Outdoor Retailer Innovations- Keeping it Clean After the Run: Orange Mud Transition and Seat Wrap, Scrubba Wash Bag Reviews

With thousands of exhibitors and maybe millions of products it is sometimes hard to find the truly innovative products that are useful, simple, and unique. New exhibitors are assigned to 3 huge air conditioned tents across the street from the Salt Palace. Often they are displaying a single or a very few products. Thanks to some good pre show emails I sought out 2 really neat companies: Orange Mud

WmGault Leather IPhone 5 Sleeve and Wallet: Classy, Protective, Well Designed.

My friend Craig Miller and his wife Rita are industrious, creative, active participants in multi day Mountain Man Rendezvous where everything worn and used has to be period 1820-1840's yet they are also very tech savvy. Craig, whose business is real estate, was the first person (other than me!) I saw actively using the iPad day to day, as soon as it launched.

Craig and Rita are incredible crafts

Outdoor Retailer Summer 13 Coverage: Trail and Road Running. Summary of my posts. Other links

I will be posting multiple articles and will be updating this page regularly over the next week or so.
So much to see at OR!

The two big trends I focused on:


highly cushioned lightweight shoes
GPS and smart watches going to new levels of innovation in size and interaction with the ever popular fitness apps on smart phones. (posts to come) 



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Hoka One One Conquest: The

Outdoor Retailer Summer13: New Balance Fresh Foam 980 Launch

I was tickled that New Balance invited me to the launch party for the Fresh Foam 980 road runner.
The Fresh Foam is a 8.8 oz (men 9.5), 7.3 oz (women 7) $110 retail model that will launch in February 2014. 4mm drop.


New Balance Fresh Foam 890 Men

 The Fresh Foam is New Balance's entry into the rapidly growing cushioned low drop light weight category. Quite frankly low drop and cushioned is

Outdoor Retailer Summer13: Salomon Sense Family grows with Sense Pro

Salomon Sense Pro-Center

The Salomon Sense, the minimal light weight trail runner used by Kilian Jornet the last few years, while a fabulous shoe for this exceptional athlete is now logically extended for mere mortal serious athletes and different terrains with the Sense 3, the Sense Ultra, and the new Sense Pro.  The Sense Mantra remains in the line as a "recreational" door to trail model as

Outdoor Retailer Summer 2013 Preview: Run Shoes and Gear, a few of many finds to come this week.

I will be at Outdoor Retailer checking out all the new stuff. This is a preview based on pre show press releases.

Magellan Echo- Smart Phone fitness data on your wrist.


Echo Watch Magellan



The Echo watch coming fall 2013 much like the Pebble is designed to communicate with your smart phone fitness apps via Bluetooth Smart and a Wahoo (sensors) open API. I am particularly excited as it is

Sneak Peak: 2014 Hoka One One Conquest Road Runner Updated.

I was at the SpeedGoat 50K all up and around Snowbird UT last week. A fabulous race which I spectated actively running all over the mountain in my Hoka One One Rapa Nui, review here.


Hoka was the race sponsor and legendary ultra runner Karl Meltzer is the Race Director and a long time Hoka athlete. Here he is awarding Tony Krupicka his second place beer glass and medal in his Rapa Nui. The