Let’s get straight to the gear!

• SmarTube Drinking System: At the Axis Outdoor booth I came face-to-face with a solution to my trail hydration needs. I strongly dislike carrying a hydration bladder inside my pack when backpacking due to several reasons which I will not get into in this post, and if I use bottles tucked into the side pockets I neglect to drink enough water. This SmarTube system lets me use my normal side-pocket bottles with the convenience of a drinking tube, keeping me drinking regularly. I have a feeling this will be a handy tool.

Continued after the jump…

• I spent a lot of time looking at some new items at the Optimus booth. The Stella Plus stove is a displaced cannister stove. Although bulkier and heavier than a typical cannister stove, it offers much better stability. Thus it can be used with bigger pots, cooking for more people. The piezo igniter and flame adjuster are attached at the cannister end, keeping the user’s hands away from the stove entirely. Similarly, the new multi-fuel Nova Plus keeps the flame adjustment far from the stove itself, making operation safer for the user.
• For those who are big fans of their MontBell down inner liner jackets, you may be looking to replace it soon with their new hooded version. I do not remember the exact weight, but for little more than the weight of the non-hooded version, you have a great addition to any backpack and sleep system.
• Lowe Alpine has been around for a long time, but I’ve never paid close attention to their packs since they tend to fall on the heavier side. I took a close look at the show, however, and although they are still heavier than a lot of packs on the market, their new suspension system has about the cleverest and easist adjustment mechanism I have seen. With one simple flip of a velcro panel, you can adjust the frame to any measurement, not just discrete ‘notches’ like most packs offer. Rather difficult to explain in a short blog entry, I’ll leave it to you to play with the next time you visit your favorite outdoor retailer.
• I got to try out a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers. I’m a big fan of the Injinji socks and the Vibram Five Fingers had a similar feel, but with lots of grip on the bottom of the foot. I can see how they wouldn’t be for everyone, but they felt terrific on my flat feet, especially since I am someone who prefers barefoot over boots. They seem to be selling well – the person at Vibram said they were surprised how they have caught on and the orders are almost too much to keep up with.
• Speaking of shoes, Golite’s new footwear line takes a unique approach to trail shoes. They reverse the typical running shoe sole – it is soft on the bottom, allowing for the tread to wrap itself around the typical ‘pokies’ on the trail, acting as a suspension system for the runner.
• The Digital Hero 3 is a tiny 3 megapixel, waterproof, 4.5 oz digital camera that straps to the wrist. Sick of digging for your camera on the trail? Well, with one of these it is easy to point and shoot right when the moment strikes. They run on AAA batteries and use SD cards, just like many digital cameras on the market.
• One of the things that impressed me was the new line of GPSs from Bushnell. They are able to display different kinds of map data, including base maps, topo maps, and even satellite photo overlays which include basemap information (such as street labels) and waypoints. In addition, these GPSs allow for screen-layering. For example, the compass can be displayed right on top of the map, making it much easier to use – no more skipping through 15 screens of information or customization to find your direction. They will also be releasing a GPS that includes XM radio capabilities, including the ability to overlay live weather information on your map. Imagine having not only live weather data, but your favorite music as well while deep in the backcountry!

There was a lot more gear out there, but if I wrote about it all I’d be sitting here for a few more months. Remember, I was there looking at all this gear for BGT. If you are a gearhead we’d love to have you – it’s fun to go to the show every year and see how gear has been updated or changed based on our feedback. And with that, this year’s Outdoor Retailer Market Wrap Up is concluded. Until next year!