Log Out Cart Wish List My Account Welcome, VerdePR (M) View other Trends » Outdoor Retailer News Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer) The daily perspective of an industry vet on the show floor for the first time: "A fantastic all-systems overload." Share | Print | Jump to Reader Comments by Brad Groves | 2010-08-04 00:00:00-06 The daily perspective: As an industry vet experiencing OR for the first time, the show is a fantastic all-systems overload. If you're at all familiar with, say, the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Hall, I think it's fair to describe OR as several times more intense. Where to focus?! What to share?! Some of the things I've found aren't the lightest-weight options on the market... but are relevant to those who are more lightweight than UL, or have a great price point, or are just plain cool. Today's points of interest? Western Mountaineering You didn't think we'd pass up a great ultralight company like this, did you? WM is introducing their Flash Booties. (No, they don't have anything to do with bun warmers or streaking!) The Flash Booties have a lot of loft, a foam-insulated sole, a mini-crew-ish height, and weigh 2.75 ounces for a pair in size medium. (There's just something about 12 denier fabric and 850 fill down, isn't there?) They'll be available in January for a MSRP of $49. WM is also bringing out a Flash XR Jacket. The new laminate Proloft XR shell fabric is water resistant and breathable, the pockets are zippered, and the back of the hood has a cinch tab. The weight of the Flash XR is 11 ounces, 2 more ounces than the standard Hooded Flash Jacket. But hey, if you're concerned about water resistance or losing things from your pockets, this could be a great way to go. Suggested retail will be $300. Montbell Will has been testing the new Montbell Tachyon Anorak and will be bringing us one of his stellar reviews in the near future. In the meantime I'll give you the briefest of teasers: the Tachyon is a 2.3-ounce hooded windbreaker, made of wispy 7 denier ripstop nylon. The $89 price tag is pretty good, too. ABOUT BPL | Help About HOME ARTICLES SHOP COMMUNITY WIKI SCHOOL Search BPL The Community of Lightweight Hiking and Backcountry Travel WHAT ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FEES? Get a Lifetime Membership » Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats... http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/or... 1 of 11 8/18/10 9:07 AM
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View other Trends » Outdoor Retailer News
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer)The daily perspective of an industry vet on the show floor for the first time: "A fantastic all-systems overload."
Share | Print | Jump to Reader Comments
by Brad Groves | 2010-08-04 00:00:00-06
The daily perspective: As an industry vet experiencing OR for the first time, the show is a fantastic all-systems overload. If you're at all familiar with, say, the NorthAmerican International Auto Show at Cobo Hall, I think it's fair to describe OR as several times more intense. Where to focus?! What to share?! Some of the things I'vefound aren't the lightest-weight options on the market... but are relevant to those who are more lightweight than UL, or have a great price point, or are just plain cool.Today's points of interest?
Western Mountaineering
You didn't think we'd pass up a great ultralight company like this, did you? WM is introducing their FlashBooties. (No, they don't have anything to do with bun warmers or streaking!) The Flash Booties have a lotof loft, a foam-insulated sole, a mini-crew-ish height, and weigh 2.75 ounces for a pair in size medium.(There's just something about 12 denier fabric and 850 fill down, isn't there?) They'll be available inJanuary for a MSRP of $49.
WM is also bringing out a Flash XR Jacket. The new laminate Proloft XR shell fabric is water resistant and breathable, the pockets are zippered, and the back of thehood has a cinch tab. The weight of the Flash XR is 11 ounces, 2 more ounces than the standard Hooded Flash Jacket. But hey, if you're concerned about waterresistance or losing things from your pockets, this could be a great way to go. Suggested retail will be $300.
MontbellWill has been testing the new Montbell Tachyon Anorak and will be bringing us one of his stellar reviews in the near future. In the meantime I'll give you the briefest ofteasers: the Tachyon is a 2.3-ounce hooded windbreaker, made of wispy 7 denier ripstop nylon. The $89 price tag is pretty good, too.
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Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats... http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/or...
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As you might be aware, Montbell makes packs underthe Zero Point label. I was impressed by theexceptionally clean and functional aesthetic of theirrevised Alpine Pack 50. The framed pack is made ofdurable materials (main body 330 denier ripstop,1000 denier reinforcement), but the lack of frillskeeps the weight down to 3 pounds 5 ounces. I thinkof the frame as a "H" - Montbell calls it a SuperWishbone Double Frame, but either way, the point isthat the frame won't barrel like a simple two-staysuspension would. The slanted side pockets areperfectly integrated into the pack body, and thecircular bar tacks add a nice touch. MSRP is $179.
Kelty
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Let's be honest: Some people just don'thave the cash for a super-premium downbag. And I can't say that I've ever thought ofKelty as making something that our dearreaders would enjoy. BUT... the KeltyCosmic Down 20 is an actual, amazingbargain. The 20 degree Farenheit ENComfort-rated down bag weighs a mere 2pounds 3 ounces (in short), and it costs ameasly $99.95! (Size regular is 2 lb 8 oz,$109.95.) To put this in perspective, a 5'6"Western Mountaineering UltraLite weighs 1pound 12 ounces and costs $370. If youdon't have the $270 to save yourself the 7ounces and gain the nicer materials andconstruction, the Cosmic Down is worthy ofyour consideration.
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Another really cool find from Kelty is their upcoming vintage pack line. They'renot ultralight, but man are they spiffy! If you're the type of person who hauntseBay looking for retro packs, these are just your thing. The packs re-introducestyles from the 60s and 70s, right down to the label style, leather patches,metal zippers, and metal buckles. That old favorite teardrop style pack (14ounces) will be available again next spring for $49.95. Their top-endMockingbird (with removable side pockets, 30 ounces) will cost $124.95.
Cascade Designs
If you liked most things about the NeoAirbut were concerned about durability and
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price, the upcoming NeoAir Trekker mightbe your pad. The Trekker uses more ruggedmaterials and eliminates the radiant barrier.The result is a pad that still has a R-value of2.0, weighs 19 ounces in Regular (insteadof the NeoAir's 14 ounces), and costs$119.95 instead of $149.95. Perhaps themost interesting aspect of the new design isCascade's introduction of... wait for it... aLarge Torso size! They heard our call for awide but short pad, folks, and will bemaking a NeoAir Trekker in a 25" x 48" sizeresulting in a 16-ounce pad. I'm excitedabout the size, disappointed in the model.The Large NeoAir I shortened to 60 inchesweighs 14.25 ounces; at 48 inches I'dexpect it to weigh about 12 ounces insteadof the 16-ounce Trekker. It would make a lotmore sense for Cascade to introduce aweight-conscious comfort pad in theirlightest line, but I guess we'll take what wecan get for now, eh?
The Hubba Hubba has been one of the best-selling double wall tents on the market for years. Cascade islaunching the Gear Shed, a 26.5 square foot hooped vestibule that can be added to any Hubba or HubbaHubba. (I wouldn't be surprised if you could even pop it on a Carbon Reflex 3.) The Gear Shed adds 1pound 12 ounces to your pack but essentially doubles the covered space of your shelter and will set youback $149.95. End result with the combo is approximately 63 square feet of shelter for 5 pounds 12ounces. Yes, heavy by many of our standards, but possibly just right for some needs or desires. One otherpoint of interest in most of the MSR shelters: if the yellow rainflies drove you nuts, the new ones will be asort of Granny Smith green.
Injinji Socks
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If you've joined the Vibram Five Fingers craze, Injinji is introducing their new Liner Series in a stretchy,close but comfy fitting Coolmax. Injinji developed the sock specifically to fit well inside the Five Fingers,and not surprisingly it looks like they'll be perfect for the application. At $10 a pair, stocking up (sorry, thepun was intended) won't hurt as much as other performance socks. Injinji will also have a PerformanceSeries Midweight sock available in late fall or early winter.
Cocoon by Design Salt
If you're like me, as soon as you see the above brand you probably think"Sleep sacks, whatever, moving on." But Cocoon had a few things evenultralighters might love. The first thing that caught my attention was theirnewest pillow, the Hyperlite AirCore pillow. The 13 x 17 inch pillow onlyweighs 2.4 ounces, but is thick and comfortably supportive.
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Some of our readers, namelyScouters traveling to Philmont, arerequired to carry sleep-specificclothing. Others of us choose to.Either way, Cocoon has silk travelpajamas that weigh 5 ounces forlong-sleeve top and pants. Even athru-hiker might like them, giventhat the pajamas are styled wellenough that they could ostensiblybe worn in public on laundry day(granted, there might be a bit of alounge lizard effect). MSRP is $65.
I wasn't sure whether or not toinclude this, but what the heck.Cocoon also has a 50 degreePrimaloft Innerbag. It costs$100, weighs 1 pound 10ounces, and should easilypack to about 6 x 12 inches.
Aw, shoot. I can't help it. There's one completely random thing I'm going to throw out for you worldly travelers. Get this: Cocoon is also introducing aromatherapy travelpillows. Scents include lavender, lavender/chamomile, vanilla, and apple blossom. The 10 x 14 inch pillows weigh 6.5 ounces and are very supportive but pleasantly
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squishy. If you need to de-stress on de plane, these might be a nifty addition to your carry-on.
Esbit (an AGS brand)
There are some truly die-hard Esbit users in our community; I'm notsure if the same people will jump on these offerings from Esbit, or ifpeople new to the solid fuel will be more interested. The 585 ml EsbitCookset is a hard anodized aluminum pot with a nesting, integratedstove/windshield/pot support. Weight with lid is 6.95 ounces, MSRP isonly $30.
They also have a 2.8 ounce hard anodizedaluminum mug with a plastic rim (and handle) forsafe sipping. MSRP is $9.99.
A random nifty item for your consideration:
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the Esbit Coffee Maker, an almost artsy andaesthetically pleasing historicalespresso-style coffee maker that comeswith a bottom unit similar to that of thecookset. The coffee pot itself fitsreassuringly snugly into the the stove.Weight is about 10.6 ounces (yup, this isprobably more of an office or car campingthing for us) and retail is about $59.95.
Gregory Packs
Gregory has done a ton of re-design work on their packs for 2011 that I think will help them fit moreconsumers, as well as offer some nice tweaks. A huge growth segment in overall market pack sales hasbeen in the 40 liter-ish size that people can squeeze in as a carry-on. The upcoming Z40 (and women'sspecific Jade 38) is a framed pack with front panel load, sleeping bag compartment, plenty of pockets,and removable rain cover for 3 pounds 4 ounces. MSRP will be $149.95.
Citation"Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer)," by Brad Groves. BackpackingLight.com (ISSN 1537-0364).http://backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/orsm2010_day_1_tasty_treats_brad.html, 2010-08-04 00:00:00-06.
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Forum Index » Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010 » Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer)
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Addie Bedford(addiebedford) - BPL Staff- MLIFE
Locale: Montana
NEW Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer) on 08/04/2010 12:55:39MDT
Companion forum thread to:
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer)
David Chenault(DaveC) - M
Locale: Clark Fork drainage
NEW weight on 08/04/2010 13:26:39 MDT
How does Cocoon makes a primaloft summer bag that heavy?
John McAlpine(HairlessApe) - M
Locale: Seattle,Washington
NEW Montane eVent Jacket? on 08/04/2010 14:01:57 MDT
Wasn't Montane coming out with a 7 ounce eVent jacket. Have you seen it there?
Andrew Dolman(andydolman) - M
NEW Montane's eVent Smock on 08/04/2010 15:26:09 MDT
You can read a bit about it in coverage of Europe's big gear fare here:
http://hrxxlight.com/?p=593
Doug Johnson(djohnson) - MLIFE
Locale: Washington State
NEW Re: Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer) on 08/04/201015:56:42 MDT
Great update Brad! Entertaining and eclectic- thank you! Having covered OR in the past, it's certainly overwhelming isn't it!?! Lookingforward to further updates...
I'd second the request to see details on the non-zip Montane eVent shell...
Brad Groves NEW Re: Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats (from the first-timer) on 08/04/2010
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2010: Day 1 Blog Tasty Treats... http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/or...
10 of 11 8/18/10 9:07 AM
(4quietwoods) - MLIFE
Locale: Michigan
21:21:55 MDT
Hey, folks-
Don't worry, we're covering Montane! Will's writing it up for tomorrow.
Yeah, the weight of the Innerbag was what made me hesitate. When I took a step back from the cottage industry/MYOG perspective,though, the weight seemed pretty reasonable for the price. Other $100 bags can frequently weigh 2 to 3 pounds. Another bit ofperspective I found useful: The Marmot Pounder in Primaloft is 1 pound, but it also costs another 80 percent.
Glad you like the eclectic mix, Doug! It's kind of like a mini experience of the show itself.
More goodies to follow!
Lucas Boyer(jhawkwx) - M
Locale: Aloof
NEW cocoon pj's on 08/05/2010 11:12:43 MDT
Do those pj's come w/ a cigarette holder to twirl as I watch my clothes dry at the laundromat? I'm relishing the thought of a group ofthru hikers gathered around the campfire in their monochromatic silk pj's. Good stuff.
That esbit mug gives the trapper's mug a run for the money. I still like my koozie wrapped trappers though. That handle will just get inthe way.
Good call on that budget down from Kelty. Considering the depreciation on a hard used WM bag after one season, one could justify theKelty as a single season option(or more depending on use). I don't like throw away gear or waste, but many of us pinch every pennywe can in these trying times.
Keep it coming, Brad.
Mitchell Keil(mitchellkeil) - M
Locale: Deep in the OC
NEW Esbit stove kit on 08/05/2010 13:06:24 MDT
Whoa! That esbit stove kit really looks cool and nicely integrated. Any idea how quickly one can boil up cup or two of water?
Edited by mitchellkeil on 08/05/2010 13:07:17 MDT.
Brad Groves(4quietwoods) - MLIFE
Locale: Michigan
NEW Re: Esbit stove kit on 08/05/2010 23:56:06 MDT
I'm not sure, man, but I'd bet there are plenty of Esbit users out there who would have a good idea...
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