A few days back I posted a rundown of some of the best gear at the Outdoor Retailer show that went down last week with a number of outlets weighing in on their favorite items from the convention. At the time, the Gear Junkie, aka Stephen Regenold, shared Part 1 of his Best of Show selections. Now, we have the second part, with even more items that will be luring money out of our bank accounts soon.
In Part 2 of his "Best of" series, Stephen takes a shine to a number of interesting looking items, including a "technical smock" that promises to be the first zipper-free eVent garment. That one comes to us from U.K. based Montane and is set to release in March. Also gaining attention is a new $80 camp pad from NEMO that has a pack weight of just 10 ounces and is about the size of a water bottle when it is rolled up. The new Dry.Q jackets from Mountain Hardwear also get a nod thanks to their ability to keep us warm while also breathing better than GoreTex.
Two other items of note from the Gear Junkie's list. First, the tiny little headlamp from Light and Motion known as the Solite 150 is getting tons of press. It seems that everyone has it on their list of favorite gear, so you know it must have been very impressive at the show. It looks very small and light weight, weighing in at just 125 grams, and can be recharged via the USB port on your computer. I'm definitely interested in this one, although it doesn't come cheap at $179.
The other item that I wanted to point out on the list is a new pair of winter gloves from Outdoor Research. Known as Ambit Gloves, these babies will keep your hands warm and dry while also allowing you to use your touch screen phone such as an iPhone or Android device. Not sure who will want to use those items while out in the cold on the mountain, but at least you have the option without taking your hands out. I recently put my Alti Golves to the test in Yellowstone, and they were incredibly warm even in very cold temps. I highly recommend a pair of gloves from OR. Really good stuff.
So, with most of the post- gear show reports out now, have you seen anything you can't live without yet? There seemed to be al of great evolutionary products coming, but I haven't seen anything truly revolutionary. Am I missing anything?