The Outdoor Retailer show involves a lot of walking around – scurrying between appointments on opposite sides of the hall, checking out that one booth you wanted to get to way back in the corner, running back to that other booth that had munchies for lunch, etc. This is all on the concrete floor of the Salt Palace, so when people ask what they should bring to the OR show, my first piece of advice is, “comfortable shoes.”
I decided that this time I would wear a pedometer and find out how far I walked each day. Day 1 totalled 5.8 miles, Day 2 was over 7, and Day 3 was almost 8. I’ve since learned that this pedometer is pretty inaccurate, only calculating about 75% of actual distance travelled. So now I know why I’m just as tired at the end of an OR show day as I am at the end of a long day on the trail.

So you can imagine how excited I was when Patagonia put a new pair of Release trail runners on my feet. I’m pretty hesitant to mess with my tried and true footwear setup, but these seem to have the right shape for my feet – wide footbox, regular heel. They were nice and cushy as I wandered the show, and now that I’m home I need to put my good insoles in and take ’em for a few runs around the local trails. I hope they continue to feel as good!

As I wandered the show this day I found some cool stuff. Klean Kantene, growing in popularity due to the BPA scare, is expanding their line to include new sizes and wide mouth openings. These wide mouths are compatible with some of the water filters that are on the market. That big guy in the picture was being called the ‘Growler’ – hmm, made for beer?
Klean Kantene has also redesigned their sport cap, which is a very good thing. The old ones are so, so noisy. I grabbed a new one and it is much quieter. And also, just like Platypus, Klean Kanten is sporting their own wine system, the ‘Wine Karafe‘.
During my appointment with Ibex (makers of wool outerwear and clothing), I saw a jacket that had me really interested. It’s called the Vim, and it seems to be a perfect jacket for aerobic activity in the cold, especially if the wind is blowing. Softshell in the front, shoulders, and arms, with a back that is wool, it looks like it would do a terrific job blocking the wind as you move into it, while allowing your sweaty back (likely covered with a pack) to breathe.

Running  around the show takes a lot of energy, and we’re often so busy that we don’t have time to eat. This is where in becomes handy to know where the food companies are so you can grab samples. I tried some of Natural High’s Spicy Thai Chicken and I’d definitely buy that one. Anything that’s good when you’re not on the trail is going to be *extra* good out there.
Another thing that I really liked were the Honey Stinger organic fuit chews. Most of the energy chews are too salty for me – I’d rather get my replacement through drink mixes. The Honey Stinger chews taste like candy with none of that funny aftertaste. Better yet, their protein bars are actually good (especially the peanut butter). And this is coming from someone who usually hates those things. I’ll definitely be buying Honey Stinger stuff in the future – I’m glad I tried them, it’s nice to find something I actually like in this area.
After the daily Rogue, it was time to crash for the night. One more full day of the show left…