Our Favorite Gear from OR Winter Market 2016
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market moved up three weeks this year to bypass Sundance, but frustrated a bunch of industry insiders in the process. The show started on January 5th, which meant that marketers had to work on travel and booth plans over the holidays.
You know who else worked over the holidays booking appointments and finalizing travel? We did. But it’s because we love you and want to bring you our favorite gear picks that you’ll see in stores next year.
Here’s what we liked.
Turtle Fur Nepal Artisan Collection
Turtle Fur is certainly not a new name to the head-and-neckwear world. Their vibrant colors and patterns are hard to miss. What drew us to them this year was their artisan collection of handmade hats and mittens crafted in Nepal. Each product is made in the homes of the Nepali knitters, so each product is both personal and meaningful. In case you needed another reason to feel good about these hats, Turtle Fur has donated, and continues to donate, to earthquake relief effort in Nepal through their artisan collection. Their donations went directly to their factories in Nepal to guarantee the money went to their factory workers.
Timbuk2 Gist Backpack
MSRP: $139
Date Available: June 2016
The Gist is part of Timbuk2’s newest backpack collection, TBH (To Be Honest), and continues the brand’s legacy in commuter bag innovation. Its waxed canvas interior and taped zipper seal water out, so your 13-inch laptop compartment stays dry, as do the rest of your belongings. On the sides are dual side slip pockets for water bottles, u-locks or umbrellas and reflective zipper pulls for a safe bike commute. This pack will be available in June for $139.
Pacsafe X40 and Medium Camera Insert
MSRP: $250 + $40
Date Available: Q3 2016
Pacsafe’s X-40 backpack with the HW Medium camera insert stacks up like Russian dolls, one bag fitting inside the other. Both pack and bag are equipped with Pacsafe’s theft protection safety features, but now you never have to choose which one to bring. The camera bag fits inside its compartment on the back side of the pack, leaving an entire backpack of space for the rest of your gear. Fun to play with, and just as fun to bring on the road. The pack will go for $250 and the camera bag for $40.
Biolite Powerlife Mini
MSRP: $44.95
Date Available: Q1 2016
It’s as versatile and adaptable as the person using it. Strap it to your pocket, and it’s a headlamp (well, pocket lamp). Put it on your bike and it’s a bike light. Plug your phone into it and it’s a portable phone charger. At its most dim, this baby will last up to 50 hours. At its brightest, it’ll light your way for about five hours.
Korkers Crampon Traction System
MSRP: $24.99
Date Available: Q3 2016
We’ve tested a lot of adaptable crampons, which are still relatively new. Most everything I’ve tested has been satisfactory for the conditions they’re made for. The Korkers Omnitrax are no different, excelling in conditions that anglers can appreciate. They’re a little burlier than your typical Ice Bug or Hillsound which may not be ideal for a simple hike through the snow, but perfect for hauling heavy gear over a frozen lake or setting up a tent to fish on the ice.
Vapur Drink Link
MSRP: TBD
Date Available: Q3 2016
The Vapor Drink Link will give your Vapur water bottle new life, and new purpose. Each nozzle fits on all the mouth of Vapur water bottle lids, turning them into either a one-handed bottle or a water bladder for inside your pack. It may seem like just a tube, but attached to Vapur’s foldable, strap-able anti-bottles, this thing could be a real game changer.
Mountainsmith World Cup Backpack
MSRP: TBD
Date Available: Q2 2016
If this pack looks familiar, it’s because it was inspired by, and made from, some of Mountainsmith’s oldest packs. The World Cup comes from the Roots Bag collection, a collection made of repurposed old bags brought to life into the 21st century. The World Cup Backpack pairs a laptop sleeve, which is new, with the colors and styles their customers have come to recognize so well. Side effects of wearing this pack include serious nostalgia and sudden desires to ‘thumbs up.’
Nite Ize LED Awesomeness
MSRP: $2.99 – $14.99
Date Available: Q2 2016
We played with a few fun Night Ize products this show, but the ones we had the most fun with were the ones we’d be prepared to bring to a circus audition. Or maybe a music festival. Their LED mini glow stick ($2.99) is a fun, decent source of light and doesn’t use any of the nasty, harmful chemicals found in traditional glow sticks. Their LED balls are made for dogs, and I’m sure dogs love them, but we loved them, too. A cool thing about these balls is that when they’re immobile, like, say, when they’re waiting for their dog to find them on the ground somewhere, their light stops flashing for five minutes, then flashes for five more minutes, then shuts off. This gives dogs and humans ample time to find the ball without burning through the battery.
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