2008 Summer Outdoor Retailer

August 13, 2008 · Filed Under Business & Product News, News

The 2008 Summer Outdoor Retailer was held one more year in Salt Lake City this past weekend. As you know, this is the biggest outdoor show in North America (maybe in the world?) where all outdoor-related retailers exhibit their latest products, packing the convention center with booths of all types. Though I had an invitation to assist, my current work load didn’t quite fit with the show dates. So what I did is to follow the event through the official website and through many bloggers who were there and posted the odds and ends of their busy weekend. Below a brief recap on a few of the things which caught my attention, but I’m sure many other follow ups will be published in the upcoming weeks.

Arc’teryx Arrakis - an ultralight, simple, supportive and waterproof backpack (65L)

Trekking poles - new locking mechanisms and materials from Leki and Komperdell
Polar RS800CX - the training management system from Polar is updated with GPS route tracking and multisensor compatibility
Montrail Mountain Masochist – a new unreleased shoe from Montrail that, after iRunFar’s tests, is a more stable version of their Streak
Autoseal bottle - Contigo has a patented a one-hand operation hydration bottle that automatically seals between sips (no cap to remove or spout to open) using a push-and-release button.

ZYM Catapult - a new hydration product that includes 100mg of caffeine and B12 vitamins that come in tablets that you’ll just have to pop in your hydration bottle to get electrolytes back in your system
Injinji Rainbow - introducing the revival of the classic Rainbow toesock in a new COOLMAX version
Petzl Ultra Line – several new headlamps from Petzl that allow the user to adjust the brightness according to the needs of the runner
New Marmot Jackets – Marmot introduced a new “2.5” version of their waterproof-breathable laminate, MemBrain, and two new jackets will come out with it next year: women’s Crystalline Jacket (with a weight of 6 oz.) and the men’s Mica at 6.5 oz.