Comfort And Style Backpacking Equipment High-Tech, Expensive And Fashionable

Suffering used to be a source of satisfaction to the backpacker. Aching shoulders, sore feet, lousy food and getting wet to the skin all seemed to add to the experience.

“I remember going out with my dad, and it was almost like a pride thing to get a little beat up,” says Scott Monte.

But as publisher of Backpacker magazine, Monte is aware that in the 1990s, pride in pain has gone the way of the canvas tent.

Now people head for the hills in a costly cocoon of comfort and security everything from ergonomical backpacks to global positioning systems so even well-heeled wimps can weather the wilderness.

But their comfort ranges only as far into the wilderness as they can haul all their gear.

The gradual transformation of backpacking into the upscale province of the fitness-and-fashion crowd was apparent at the outdoor equipment retailer show this summer in Salt Lake City.

Some 800 manufacturers teased retailers with what could be on store shelves next spring gourmet dehydrated food, cloth maps that can double as bandanas, and a waterproof material that breathes and stretches for climbers or cyclists who need body-hugging apparel.

Subtle changes in what has evolved over 20 years into high-tech standard equipment illustrate the ferocity of the competition in a $5 billion industry bent on making camping cozy.

Take the sleeping bag, a seemingly simple tube filled with some kind of down or synthetic insulation. Next spring, Kelty Inc. will follow the lead of Cascade Designs to release an anatomically correct bag for those who sleep on their backs with their toes pointing up.

Not comfy enough? WestWind Trading Co. has six styles of silk sheets it calls DreamSacks to slip inside even the most pedestrian bag.

Germany’s Jack Wolfskin introduced a line of backpacks designed to let air circulate around the shoulders and back to prevent sweat from soaking the pack.

Kelty showed off photochromatic tent windows that turn blue when hit by sunlight, reducing daytime light and heat, and enhancing privacy.

“Comfort is king,” says Monte, whose magazine just completed a poll of 1,000 readers - people who take their backpacking seriously.

Of the more than 550 who responded, comfort was the top criterion for items ranging from backpacks to socks.

But look who’s talking.

Before you etch a stereotype of a backpacker in your mind, consider that the average household income of a Backpacker magazine reader last spring was $89,500. Those polled spent an average $1,050 on outdoor equipment and clothing, in addition to some $3,500 on outdoor excursions the previous year.

And while it would seem backpacks couldn’t hold the endless number of gadgets available, manufacturers keep coming up with ways to make them lighter and more compact.

Mountain Safety Research out of Seattle introduced its titanium cookware - two pots and pan weighing a half-pound combined - at $89 a set.

While the magazine survey focuses on a narrow group, manufacturers tend to agree the market is primarily well-paid urban professionals seeking an escape and who find the outdoors preferable to the gym.

“Urban areas are getting more crowded and outdoors has a bigger appeal than it ever has,” said Ashley Devery, spokeswoman for The North Face.

The cachet is catching on even among people who want to look like they lug 75-pound backpacks over slickrock formations - but never have. Indeed, among the 5,000 to 6,000 buyers attending the show is a growing cadre of department store buyers, including Fred Meyer, Nordstrom and other mainstream outlets.

“My customer isn’t likely to go into the backcountry wearing an ultra-technical jacket, but will wear it out to dinner,” said Mark West, buyer for Arizona Department Stores.

“As the romance of the outdoor mystique increases, outdoor companies experiencing the greatest growth will be those that appeal to this larger consumer market,” said Steve Bendzak, sales vice president of Seattle-based casual outdoor wear-maker Ex Officio.

The most growth is seen in footwear, where the market for sturdy, lug-soled boots has fragmented into boots, shoes and sandals for every conceivable activity.