The 2018 winter edition of Outdoor Retailer wrapped up in Denver yesterday, where attendees got a glimpse of some of the best new equipment that will be released later this year. Those of us who walked the aisles saw dozens of new boots, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, skis, and much much more. Sifting through it all to determine what is truly revolutionary can be tough, but thankfully both Gear Junkie and the Gear Institute have done the heavy lifting for us.Gear Junkie handed out 16 of its coveted "Best in Show" awards, giving the nod to everything from a an electric motorcycle to a backcountry ski backpack. Their rundown of the show includes new ski bindings from Salomon, high tech goggles from Spy, a jacket from 686 that has built-in hydration, and an innovative new ski boot from Dynafit.
Meanwhile, the Gear Institute handed out its "Gear of the Year" awards as well, covering some of the same ground. The site also acknowledged the 686 Hydrastash jacket, along with a new set of snowboard boots from K2, a jacket from Outdoor Research, and the awesome goggle tech from Spy. They even handed out an award to Night Trek for their shoe lights, which I reviewed a few weeks back right here on The Adventure Blog.
I'm still sorting through all of the gear that I saw at the show and will likely post a round-up of my own later in the week. There was much to take in, some of which was truly outstanding, while others were simply evolutions of the same products we've seen before. Still, it was clear that the outdoor industry isn't resting on its laurels and we'll all be the beneficiaries of some outstanding new products in the weeks ahead.
