Referring to the Outdoor Retailer Show as just another “trade-show” would be akin to calling Mount Everest just “another mountain”. With more than 1600 brands and over 25,000 attendees, the show affectionately known as OR, is the largest convention of its kind. This is the place where industry trends are defined, and the latest cutting-edge products and technologies are on display. Our “Best in Show” represents the best new products and unique technologies coming to market for 2016.
STANLEY
Every Outdoor Retailer, the question is the same; ‘what’s the best new product you’ve seen?’ This summer our answer was the same: “It’s not a product… it’s a brand. STANLEY”. In 1913 inventor William Stanley Jr. forever changed the way hot drinks were consumed by fusing vacuum insulation and the strength of steel in one portable bottle. 100 years later and STANLEY is making products better than ever. From their industry leading insulated pints to innovative new takes on Coolers and everything in between, STANLEY is taking an inventive approach to their product line resulting in superior products at impressive prices.
Mountain Hardwear Ghost UL 2 Person
Ready for a better backpacking experience? Tipping the scales at just 2 pounds, 2 ounces, the Ghost UL2 two-person, three-season tent from Mountain Hardwear is the lightest freestanding shelter in the company’s line. But don’t let its meager weight fool you, the Ghost UL 2 Person tent still offers the same level of stability and protection that you’ve come to expect from the brand, ensuring that you don’t have to compromise protection to travel ultralight on your summit push or backcountry excursions.
Gregory Baltoro 75 GZ
Say farewell to the days of using carabiners to attach a solar panel to your pack. The new Gregory Baltoro 75 GZ seamlessly blends the best-in-class pack from Gregory with the new Nomad 7 Plus from Goal Zero. The solar panels are easily deployed and held in place by magnets thereby eliminating the reckless bouncing of your manually attached panels. The result? An incredibly comfortable pack that readily keeps your electronics fueled for life on the trail.
MSR Guardian Filter
With military-grade engineering and game-changing technology, the Guardian Purifier from MSR changes everything you thought you knew about water purification. Simply put, the Guardian is designed to be the safest, easiest way to purify water anywhere on earth. Unlike conventional hollow fiber technology, MSR developed advanced medical-grade fibers that block viruses, the tiniest waterborne microbiological threats. The Guardian cleans 2.5 liters of water per minute, offers self cleaning performance, and treats 10,000 liters.
Berghaus Hyper Jacket
Over the past year, the industry emphasis has shifted from durable waterproofness to tailored performance directed toward speed and minimalism. Representing the very best of that trend is the new Hyper Jacket from perennial innovators Berghaus. New for Spring/Summer 2016, the Hyper Jacket offers full-zip convenience with premium performance while weighing in at a mere 3.5 ounces. Utilizing proprietary HydroShell Hyper fabric and fully taped construction, the Hyper Jacket delivers 100% waterproof breathable ultra-light weight protection.
LL BEAN Snowfield Day Pack
Take L.L. Bean’s 100+ years of experience designing gear for life lived in the great outdoors and partner it with the unique perspective of Seth Wescott – the most decorated snowboard cross athlete in history. The result is a collection of gear that stands up to some of the toughest conditions in the world. The L.L. Bean Snowfield Day Pack exemplifies all that’s right with this partnership, offering a superior technical pack for backcountry skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing adventures. This 30L pack will carry everything you need, including skis or snowboard, avalanche probe, shovel, extra layers, food and water.
JetBoil Genesis
In reimagining the traditional car camping stove, Jetboil not only went outside the box, they eliminated it all together. With a clamshell fold-out construction, the two burner Genesis offers a dramatic design shift from the conventional car camping system. This propane powered stove provides plenty of power — 10,000 BTUs per burner — making it capable of boiling 1 liter of water in 3 minutes inside the 5 liter fluxing pot. And just like all Jetboil products, the entire system nests inside itself making it compact and easy to carry.
Thermarest Camper AV
Therm-a-Rest just took a page from your physics class and applied it to your camping experience, taking comfort to the next level. Utilizing Bernouli’s principle of fluid dynamics, the brand’s new Speed Valve effectively ‘entraps’ air surrounding the blown flow and draws in a bigger volume. The result? This sleeping pad measuring a plush three inches thick and seventy-seven inches long inflates in just a few breathes with minimal effort.
Onewheel
Stuck in traffic. Stuck on the lightrail. Stuck in the grind. During these moments we’ve all daydreamed of shredding powder or crushing a monster wave. Now Onewheel, a revolutionary electric boardsport, gives you that opportunity. By incorporating intuitive control, self-balancing, and the freedom to ride all into one product, Onewheel is simple to operate; lean forward to accelerate, lean backward to slow down and stop.
Klymit Splash 25
Adventures come in all sizes, from the modest to the epic, from land to water and back again. Featuring Klymit’s signature Air Frame technology, the Splash 25 is a lightweight waterproof pack ready for water based adventures and comfortable enough for your land dwelling moments as well. The pack features a full fold and roll closure to lock in the dry. Waist and sternum straps with easy pump access provide easy on-the-fly adjustments.