Here’s some of the gear being shown at the 2017 Outdoor Retailer trade show this summer. Most of these items are slated to be in retail stores by Spring 2018.
ENO Fuse Tandem Hammock System
Double hammocks are great. Lots of room… for one. Getting a second person in there is very romantic in theory, but after a few minutes of cuddles it gets awkward and uncomfortable. If you still want to be near your love while suspended in the air, here’s the fix: an aluminum spreadder bar that lets you hang two hammocks side by side from the same set of trees. $30
Saxx Cannonball
After a successful transition from underwear to running shorts, Saxx is going the leisure route by integrating their extremely comfortable liner system into swim shorts. $70
Nemo Chogori 3P
Save time in any kind of weather, but most importantly when the wind is relentless, with this new tent with an integrated fly and external pole structure system. It comes with standard mountaineering features like good vestibule space (18.9 sq. ft.), ventilation, and the option of zipping two of these tents together for bigger parties. ~7 lbs., 11 oz.; $850
BioLite SolarHome 620
No need to piece together a solar lighting and charging kit, this comes off the shelf ready to go. The 6-watt panel, three lights, audio playing, and USB charging setup was inspired by off-the-grid households in India and sub-Saharan Africa. Apply it to your car camping kit, cabin, van, all while supporting the work BioLite does for developing communities. $150
bambu Outdoor Utensils
With great success in the home, bambu LLC targets the outdoors market with their eco-friendly utensils and cutlery sets. A light food-safe oil is applied to seal the bamboo after it has been shaped and sanded down. Gone are the days of plastic camping utensil sets melting into a gooey mess and runing your camping pots and pans. And if and when the utensils break, they won’t wait in the landfill for the 500 some years like plastic does. $varies
Jetboil Flash
Jetboil continues to innovate and this time they created their fastest-ever stove, beating their old record to boil by over a minute.
Patagonia MicroPuff Hoody
What gets lighter and lighter the more it warms? Patagonia insulation technology developments, that’s what. Specifically their PlumaFil synthetic insulation that behaves just like down. This technology fills this jacket and is so light weight, it may cause concern around how warm it actually is. But Patagonia tells us their ambassador team, which has been playing in the cold in the prototypes, doesn’t want to give them back to the design team. $299
Petzl Tikkid
Kids love lights and to have a light that was made just their size will put the biggest smile on their face. Petzl clearly had some young beta testers to get all the features right from size to weight (80 grams), and the large button that operates the wide 20-lumin beam (that will most certainly be pointed directly in your eyes a few times). $25
Tecnica Outdoor, Forge Collection (hiking boots)
It’s no surprise that a ski boot brand is thinking about heat molding technology and how to apply that to hiking boots. Like ski boot liners, the Forge Collection (Men’s and Women’s) boots as well as the insole are cooked in the shop and then placed in a boot shaped bag that gets inflated to press the boot around the buyers foot. The fitting takes about 20 minutes. $250
Sea to Summit Alpha Series Cookware
Efficiency in packing is key and Sea to Summit has been working the nesting and packing process. These lightweight, hard-anodized alloy metal pots and pans in the Alpha Series are looking to carry a strong durabilty to weight ratio.