Our Favorite Gear from Housewares Show 2017
The goal of many outdoor gear companies is to find what works well inside, and make it portable to work well outside. Tents are portable version of a house, sleeping bags a portable version of a bed, and so on. The distinction between indoor and outdoor brands has become increasingly unclear with brands like Camelbak, Victorinox and Grayl displaying products at Housewares, products that are both portable, but can also be used in the home.
Enough philosophizing about what is outdoor and what is indoor gear – here’s what we thought was cool!
Brand: Shadetree
Name: Cork Confetti Sunglasses
MSRP: $84.99
Available: Now
What is it? Cork sunglasses
I was walking by an aisle and some guy asked me what was so special about cork sunglasses. I thought to myself, other than being incredibly cool because they’re cork, what is so special? Well cork is pretty dope in itself but they also float. I’ve lost some pretty expensive sunglasses due to the whole water thing. Also when done right, cork is an environmentally friendly product that creates no extra waste (the cork dust is used as fuel to boil the cork).
Brand: Westinghouse
Name: iGen2000
MSRP: TBD
Available: Q2 2017
What is it? An ultraportable gasoline generator that will run 500 watts for 10 hours.
A solar charger and battery bank may be good for your average 90 watts laptop, but if you’re talking about being off the grid for a while, not only will you need AC power, you’ll need higher wattage. A gas powered generator like the improved iGen 2000 will keep your machines running at a peak capacity of 2 kilowatts for up to 4 hours. It comes with two standard 120 volt plugins and two USB plugins so you can charge your batteries, all while powering your heavy duty appliances.
Brand: Asobu
Name: Koolbrew
MSRP: TBD
Available: Q2 2017
What is it? A portable coldbrew system with attached carafe growler
The final frontier in coffee; bringing your cold brewing kit outside. That’s what the Asobu Koolbrew promises to offer with their lightweight brewing system that includes a carafe. The method involves brewing with coarse grounds and a long steeping time, gives your drink a smoother taste. On top of that, the double walled vacuumed sealed carafe keeps coffee cold for up to 24 hours!
Brand: Pico Brew
Name: The Pico Brewing Keg and Serving Keg
MSRP: $799.99
Available: Now
What is it? A home brewing system that lets you brew beers from 150 craft breweries
No beer is as good as the one you made yourself. Ok, maybe that’s not entirely true but now you can brew other famous beer styles, right at home. The Pico gives you the recipes so all you need to do is slide in the ingredients and you now have the freshest brew date available. The Pico Serving Keg allows you to take the keg with you wherever you want, perfect for tailgates or your next car camping trip.
Brand: Pura
Name: Pura Sport Bottle
MSRP: $21.99
Available: Now
What is it? The world’s only 100% plastic free bottle.
What took people so long to realize there’s a market for a 100% plastic free bottle? The founders of Pura, frustrated by the lack of plastic free bottles, created one for their baby (who is now a teenager). The bottle caught on and is a hot item in all sorts of retailers. Best of all, the components of the bottle (lids, caps, etc.) are all compatible with each other so you can have multiple bottles, unscrew the caps, and every cap will now fit with any bottle.
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