OutDoor Review OutDoor 2010
Summer in Friedrichshafen can mean only one thing – the outdoor industry’s premier expo. Packed to the rafters with quality merchandise, SGB hunted down some of the highlights…
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t’s such a huge space to navigate, I think we can be forgiven if we accidentally miss out a few brands in our review; more than 20,000 people attended OutDoor in total, with 868 exhibitors from 39 countries presenting over 200 ‘world premieres’ to trade customers. Those are crazy numbers, and would suggest at a glance that the industry is pretty healthy. One of the first things to take a nosedive in a recession is, after all, events like OutDoor – major international expos. People rein in their spending; conversely, they’re one of the first things to recover when economies re-stabilise, and that seems to have been the case this year with almost 1,000 more attendees that in 2009, and a rise of 7% in exhibitor numbers.
The North Face Triumph anorak
The North Face had a huge, huge range of product on show – as usual, of course. The highlights on the stand were numerous, but the OutDoor Award winners were probably the pick of the bunch, with the men’s and women’s Verto jacket (a lightweight emergency jacket coming in at 78g and 68g respectively), the men’s Triumph anorak (an ultralight, waterproof covering which uses just two panels of
Verto jacket Hydroshock SE shoe
HyVent fabric) and finally, the Hydroshock SE adventure travel shoe (another lightweight product, with a raft of innovations including injection- moulded EVA construction).
Terra Nova
Terra Nova, a company we don’t shout about enough in these pages (but we will soon, I promise), also picked up some silverware – or rather, goldware – in the form of a Gold OutDoor Industry Award for the new Laser Ultra 1 tent.
This extraordinary tent comes in at just 500g and the company says – probably with some justification! – that it’s the lightest one-person double-walled tent on the market. Its weight is made possible by a new super-light-weight material called Ultra, which is apparently very hard wearing. Perfect for adventure racing or lightweight backpacking, the Laser Ultra 1 will do very well for Terra Nova indeed.
Fjällräven
Fjällräven were also celebrating an award, with a Scandinavian Outdoor Group awarding the company an SOA Sustainability Award for its Eco Trail shell jacket. Eco Trail is made from the company’s new waterproof and environmentally friendly fabric Eco-Shell and will be
CÀRN
CÀRN used OutDoor to launch their newly expanded footwear range, with the Stratosphere eV Hi boot. It’s aimed at customers who want a bit more ankle support and stability, and comes in two colourways. Waterproofing comes via eVent fabric, the shoe’s upper is made with Cordura and PU Nubuck. RRP will be £114.99.
The established Storm Chaser eV Mid has been tweaked, with a Nubuck upper and enhanced forefoot control.
The company did have some other news they shared with SGB but we have been sworn to secrecy – so until we’re allowed to tell, watch this space for CÀRN’s big new deal, coming soon!
16 SGB OUTDOOR AUGUST 2010
around for retailers in summer 2011.
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