The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market is wrapped up once again, and as usual, I am completely exhausted. This year’s show was successful for BGT; we got great feedback from manufacturers and nearly everyone we approached is on-board. Right now, the only thing holding BGT back is the number of qualified testers. If you are reading this and are not a BGT tester, please join us – we need you! We have enough gear lined up to put every tester in a tent, a pack, a sleeping bag, and a new pair of footwear. Plus accessories galore!
Details of show beyond the jump.

Most of the show is a blur, but there were some snazzy items that stand out in my fuzzy memory. There were not any major innovative designs or technologies with that ‘wow’ factor at the show, but there were a lot of items that have been improved upon as well as some small but useful new items. Over the next couple of days I’ll be posting descriptions of these items here. Disclaimer: The following items were things that impressed me, but listing them here does not indicate that they will be tested on BGT – although many of them will.

• Sierra Designs Hercules Assault: Early in the show I noticed that Sierra Designs had a tent set up that was very similar to one Dave tested last year. You may recall our adventure at Lake Winnemucca, where we were pounded with wind and snow over the course of 24 hours. The tent survived, but we noticed several design flaws on that and some other trips. I was pleased to see that these design flaws have been addressed. The tent now has a different venting system, the gear lofts do not hang down in the occupant’s face, and the fly material has been changed from silnylon to a breathable Drizone, hopefully addressing the condensation issues we had.
• Gregory Z55 and Jade 50: The mens and womens redesign of the Z Pack is impressive. The JetStream suspension system pulls the pack away from the middle of the back allowing for air flow to cool the user down. I hate having a sweaty back and I’ve been really happy with this design in other packs I have used, such as the Osprey Ariel and the Deuter Futura. I’m happy to see Gregory using this concept.
• Waldies Aruba Sandal: Anyone who has backpacked with me knows of my fondness for Crocs and Waldies. Nothing feels better on my feet after a long day of hiking (mmmm…squishy), plus they are lightweight and can be worn with socks when the evening temperatures drop, unlike flip-flops. My only complaint about these shoes is that they are rather big and awkward to stuff into or attach to a pack. Well, Waldies has a new sandal that still offers the comfy sole and ability to wear with socks, but they are even lighter and a bit easier to shove into a pack. The straps smoosh down easily so that they can fit into a smaller space than the original clogs. I’m looking foward to using these as my camp shoe this summer!
• Grabber Sleeping Bag Warmers: I get so cold at night that the chemical hand warmers are my best friends. They are always awkward in a sleeping bag, though. They are scratchy and get lost and fall out when I toss and turn. Not anymore! Now there is a soft fleece pocket for stashing your Warmers – huggable like a teddy bear.

Come back later for more!