Indonesian Digital News Archive

Over the past few weeks I've posted a few times about some of the new gear that was on display at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City. One of the companies that brought a lot of new, innovative gear to the show was Sierra Designs, which not only showed off their waterproof Down options, but also had new gear to keep us warm, called the Cloud Layer System, on display. But perhaps most impressive of all was their new Mojo UFO tent, a 4-season shelter that weighs just 1 pound 11 ounces. (.76kg) including the poles and fly. The kicker? It comes with quite a hefty price tag. When available in the spring, the tent will cost $1800.

Just one glance at the tent tells you exactly where it derives its name. The thing looks otherworldly or at the very least high tech. It is made of Cuben Fiber, a very lightweight but insulating material that has been used in a few other tents in the past. Sierra Designs also outfitted their offering with carbon fiber poles, which helps to reduce the weight even further. That addition will help to make this one of the lightest free-standing, two-person tents on the market when it drops in a few months time.

While $1800 doesn't make this the most expensive tent around (there are mountaineering options that run more) it is definitely on the more expensive end of the spectrum when it comes to backpacking tents. Because of that, SD says they'll only make them in limited quantities, although I'm sure there will be some gear hounds that are obsessed with weight enough to shell out the cash.

I have to say, seeing this tent in person it was impressive. Sierra Designs had it floating in air at the entrance to their booth, which made it nearly impossible to miss. But personally I think I could get by with a tent that weighs a but more and costs a lot less. Think about all the other gear you could purchase with the money you'd save!

A few days back I posted a few thoughts on some of the things that I saw at Outdoor Retailer last week. For outdoor enthusiasts the convention is pure gear nirvana with so many great things to see that it is difficult to explain the experience to others. Needless to say however, if you're in the market for new boots, packs, tents or other outdoor gear, there are hundreds of options on display.

While sifting through my notes on the show, here are a few more great pieces of gear that you'll want to keep an eye on in the months ahead. Some are available now and others will be released over the next few months, but all impressed me on multiple levels.

SlingFin Tents
Not for the average consumer, SlingFin builds a line of tents designed for mountaineers and adventure guides. They have everything from small, two-person, four-season tents to large expedition dome tents, each with a unique design and plenty of attention to detail. What struck me about their shelters was the level of versatility they provide in terms of ventilation, stability and comfort. These tents have years of thought and design put into them and it shows. Experienced adventurers can buy just one of the SlinFin tents and use it on multiple adventures around the planet including deserts, mountains and polar regions. Very impressive.

Mountain Equipment Helium Sleeping Bag
Mountain Equipment is a gear company that has been around for decades in Europe and the U.K. but has just started to find its way across the pond to the States in the past few years. They make excellent mountaineering gear that is very high quality and yet remains quite affordable. I was especially impressed with their sleeping bag line which incorporated some excellent design choices to make a very comfortable sleeping experience. Warm and light weight, the Helium bags offered nice touches like a uniquely designed bottom designed to provide more room and comfort for your feet. Anatomically designed hoods help to keep your head warm without sacrificing warmth, while comfortable neck collars and two-direction locking zippers provide plenty of options as well. The company has a sleeping bag for just about everyone, whether you're camping in the backyard or taking on Everest, and more thought has gone into those bags than most other companies puts into their entire product line. For those looking to cut weight, their new Xero bag is rated for 20ºF/-6ºC, weighs in at just 27 ounces (765 grams) and costs just $340. Not bad at all!

Switch Eyewhere
Outdoor athletes, adventure racers, triathletes or anyone who just demands a lot from their performance eyewear will certainly want to take a look at the options from Switch. The company has come up with an ingenious design that incorporates magnets into the frames and lenses, allowing you to quickly swap them out based on the current lighting conditions. Running a 24-hour adventure race? Switch can provide you with the right lenses for morning, mid-day and evening light, allowing you to use a single frame for every situation. There are numerous frames to choose from and they are all durable, rugged and great looking. Lenses are fully RX-able and there are several kits available that come with two sets of lenses to get you started. This is one of those great concepts that you're not sure why someone didn't come up with it sooner.



New Balance Minimus Hi-Rez Running Shoe
Minimalist running shoes were all the rage once again this year at OR although the trend moved away from the "barefoot" craze that was popular the past couple of years in favor of designs that were still lightweight and comfortable. One of the shoes that generated a lot of buzz was the new Minimus Hi-Rez from New Balance. Weighing in at just 4.2 ounces and remaining very flexible, the Hi-Rez seems to be a great mix of comfort and speed. They'll carry a price tag of about $120 when they drop in a few months time, but if that's too steep for you bank account, you'll have plenty of similar options from other manufacturers as well.

Princeton Tec Spectrum Headlamps
Princeton Tec was at OR to show off a few new products as well, including a fantastic new headlamp with a rechargeable battery pack that is lightweight, has a long burn time and provides plenty of lumens. But they were also there to talk about their expanded options for their Spectrum lights. If you're not familiar with the Spectrum it gives you the ability to custom design your own headlamp selecting from a couple of different models then building it with the colors and band that you like most. Users can actually make their personal light quite unique and it is fund to build the unit online. After it's complete, Princeton Tec ships it out to you ready for use. The option is great for adventure racing teams for instance who all want matching lamps in team colors. The service was launched at last year's summer OR, but now has a few expanded options.

Pelican Pro-Gear Backpacks
Most of us are probably familiar with Pelican cases, which are fantastic for keeping our fragile gear, such as cameras and laptops, protected from the elements while out in the field. Now the company is preparing to release it's Pro-Gear line of backpacks which actually incorporate a waterproof hard case directly into the pack itself. The packs are a bit bulky but provide great protection for important gear. I expect these will be a big hit with travel and adventure photographers, many of whom visit remote places with gear that doesn't always do well in harsh environments. I tried one of the packs on and found it to be surprisingly comfortable even if it does look a bit awkward. There will be a couple of sizes and colors available when they launch in September.

Julbo Floating Sunglasses
Another eyewear company that impressed with great designs and innovative options. Once again, triathletes and adventure racers will find plenty to like in their catalog but mountaineers will likely be the most impressed. Julbo has its roots in the climbing world and had a number of great styles and options designed for use on the mountain. But perhaps their most impressive innovation was coming up with a pair of performance sunglasses that actually float. How many of us have managed to drop an expensive pair of shades into the water only to watch them quickly sink beneath the surface? With the new frames from Julbo this will no longer be an issue.

Brooks-Range Cloak
Brooks-Range has an excellent new sleeping option that will be available in the spring for those that find themselves getting a bit too warm in a traditional sleeping bag. The new Cloak is actually a "technical blanket" stuffed with waterproof down from Down-Tek that is designed to be used with just a sleeping pad. It comes in three models rated for 45, 30 and 15ºF (7, -1 and -9ºC) with the lightest model weighing just 13 ounces (368 grams). Perfect for warm weather backpacking and camping and the the prototypes that I saw were super soft and comfortable. Definitely a unique piece of gear, but one that I'm sure will be appreciated for its simplicity and function.



Look for reviews and suggestions on these gear items and more in the days and weeks ahead. I'm already testing some of the things I saw at the show and will start sharing thoughts soon.

As mentioned in my previous post, I spent the end of last week and part of the weekend at Outdoor Retailer where I was fortunate enough to not only meet all kinds of interesting people but also catch a glimpse of some of the best new gear that will be coming our way soon. Here are a few items that caught my eye as some of the best new innovations and products from the show.

DownTek Water Repellent Down
Introduced at the January Winter OR show, DownTek is now starting to appear in real gear items such as jackets and sleeping bags. This water-proof down provides all the benefits of standard down, except it doesn't become completely useless when it becomes wet. The DownTek demo, in which they place some of their specially treated down in a jar of water and shake it up, was quite impressive, as the material came out almost completely dry and maintained all the qualities that make it such a great insulation for our gear. Look for jackets and sleeping bags from Brooks Range, Big Agnes, LL Bean and other companies starting this fall.


DownTek Demo from Lauren Fisher on Vimeo.
Magellan Switch GPS Watch
I wrote about the Magellan Switch GPS watch a few weeks back but seeing it in action was even better. This is, in my mind, the training watch for outdoor athletes. I was impressed with its versatility, ease of use and the amount of data it stored. Uploading that data to a website for tracking of progress was quick and easy too. If you're a triathlete, adventure racer, cyclist, runner or any other kind of athlete looking to improve your training and performance, this one is a no brainer. Great watch with tons of functionality.



Snowpeak Lago Tent
Snowpeak is a company I really like. They make all kinds of unique and interesting gear, not all of which easily falls into a nicely defined category. Their tents are actually quite impressive but at the summer OR show they gave us a glimpse at what is coming in the spring. Their new Lago and Lago 2 (single person or two person) 4-season shelters weigh just 3 pounds. Thats incredibly light for any tent, let alone one that can be used in the winter. The straight forward, simple design looks great and will likely make this a very popular option for light and fast expeditions. Look for more info on this in the near future.

BioLite Stove
The BioLite cook stove has received quite a bit of attention over the past few months and seeing it in action I can understand why. The stove weighs 2 pounds, which is about the same as other camping stoves and a fuel canister, but in this case there is no fuel. Instead you simply use things you'll find while backpacking such as pine cones, sticks, and so on. What makes this stove so special however is that it not only makes your meal it also uses the heat to create power. That energy not only drives a small fan, which makes cooking much more efficient, but it also creates enough electricity to recharge a cell phone, headlamp or other device via a built-in USB port. The thought that has gone into the design is astounding, as the stove actually folds up into a very small package, which will make it easy to carry on the trail. The company is also working on a larger model which they intend to distribute in developing countries as both a clean way to cook and generate power.


Black Diamond Vapor Helmet
Climbers looking for new lightweight gear need only look at Black Diamond's line-up for options. Most notable is their new Vapor Helmet which weighs in at just 6.5 ounces. The helmet is incredibly lightweight but still has an unexpectedly solid feel to it thanks to a design that incorporates kevlar into the most important parts. The Vapor won't be available until next spring when it is sure to be a hit with climbers, particularly those living in warm weather environments.

Scarpa Rebel Ultra GTX Boot
Scarpa, one of the best mountaineering boot companies on the planet, has teamed up with Ueli Steck, one of the best big mountain climbers on the planet, to create the ultimate boot. The new Rebel Ultra GTX uses Gore-Tex and carbon fiber, plus a little inspiration from rock climbing shoes, to create a lightweight boot that promises to remain warm and comfortable in the harshest conditions. Each boot weighs just 25 ounces (708 grams) and is designed to be nimble and quick even with crampons on. They'll clock in at about $500 when available in a few months time.

Eagle Creek Gear Warrior Duffle
Of course, after you've collected all of this new gear, you need a way to transport it to the site of your next adventure. Eagle Creek has just the thing with their new Gear Warrior duffle bag, which features 89L of storage, built-in organizational options, multiple handles and lightweight yet solid construction. It even has an all important bottle opener, which will come in very handy for the post climb celebration. I'm someone who likes to travel with a backpack, but this bag is definitely enticing me to rethink that approach.

That's just a sampling of some of the gear I saw. If I get the chance, I'll post some more of my favorites in the next day or two. There were so many things to see that it's hard to share them all, but needless to say there will be plenty of products competing for our dollars in the months ahead. Most of which are lighter in weight and brighter in color. At least one of those is a good thing.

The 2012 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market gets underway later this week and most of the gear manufacturers will be on hand showing off their latest creations. The bi-annual event is a busy and wild  affair featuring more backpacks, boots and jackets than you could ever possibly hope to see. But it is also an opportunity to mean some very interesting people, network and talk outdoor adventure for a few days. In preparation for the oncoming gear-pocolypse, several websites have begun posting previews of what we can expect in the way of new gear.

Over at Trailspace.com there are previews of new climbing equipment and backcountry camping gear. Amongst the items that will be enticing you to spend money when they hit stores is the new Black Diamond Vapor climbing helmet, which weighs in at just 6.6 oz (187 grams) and a new rope bag from Millet that keeps your gear nicely organized. Campers will be interested in new tent lines from both Eureka and Mountain Hardwear, not to mention a new sleeping bag from Therm-a-Rest who enters that market for the first time.

Trailspace always does a great job of reporting OR news directly from the show so be sure to keep an eye on their Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2012 Coverage page.

The Gear Junkie has also posted an early look at some of the gear that will be on display in Salt Lake City this week with some unique and interesting items catching his attention. For instance in his first preview we get a glimpse at Kelty's new air-pole tent that features an inflatable frame to keep it in place and a minimalist hydration pack from Platypus designed for cyclists. Gerber has a new flashlight powered by a crank, while a company called Biolite introduces a cook-stove that generates power to recharge your cell phone as well. GJ's second preview includes other intriguing gear such as  Mountainsmith's new lightweight, three-season tent that uses trekking poles to keep it suspended. We also get a look at new alpine boots from Scarpa – designed by Ueli Steck no less – that promise to shed bulk and weight while remaining comfortable. Granite Gear introduces a new backpack with a host of features that mountaineers are sure to love which will be available later in the year too.

I'll be headed out to Salt Lake City for the show on Wednesday and I'll be there when the doors open on Thursday morning. Like last year I intend to share as much stuff as I can directly from the show floor, so if you're interested in checking out the new gear as it's announced follow me on Twitter at @KungFuJedi. I promise to include photos of the gear as often as I can so you'll have an idea of what to expect when this stuff hits the market in a few months time.