OR Summer Market-Light in the Storm - Guyot Designs and Brunton

I went off to OR just after a microburst storm in NH ripped down huge trees and power poles leaving us in the dark. We got out our trusty candle lantern and had a BBQ.So somehow amid all the thousands of neat products I spotted two neat lanterns which would have put a warm and useful glow on the emergency.Guyot Designs makes a Nalgene bottle lid, The Firefly, with LED lights glowing into the

OR Summer MKT-Nordic Walking and Leki

One of my goals at OR was to see how the industry was specifcally addressing "older" active enthusiasts. Didn't see much. As a longtime, 30 year plus, nordic skier I did want to try Nordic Walking, a sport that is all the rage in Northern Europe and which is gaining a foothold in North America.Nordic Walking involves walking with poles similar to nordic racing poles but shorter. Early one

OR Summer Mkt-Timberland Outdoor Performance

Previous posts covered the introduction of the GoLite high performance trail running line which Timberland developed under license from GoLite. Mion another Timberland brand covers the high performance side of water shoes.Timberland Outdoor Performance products are for outdoor recreationalists, folks who make the most of their free time: "Wear Now, Play Now" as Jay Steere, VP Outdoor

OR Summer Mkt-Ibex Merino Wool Apparel

I have an Ibex Speedplay jacket which has proved a very versatile jacket on the trail and in town. Nylon smooth face outside, merino wool inside make it a perfect fall and winter running and nordic ski jacket.Ibex was one of the first if not the first company to introduce, or should I say re-introduce, wool as a performance fabric, without the scratchiness of old due to the use of fine merino I

OR Summer Mkt- Neat Chums accessories for Goggles, Glasses and Lips

Sometimes it's the simple things. Tom Ferries from Chums , best known for eyeglass/sunglass retainer cords showed me a couple of neat accessories for skiers and other winter outdoor enthusiasts:a clip on lip balm holder(top right) an easy to remove lens (glasses and goggles) cleaner integrated into a sleeve(left) . Just pull out to clean I'll be using this one this winter as I wear eyeglasses.

OR Summer Mkt- Nuun Electrolyle Drink Tablets

Nuun is another of those New England origin outdoor companies such as Nemo Equipment, Jet Boil, and others with a truly innovative new approach to an old problem. The problem is how to get an electrolyte solution into water without messy powders.The Nuun's answer is an effervescent tab which you drop into 16 oz of water. 2 minutes later you have a carb free electrolyte drink. Very interestingly,

OR Summer Mkt Review- Nathan Sports Quick Draw Plus

On my list of items to check out at OR was a new hydration system for shorter runs (1-3 hours) which would enable me to carry 16- 50 oz or so of water and a few essentials. I have used a simple water bottle pack but find it bouncy with the bottle hard to put back in. I have rarely used a sport drink powder in the bottles as the process always turns out messy and fussy so I was looking for

OR Summer Mkt-Hydration Systems

Hydration is critical while on the trail or road. The ideal type and capacity (fluid, nutrition, and other gear) of the hydration system is a function of the type of activity, its duration, and the temperature/weather expected during the activity.I break the systems down into 3 general types:Handheld bottles such as the 16 oz. Nathan quack Draw Plus which is ideal for an hour or less of

OR Summer Mkt- Dive Tested, Element Proof, Durable Ziploc type Bags

There are 967 exhibitors at OR and alot to see and be distracted by. I keep a weather eye for those small companies with neat products I could actually use. Somehow my eye caught Alosak and OP Sak from Watchful Eye Designs of Park City, UT.When I run while traveling I often take my wallet, gel and cellphone. I grab plastic grocery bags or whatever I have and wrap the items. Same for gel packets,

OR Summer MKT- Raced the GoLite Trail Runner

Went out early Saturday morning to Park City to run the Jupiter Peak Steeeplechase , a 16 mile trail run to the summit of Jupiter Peak and back. I ran in the new GoLite trail runners, right out of the box. The shoes were pre production, basically hand built and the folks at GoLite told me there is still some tuning to do.My impressions:Best shoe on the downhill I have ever run in. The "leaf

Outdoor Retailer Summer Mkt-Patagonia Footwear

Patagonia is one of my long time favorite outdoor companies and I have been a loyal customer literally since their first fleece jacket in the 1970's. So it was with great interest that I visited Patagonia Footwear. Patagonia had tried footwear a few years ago on their own and now has licensed to Wolverine whose brands include Merrell.So what did I expect and what did I see.Well, I expected a

OR Summer Mkt- Salomon S Lab XA Pro 3

Salomon Sports pretty much invented the technical trail runner/adventure racer category with their Raid Race several years ago. I had several pairs and my son swears by his Salomons for long runs in the White Mountains, particularly appreciating their durability and decent weight. Salomon has a legacy in skiing and particularly nordic ski boots which are by far the most comfortable and

OR Summer Market-Timberland Invention Factory

I started my adventures at OR with a visit to my NH neighbors at Timberland. New England is a longtime hotbed of footwear innovation and in fact Nike's R&D was located in Exeter, NH in the 1970's in the next town over from Timberland.I had the opportunity to spend time with Doug Clark, VP Timberland Invention Factory. The Invention Factory (IF) for the first time had its own booth seperate

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2006

I will be reporting live from Summer Market the next few days. While never sure what goodies I will discover I am planning on following up on several themes.As a 30 year plus trail runner I will be looking at the latest trail running gear. I will certainly check out Inov-8, Salomon, and my local favorite Timberland which is announcing products designed in conjunction with GoLite.I have been

The Long Tail-Wagging the Web?

Lee Gomes in his 7/26/06 Wall Street Journal Portals column questions the theory of Chris Anderson's best seller The Long Tail, that, if infinite shelf space is available on the web, the "tail" of niche products will add up to approach or equal the sales volume of hits. Music downloads/plays are often used as the example. Previously this blog had commented on the the Long Tail. Gomes bases

Urban Trails- Mill Creek Canyon Salt Lake City

Through the winter and into spring I have been consulting in Salt Lake City, medical software. Mill Creek Canyon off Wasatch Blvd at 3800 near REI and I- 80 at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon is a wonderful all season, multi-sport, wilderness paradise, literally in the city. I have Nordic skied with headlamp up the road starting at the 4.5 mile point gate on groomed trails. This spring I have

Odor Free T-Shirts-Smartwool Microweight

As a long time, active outdoor user of all manner of technical apparel including all the synthetics, and way back when, wool, I am amazed at the performance of the merino wool Smartwool Microweight T-shirt. I have been a big fan of Smartwool socks for years but assumed wool shirts would be to warm. I was wrong. The Microweight wicks superbly, wasn't hot in warm weather and because of its very

Kitchen Appliances Buck the Trend

The kitchen and kitchen appliances is one of the fewer consumer product categories where according to Damon Darlin in the New York Times Business Section style, new features and bragging rights "Buck the trend and cost more". The trend being the lower costs of consumer electronics such as laptops with dramatically improved functionality over the last 10 years at far lower prices.Why? In a post 9

Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Watch

I previously had a Garmin Forerunner 201 watch which allowed me to see my pace and distance on the run or on skis. I managed to lose it after a 50K ski race but hesitated to buy another 201 due to its performance under tree coverI found that on our New England forested trails if there was leaf/tree cover I would often lose the signal with the 201 . So I was very interested to hear the claim

Inov8-Trail and Mountain Running Shoes

Inov-8 is a scrappy British trail running shoe company which is equipping many of the top mountain runners worldwide, including the world champion John Wyatt of New Zealand. Even the recent Applachian Trail speed record breaker did the entire trail, all 2174 miles in 47 days in Inov-8's.Why? A unique approach to getting the foot in a more level/neutral position to the ground for greater

OllyDog- Outdoor Retailer Show

Ollydog is a Berkeley based start-up launched by former North Face and Sierra Designs folks focused on colorful, fun and functional "equipment" for outdoor dogs. They know rugged materials and have applied them to dog products. I joined them in their booth as one of their advisors is a Dartmouth friend.Their products include a great folding (flat like a wallet) dog bowl the Lapper for your dog

Outdoor Retail Show

I recently had the good fortune, for a total outdoor and outdoor gear nut, to attend the Outdoor Retail Show in Salt Lake City. Literally thousands of backpacking, trail running, apparel, footwear, gadgets, skiing, snowshoeing exhibitors. To try to categorize it all is difficult but I will try as follows: New England outdoor innovators, influence of the military on outdoor products, and