More Gear From OR!

As promised, I have more gear news and reports from Outdoor Retailer. With as much stuff that is shown at the expo, it is nearly impossible to see it all, even if you're there open-to-close, each day of the event. Instead, we have to content ourselves to relying on the Internet to satiate our gear lust and help us decide how to spend our money.

First, I've written and published a preview of my own today at Gadling.com. It has five of the items that I saw at the OR that were particularly impressive to me. They include a UV water purifier from CamelBak, a tent from Brooks-Range, and some amazing lightweight hiking boots from adidas. (Yes, I said adidas!). Each of these items had a definite appeal to me for one reason or another. For example, the CamelBak All Clear will be perfect for traveling in remote areas and developing countries, while the Foray tent weighs in at just 2 pounds, 10 oz.

Other sites are sharing their favorite bits of gear as well. For example, the Gear Junkie has posted his Best of Show picks, which can be found by clicking here. You'll also find part 1 of Outside Online's OR wrap-up by clicking here. Both lists are very diverse and give you an idea of just how much great stuff is there. I'm not sure if a single item is duplicated between the Gear Junkie, Outside, and myself.

As I make my way through the mound of press material that was handed out at the show, I'll probably be spotlighting a few more items in the days ahead. You can also expect a slew of reviews as well, as I've already heard from a couple of gear companies who are shipping some items out already.

It looks like my gear closest is about to get a bit more full. I may have to organize a gear giveaway of my own!

Outdoor Retailer Wrap-Up

As I mentioned, I spent last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Outdoor Retailer convention in Salt Lake City checking out the latest and greatest gear that is in the works from our favorite gear manufacturers. OR is an interesting event to say the least. It is part-gear nirvana and part-networking meet-up, with a liberal dose of party thrown into the mix. The 3+ days that I spent there were a bit of a blur, as I hurried from one meeting to the next, waving at old friends and new from across the hall as I went.

Today, I'm suffering from Post OR Syndrome in part because for the time that I was there, I was steeped in adventure culture. Everyone is constantly talking about the latest gear, some big trip they have planned, or the peak they just bagged. The attendees, for the most part, are fit, athletic, and excited to be there and shae their experiences. While I was there, I spotted Conrad Anker, met Ueli Steck, and had nice long conversations with both Everest climber Ben Clark and adventure racer Mike Kloser. After a few days in that environment, it is rough to return to normal life where most people are just worried about the weather. (It'll be 105ºF here in Austin today by the way)

While I was at the show, I saw a host of really great gear coming from a bunch of different companies. Over the next few weeks, I'll likely be sharing some of the things I saw there with you so you can put them on your radar for the weeks ahead, when they'll actually be on sale. If you followed my Twitter feed while I was away, you probably already got a glimpse of some of them. Needless to say however, there was a lot of innovative gear on display, some of which we should all be genuinely excited about.

While I didn't have time to post OR updates to my blog while I was there, I did want to offer a couple of websites that have posted some information about what was on display. Check out the Adventure Journal for instance to see a nice overview of a number of products and Trailspace.com did an excellent job, as always, with their coverage as well. You'll find day-by-day updates from them by clicking here. Outside magazine also has their list of the best gear of the show here.

Today, I'm working on catching up on e-mail and getting my feet back under me, while also posting updates from the world of adventure. I'll have more to share from OR in the days ahead, but for now, all I'll say is that if you ever get a chance to go yourself, take the opportunity. It is a complete blast and well worth the trip.

Outdoor Retailer Wrap-Up

As I mentioned, I spent last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Outdoor Retailer convention in Salt Lake City checking out the latest and greatest gear that is in the works from our favorite gear manufacturers. OR is an interesting event to say the least. It is part-gear nirvana and part-networking meet-up, with a liberal dose of party thrown into the mix. The 3+ days that I spent there were a bit of a blur, as I hurried from one meeting to the next, waving at old friends and new from across the hall as I went.

Today, I'm suffering from Post OR Syndrome in part because for the time that I was there, I was steeped in adventure culture. Everyone is constantly talking about the latest gear, some big trip they have planned, or the peak they just bagged. The attendees, for the most part, are fit, athletic, and excited to be there and shae their experiences. While I was there, I spotted Conrad Anker, met Ueli Steck, and had nice long conversations with both Everest climber Ben Clark and adventure racer Mike Kloser. After a few days in that environment, it is rough to return to normal life where most people are just worried about the weather. (It'll be 105ºF here in Austin today by the way)

While I was at the show, I saw a host of really great gear coming from a bunch of different companies. Over the next few weeks, I'll likely be sharing some of the things I saw there with you so you can put them on your radar for the weeks ahead, when they'll actually be on sale. If you followed my Twitter feed while I was away, you probably already got a glimpse of some of them. Needless to say however, there was a lot of innovative gear on display, some of which we should all be genuinely excited about.

While I didn't have time to post OR updates to my blog while I was there, I did want to offer a couple of websites that have posted some information about what was on display. Check out the Adventure Journal for instance to see a nice overview of a number of products and Trailspace.com did an excellent job, as always, with their coverage as well. You'll find day-by-day updates from them by clicking here. Outside magazine also has their list of the best gear of the show here.

Today, I'm working on catching up on e-mail and getting my feet back under me, while also posting updates from the world of adventure. I'll have more to share from OR in the days ahead, but for now, all I'll say is that if you ever get a chance to go yourself, take the opportunity. It is a complete blast and well worth the trip.

Outdoor Retailer Begins Tomorrow!

As many of you already know, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market begins tomorrow, and later today I'll jump on a plane and head out to Salt Lake City, Utah to take part in the bi-annual event. The four day expo is an outdoor enthusiast's dream come true, with all kinds of new gear and travel products on display months before they hit shelves.

While at the show, I'll be taking part in a panel that is focused on media in the Digital Age and how things are shifting away from our traditional way of thinking about what "media" is and how social media have changed the way we interact. I'm hoping it will be fun, informative, and interesting, and if you're going to be at the show, you should drop by and say hello. The event is taking place in the SLC Downtown Marriott Hotel at noon in Salon H, and lunch will be included for those who attend.

If you're not fortunate enough to be at OR this year, but would still like to know what is going down there, I encourage you to follow my Twitter account, as I intend to tweet images and thoughts on a variety of new products while I'm walking the show floor and interacting with exhibitors. I think it is a great way to share things in realtime while the show is going on and new products are being unveiled, many of which won't hit store shelves for another few months.

My Twitter account is @KungFuJedi. Feel free to tweet back to me if you have questions or would like me to check something out for you while I'm there.

Outdoor Retailer Begins Tomorrow!

As many of you already know, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market begins tomorrow, and later today I'll jump on a plane and head out to Salt Lake City, Utah to take part in the bi-annual event. The four day expo is an outdoor enthusiast's dream come true, with all kinds of new gear and travel products on display months before they hit shelves.

While at the show, I'll be taking part in a panel that is focused on media in the Digital Age and how things are shifting away from our traditional way of thinking about what "media" is and how social media have changed the way we interact. I'm hoping it will be fun, informative, and interesting, and if you're going to be at the show, you should drop by and say hello. The event is taking place in the SLC Downtown Marriott Hotel at noon in Salon H, and lunch will be included for those who attend.

If you're not fortunate enough to be at OR this year, but would still like to know what is going down there, I encourage you to follow my Twitter account, as I intend to tweet images and thoughts on a variety of new products while I'm walking the show floor and interacting with exhibitors. I think it is a great way to share things in realtime while the show is going on and new products are being unveiled, many of which won't hit store shelves for another few months.

My Twitter account is @KungFuJedi. Feel free to tweet back to me if you have questions or would like me to check something out for you while I'm there.