Products grabbing attention
Here’s a sampling of the hundreds of new products debuting last month at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Trade Show in Salt Lake City.
Avalanche Backpack
The Avalanche Backpack was designed to keep you on top of the snow during a slide. Two giant airbags, which inflate in one second at the pull of a ripcord, provide enough float to keep most avalanche victims on the surface of a sliding mass of snow, according to the company.
While these packs have been available in Europe for 10 years, Avalanche Backpack made its U.S. debut this winter. The Escape 15, the company’s best-selling model, is $819.
CamelBak Bottle
CamelBak introduced a water bottle that incorporates the same bite valve design used on the company’s line of hydration packs. The clear polycarbonate bottles have .75 liters of capacity. The flip-up valve, which is connected to a short hose straw inside the bottle, is leak-proof, according to the company.
The CamelBak Bottle will be available in May for $12.
Spyder Shell
Spyder Active Sports, a company known for its skiwear, is aggressively pursuing the outdoors market, including product development for sports like adventure racing and mountaineering. Its Refuge shell, a $475 jacket model that will ship next fall, uses an “intelligent” fabric called DiAPLEX, which the company says has pores that open and close to promote breathability depending on the intensity of the sport. The hood has a clear brim, providing better visibility while climbing or biking. The collar area has mesh gills, which the company says will warm winter air as you breathe in as well as capture your exhalation to diminish fogging of goggles and glasses.
Mountain Khakis
Mountain Khakis is a Jackson, Wyo., company that makes fashionable apparel with an outdoors ethos. Its latest products, made for women, include the Teton Cargo Capri ($70) and the Teton Twill ($65). Both models are made of a tough cotton canvas that will stand up to abuse outside while preserving a casual-dress appearance in town.