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Summer Outdoor Retailer 2016

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Every August, tens of thousands of folks descend upon Salt Lake City for one of the largest outdoor industry trade shows in the world. I thought I'd share a little about my experience there and share the best blog posts about the event.
I won't comment too much about the new products coming out, as the blogs linked to below are great. I will say quickly that I was impressed by Fjallraven's new lightweight pants and even their kevlar-reinforced trekking tights (pictured below). I love the fit of their pants but find that most of their previous models are too heavy and have too many pockets for my need. I think Montane makes some of the best hiking pants but they're not widely available in the US, and I hope to have them on Massdrop later this year.
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Hammocks seem to be getting a lot of attention too. Klymit is making a hammock-specific sleeping pad with wings for your shoulders and hips (pictured, left). Sea to Summit (pictured, right) and Thermarest are coming out with their own ultralight hammocks, which will add some competition to the biggest two existing makers (ENO and Grand Trunk).
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I've been lucky enough to attend OR several times over the last ten years, though this year was particularly special because of the success we had in convincing more companies to work with our Ultralight Community. There is good certainty that we'll soon be seeing products from Inov-8, Injinji, Outdoor Research, Black Diamond (headlamps), CAMP, UltrAspire, Snow Peak, and Evernew. Plus, we met with most of our current partner companies and we should be seeing more from Rab (including their MeCo line), new shelters from Sierra Designs, more from Terra Nova and Montane and so on.
For more detailed reviews of light and ultralight gear, check out the following posts:
Ultralight Insights http://ultralightinsights.blogspot.com/2016/08/summer-2016-outdoor-retailer-trade-show_24.html
Bedrock and Paradox https://bedrockandparadox.com/2016/08/04/tidbits-from-outdoor-retailer/
Section Hiker http://sectionhiker.com/outdoor-retailer-2016-new-backpacking-and-hiking-gear-roundup/
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garywilson016
0
Aug 3, 2017
Thanks a lot! I found it really useful. You can follow https://trekkinggears.com for more trekking reviews and gears you can use
abela
523
Aug 10, 2016
lol, Interesting to see the sleeping pad for hammocks.
I proposed to Klymit back in February of 2014 a sleeping pad I named the "Klymit Wing" which had wings on it. My idea was for side sleepers to be able to roll over onto the wings.
Ref: https://www.facebook.com/HikeLighter/photos/a.188450694612095.6907.180971708693327/234875673302930/?type=1&theater
+1... a bazillion times... for Injinji socks!! Specifically the 'Trail Midweight Micro', which is a 39% coolmax version. Insane breathability, awesome for hot weather, and just thick enough to have enough padding for abusive trail use.
Thanks for sharing @DannyMilks - and I too would love to see some Montane gear make it into the States!
DannyMilks
4557
Aug 12, 2016
abelaKlymit's new pad looks curiously similar to the one you proposed 2 years ago @abela
Blake.S
243
Aug 10, 2016
"hammock-specific sleeping pad" I like this idea. Can it be used as a dual purpose pad or did you get the sense that it wouldn't be that useful on the ground?
DannyMilks
4557
Aug 10, 2016
Blake.SYou could certainly use it on the ground, the only problem would be if the 'wings' are inflated than you'd take up a lot of floor space :) @BlakeSchaffeld
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