of those stories.  Everyone seems to be "overhauling" their gear, whatever that means.

I get the impression that more effort goes into picking a name for a line of gear than goes into designing it.

Most of us understand that useful innovation comes from tinkers/users, not out of cynical marketing departments.  Those folks are mostly about feeding gear lust, not optimizing utility.  They move the desireable into the market.  They make it pretty in order to make you want it. 

Which is fine, actually, because we can't have an economy big enough to feed us all without stuff to buy/sell.  I also think it pretty clear that without all this beautiful (albeit kinda' frivolous) stuff far fewer folks would be going into the weeds, which would be bad for environmentalism. 

This glass is more than half full. 

Just sayin'...

IMHO, gear lust is quickly curbed on the trail.  One can only carry so much gear and the experienced backpacker knows what works for him/her and they rarely as a group succumb to the gimmicks.  Mr. Skurka, you are are in my opinion a great example of that point. 

So, what is driving the market?  Based on my limited exposure, and what I see on the street, is that at least as far as apparel goes, the fancy rain gear and wonder fleece is mostly bought and worn by people who rarely/never even hike a trail or ride a bike. 

Back to innovation, I for one an on the market to replace my 8 year old tent and pack.  I may not be buying the latest innovation, but that Cuben Fiber sure is exciting! 

One thing for certain, Mountain Hardwear, Ospey, TNF, MSR, etc, are definitely not getting rich off me, but I will purchase their products when I actually NEED them, and based on past experience, quality gear lasts a LONG time. 

One more boring point and then I am through.  Quality brands sucha as but not limited to companies above will stand by their products support you when you have a valid claim.  Feel free to PM me for an example or two if you are inclined to know my side of the story. 

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