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…
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If there was any kind of ‘theme’ to the show this year, it would have been Environmental Sustainability. Several companies were announcing new environmental initiatives and renewable supply chains. In addition, the Outdoor Industry Association was asking every person to offset their CO2 emissions created during their travel to the show. There would be a monetary value placed on the emissions, and people could donate this money to the carbon neutrality project. The money was going to the building of new wind turbines. For my round trip flight from San Jose, a $12 donation would cover the cost of the wind power needed to offset my CO2 emissions.
More after the jump.
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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.
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The Outdoor Retailer show is a gearhead's dream. Gear as far as the eye can see - you can look at it, touch it, try it out, and marvel over…

For the fourth year in a row (wow, how time flies...) I am off to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. I'll catch a flight later today and land in Salt…

Today’s entry is a collaborative writing and photo effort between Christine and I. We’re staying with Jerry in Salt Lake City to attend the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2006. Today was the Backcountry Basecamp, a demo day that preceeds the actual trade show event.

It was 20 F and snowing when we got to Brighton Ski area at 10,000 ft, 20 minutes from Salt Lake City. Backcountry Base Camp is the day to use demo versions of some of the new gear. Rebecca, Jerry and I (Christine) were ready to take it on. On a tour around the booths, we women were given pairs of the Fox River women’s winter socks. Very cute with embroidered girls and flowers.

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