Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Summer OR Reports Continue


Updates from the Summer Outdoor Retailer conference continue, as more bloggers return from the show and post their thoughts and impressions from the big event.

The Gear Junkie posted Part II of his report from the show, with a quick look at some cool new "concept designs" for kayaks coming from Wilderness Systems. He also has the scoop on new shoes from Mountain Hardwear and biking shoes from Keen. As a fan of Mountain Hardwear gear, I can't wait to see what their shoes are like, and Keen jumping into the mountain biking arena seems like a no brainer.

Trail Space continues to add new content to their Outdoor Retailer reports, and they've been kind enough to post it all in one convenient location for us as well. They do their usual fine job of reviewing the latest and greatest gear, with their "Bits and Pieces" post offering some nice behind the scenes peeks.

Likewise, the Backpacker Blogs have posted a "Trends Report" from the show with a look at what's new in a variety of categories, such as footwear and sleeping bags. It's a nicely written report giving us an overview of where things are headed, in general terms, with outdoor equipment.

Wade from Outdoorzy was kind enough to stop by and post a comment in one of my previous OR reports. He's been in Salt Lake City for the past several days, and has had the chance to take in the show. According to Wade, the buzz word this year is "sustainability" with many gear companies finally getting serious about making gear this is environmentally responsible. I think sustainability is tossed around a lot these days, but I like the context in which it is used. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue for a long time to come so we'll continue to have a great outdoor environment to go play in.

One of these days I need to go to either the Summer or Winter OR. I'd probably have a field day with all those toys!

No comments:

Post a Comment