OTS Review
wraps up and is stored in its own attached pouch. It’s very easy to use, tiltable, flexible, and for that price you really can’t go wrong. The 70-lumen Ninox head torch uses the company’s Intelligent Light System (with a bright central light for moving forward, and extra peripheral light around the feet) and it’s a very solid piece of kit. It runs off three AAA batteries, and features a red night light to preserve night vision as well as also using the cocoon technology.
Also worth a look with Christmas in mind, is the Gerber Crucial tool, a multi-tool which also looks good. For the season of giving, Silva have taken off the carabiner clip and replaced it with a corkscrew and bottle opener, seasonal essentials. It comes in a nice metal gift tin, and will retail at £49.
For Ardblair Sports Importers, there were new stories in the Aku footwear line, their recently acquired distribution of Polaroid sunglasses, and their completely wonderful X-Bionic base layers and apparel. But we’ll look at the Leki walking poles, with their Speedlock technology which was new this year. Great poles, and they say that this is the strongest internal locking system on the market. Also, they now have the strongest external locking system with the Speedlock, according to an independent testing centre. Also very interesting is the ability to purchase an add-on to a Leki pole, which means it can be turned into a camera pole. Simple but brilliant, and for £30 your customers have a very useful add on.
Finally, they’re now distributing Annecy Cosmetics, which comprises sun cream, after sun and lip balm for those spending a lot of time in the great outdoors. It’s all natural products, no preservatives in, and hypoallergenic. Brilliant!
Well worth a quick mention is Sidas UK’s big win in the Novel awards, with the Hoka brand’s Mafate trail running shoe which ran off with the Product of the Year award. Crazy looking shoes, they are amazingly light – time will tell though if those extreme looks will hold it back at retail.
The big news with Care Plus was the Tick Test, SRP £9.99, a home diagnosis kit for people to find out quickly and easily if they have been bitten by a tick carrying the cause of Lyme Disease. To help raise awareness of the tick problem, the company is also giving tick masterclasses, so retailers can be fully up to speed to really help customers.
GoLite continues to impress, with what the company claims is the lightest ever three-layer jacket coming in the 2011 collection, weighing in at only 190g. The Malpais is an outer shell with taped seams, waterproof zips, fixed hood, hand pockets and adjustable cuff closures. As well as being really practical the Malpais also has great styling, with contrast zippers and branding.
Trail running has been making inroads at OTS, and GoLite’s performance apparel is frankly wonderful. Bright colourways, superlight technical fabrics and a nice cut all add up to something pretty sexy for the trail runner. Also, their running packs are outstanding, with different sizes for men and women, and according to distance – some have gel pockets, others have full- size drink bottle holders. The one thing they all have in common is they look great, while being very practical.
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You’ve got to love Primus – perhaps even more than before now that they’ve devised the new BrewFire, a gas-powered coffee machine. It can work on either propane cylinders or butane cartridges, and can make up to 1.2 litres of delicious fresh coffee. Genius!
Also new from Pimus is the ExpressStove TI, an ultralight stove which comes in at 72g. Made of titanium, it’s stable and the Micron stove gives out up to 2400 watts.
Snugpak used the show to launch their new Elite Proximity jacket, made with Aquabar, a breathable, windproof and highly water resistant fabric. New gloves for the company include Geogrip and GeoThermal: Geogrip is an all-rounder with palm rubber grip, which GeoThermal uses Hydro-Tex to give waterproofing.
Snugpak’s growing sleeping bag line now includes the Softie Technik range, five new bags which are lightweight, pack down well and can cope with temperatures from +5 to minus 15c.
New for Fjällräven was a new waterproof backpack range, Bergen, which is appropriately named after the European town with the highest rainfall level. It can be used for a commute – as it has a laptop sleeve within – or for something a bit more outdoorsy, thanks to the ventilated back panel, large front pocket and roll-down opening.
Also new is the all-round trekking pack, Abisko, which has two women-specific sizes. The bottom of the pack is thermo moulded for stability and a bit of extra protection.
Proof of the growing crossover from outdoor into trail running, was the presence Ed & Phil Active, a company set up by two friends united in their love of running. This passion comes across in everything they do. At OTS, the main push was for EDZ, a brand well known in motorcycling, which is branching out into outdoor and sports markets. If you have customers into trail running, I heartily recommend giving Ed and Phil a call – they understand nutrition well and also distribute brands like ToeToe socks, Cherry Active (wonderful stuff, to help allay delayed onset muscle soreness) and Wigwam, to name just a few.
Last but not least comes Coleman, who added to their superb tent line with the return of the Coleman Cobra. It’s a flysheet-first pitch, with a two-pole wedge tunnel and aluminium poles for a light, compact pack size. Cobra 2 sleeps two people nicely, and weighs just 2.05kg. The Cobra 3 weighs 2.9 and sleeps, you guessed it, three. Best of all though, Cobra 2 is only £69.99 RRP and Cobra 3 £99.99.
Campingaz have launched the new El Prado, a barbecue range which they say uses 50 per cent less gas and incorporates new burner technology which distributes heat evenly.
Check out their 3 in One Grill on our new products pages, this issue, too.
SGB OUTDOOR OCTOBER 2010
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