As I mentioned earlier, the Outdoor Retailer show is set to get underway tomorrow in Salt Lake City with the Open Air Demo, followed by the launch of the convention itself on Wednesday. Over the next few days, gear companies, retail buyers, media and a swarm of outdoor personalities will descend on SLC in what is one of the most outdoor and adventure focused events that you could ever imagine. Gear hounds in particular would love spending a few days at OR. There is literally acres of new equipment to sift through ranging from tents, backpacks and boots to stand-up paddleboards, camp stoves and just about anything else you can think of that is suitable for the outdoors. In short, it is gear nirvana with the latest and greatest products that will be filling our store shelves in the months ahead.As usual, the Gear Junkie has done a good job of previewing some of the products that will be at the show in a few days. In a post that went up last week, and I'm only just now getting a chance to share, GJ gives us a nice glimpse of a few of the items that may be of interest to outdoor enthusiasts. For instance, there is a sneak peek at new sleeping bags coming from Sierra Designs. What sets these bags apart from the crowd is that one features waterproof down – a vast improvement over traditional down fill – while the other has a zipperless design with a built in "comforter." Other gear items in the preview include SUP boards that have built in lights powered be a rechargeable battery, a new tent from Big Agnes and a super-lightweight shell jacket from Bergans.
This is all just scratching the surface however and there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of new products on display. If you're in the market for an expensive new piece of gear, you'll probably want to delay your purchase at least through this week so that you can see what the gear companies have in the pipeline. You may be able to get older models at substantially reduced prices or the next big thing could very well be exactly what you're looking for.
I arrive in Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning and have appointments with many gear companies running through Saturday. As I have in the past, I intend to share some thoughts from the show floor, including photos, on both Facebook and Twitter. If you're interested in seeing what's new from the outdoor industry, you may want to give me a follow. Hopefully I'll have plenty of good stuff to show.
