Campman goes to the Outdoor Retailer Show

The week has come to Salt Lake, home of Campman, for most of the Outdoor Industry to show off their wares. The first couple of days were spent mostly walking around trying to take in the overwhelming amount of gear. Right now its the winter market and so most companies are showing off next years fall lines. You can still see what is selling now but the excitement usually revolves around what is the next hot piece of gear. The Gear Junkie did a nice little write up on some of the bigger manufacturers new products. However my goal was to find some smaller companies with some cool new products. Here are the few that caught my eye.

1. Brooks Range Mountaineering Sled
This ingenious little item allows mountaineers, search and rescue, and guides to tow injuries people out on their own skis by making a sled out of them. The compact system folds up extremely small so it easily fits in a packs. Its a great addition especially for professional guides. This company also makes mountaineering tools like their map tool and ski guide reference cards.

Brooks Range Mountaineering Sled

2. Hydroid by N2K Corp
They make a little gauge the slips in between you hydrations bladder hose and bite valve in order to let you know how much water you have in your bladder. While you could just stop and take you pack off and look this will let you know without you having stop what you are doing. It will also allocate you reserve so you can keep a steady flow of liquids in you while out and about. Its light and compact so you won’t be inconvenienced by it. It would work great for hiking, biking and skiing. You’ll never have to wonder how much water you have left.

3. Skins Compression Clothing
A new line to the US of performance clothing. A big hit in Australia the company has its sights on the US market. Going up against the likes of Under Armour and 2XU. It supposedly reduces soreness, increases endurance, and increases venous return. The technology is proven and used in the medical field to help with ailments associated with circulation problems. These guys have just modified it for everyday use. I was given a free pair at the show but I haven’t tried them yet. I am still a little hesitant about rocking the spandex again, but next training session I’m putting them on. They have all sorts of sizes and designs depending on your needs.

Skins

4. Ground Clothing
These guys are an up and coming brand. We started carrying them about 2 months ago. They have great product design and if you are hardcore about performance apparel then check out their jacket and pant lines. They use eVent in a lot of their jackets, which is more breathable than Gore-Tex. I just got their Extension Shell and its an amazing jacket. It fits nice, looks good, and incredibly breathable. I got a peek at their new designs for next year and they all will have Recco reflectors built in.

Extension Shell