Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017

I feel confident in saying that there is more to see at Outdoor Retailer (OR) Summer Market than one can see in the few short days allotted to the show.  Summer Market completely fills the Salt Palace Convention Center, two massive ‘pavilion’ tents, and the parking lots and lawns within walking distance.  From the big names in the outdoor industry with their massive booths that take up more space than my house to the start-up companies with the ink still drying on their business cards, many, many brands are at the show to show off their latest and greatest—and there isn’t enough time to see it all.

Adventure Travel is continuing to make an impact in the outdoor industry, and more and more brands are starting to offer gear that you would expect to see at Overland Expo.  Big names like Thule are starting to offer gear like awnings, and more and more folks are quick to nod in understanding at the mention of ‘overlanding’ or ‘adventure travel.’ There was a ton of awesome gear on display, so I won’t put any more words in your way.  Here’s a taste of Summer Market.

Knives & Tools

SureFire was at the show showing off their new DBR Guardian along with many of their other proven lighting products. The DBR Guardian is a dual-diode rechargeable light that can intelligently scale its light output depending on close the lens is to an object.

 

Benchmade had their new 535 Bugout knife at the show, which weighs in at all of 1.85 ounces.  The knife has a S30V blade and Benchmade’s AXIS opening system.

 

Benzomatic had a number of new torches on hand for show attendees to ‘test’ at the show.  According to Benzomatic, no less than four cameras had been accidentally melted by their new lighters and torches by folks who under estimated their heat output.

 

Leatherman has expanded their Tread line of wearable multi-tools with some great new options.  There are two watch options and a smaller Tread LT version now available in a stainless or Diamond Like Coating (DLC) finish. Look for an in-depth review here on American Adventurist in coming months.

 

Gerber had a number of new products on display at the show.  The Freescape Camp Saw packs a 12-inch blade and folds up smaller than a paper towel roll.  The Vital Big Game Folder is Gerber’s answer to the Havalon Prianta knife which is notorious for breaking blades.  And the Center Drive multi tool focuses on the things you use most in a multi tool, and accepts standard screw driver bits.

 

Camp Kitchen

Camp Chef was showing off their new Stryker Stove in addition to updates to many other products in their line.  The Stryker works off of propane or iso-butane fuel making it a flexible option for anyone who needs one stove for backpack and vehicle based camping.

 

MSR is expanding the Windburner ecosystem with new pots and burner options.  A revised throttle allows for even more simmer control on a stove we’re already impressed with.

 

OMeals use three to five ounces of liquid to heat up a food pouch that is ready to eat in about five minutes.  They weigh a few ounces more than freeze-dried or dehydrated meals, but do not require you to pack around a stove.  The company claims that ANY liquid is all you need to enjoy a hot meal anywhere.

 

Jetboil has updated their popular Flash cooking system with a redesigned burner and new insulating wraps.  They also introduced the digital gauge that will take the guesswork out of how much fuel is in a canister.

 

Coolers, Bottles, Cups, and more

Hydroflask continues to offer more options to build your perfect bottle; a new straw lid and bottle boots were just some of the options available to compliment their ever expanding line of well-loved bottles.  Hydroflask is also stepping into the soft cooler game.

 

Pelican’s booth was comprised of almost entirely new product:  Soft-sided coolers, hard sided coolers, bottles, cups, new AIR case sizes and colors (AIR cases are up to 40% lighter than original Pelican cases while still meeting all of the standards of the original cases) as well as Pelican’s new backpacks and duffels.

 

Mountainsmith is expanding their line of soft-sided coolers with the Cooloir series of coolers, which will be available in the three sizes.

 

Camp Furniture

Nemo had a new line of chairs on display that allow you to sit up straight (great for eating) and recline to take in the world above you.  These chairs pack down to a smaller size, than many other ‘full size’ chairs and look to be very well made.

 

Helinox had a line of hard-topped packable tables on display at the show to complement their extensive and popular line of packable chairs.

 

Shelter

Thule is getting into the awning market with this great looking unit that was the center point of their booth. Quality, fit and finish all looked great, and we’re excited to see how this unit performs in the field.

 

Rooftents. OR is also the place where brands meet with their textile and material suppliers.  I happened to run into an employee from a certain three-letter brand while I was poking around the RTT manufacturer’s booths.

 

James Baroud had a booth and a vehicle display at the show.  These folks from Portugal do some serious product testing, like the 70 mph wind tunnel test that each design has to pass before it can become a James Baroud product.

 

Tepui had a large presence at the show and has some cool new things in the works we can’t talk about just yet… stay tuned!

 

Yakima. Yakima has also entered the “overlandosphere” in a big way lately, and the center point of Yakima’s booth was their Tacoma sporting their roof top tent and awning.

 

Electronics

Goal Zero had a number of new products on display, including a redesigned Fuel gas generator, new revisions of the Lithium-Yetis that will work with a new App, and a system where you can hardwire your Yeti into your home’s panel to use your home’s wiring to power appliances and lights when the power goes out.  (No more having to pull the fridge out to plug it in.)

 

Powervision is a breaking into the scene with a remote control submarine that uses VR goggles to deliver a first person view,  and a couple of multirotor (drone) models that feature some unique designs.

 

RAM Mounts had a new GoPro clip to Ram Ball adapter as well as a number of new track systems that provide even more options for mounting things to other things.

 

Bags & Packs

Big Agnes had a ton of new products at the show, like their comprehensive line of bags.  With waterproof zippers, magnetic handles, and durable construction, these bags are well appointed and well made to handle the abuse of adventure travel.

 

Sea to Summit had a number of new product lines on display at the show.  Their new gaiters, ultra-sil daypack line, and cookwear line all looked great.

 

Western Mountaineering had a couple of new down bags designed for folks who count grams and every last cubic centimeter of space.  These two new bags use your pad and a wraparound design to create and ultra-packable ultralight sleeping bag that still performs like you would expect a western bag to.

 


Summer Market was the last Outdoor Retailer show that will be held in Utah for the forseeable future.  As a result of the Utah government’s handling of public lands, the show is moving to Denver, Colorado. (I’ll let you use Google to understand the details.)  American Adventurist will be at OR Winter Market, so please let us know what you want us to keep an eye out for at the next show in the comments!


 

Desert Rendezvous 2017

You know you’re in the right place when you find the weathered, hand-carved sign hanging from an ocotillo in the middle of Anza-Borrego State Park.  The sign moves around from time to time, but it always marks the place where each year something happens that is unique to the adventure travel community.  It’s a gathering where old friends can reconnect, and new friends are made.  It’s a place where you can learn the skills you need to be safe in the backcountry, or get inspired about how to build your vehicle.  It’s a place where you and your family can eat world-class food cooked from a Dutch-oven under a canopy of stars.  And it’s the place where everyone comes to help leave the place better than they found it, by picking up thousands of pounds of trash from your public lands.  This is the SoCal Desert Rendezvous – hosted by American Adventurist.

 

As the sun sets on Friday, folks mosey into camp.  They come in all manner of vehicles, from EarthRoamers to Jeeps to Adventure bikes, driven by folks as unique as the vehicles themselves.  Around a number of campfires, people share good food and conversation – everyone is happy to be outside.

Saturday arrives with a sunrise that has the folks lucky enough to be awake scrambling for their cameras.  For a few minutes the world is painted in bright and brilliant colors, and it’s the perfect way to kick off an exceptional day spent outside.  A couple of hours later, everyone musters for the trash cleanup.

From the air, it looks like dozens of ants wandering around at random across the landscape – yet this is actually an organized process.  Dozens of people cover the ground seeking out trash which is piled up for later collection.  By the time we’re done, we’ve removed a mountain of trash from the landscape for the BLM, but the day is far from over.

Back in camp a couple of members teach a class on wilderness first aid.  They’re both combat-seasoned Navy Corpsmen, and they put on a great class.  Tourniquets, H-bandages, and Sam-Splints are passed out and students learn how to use them.  The instructors talk about mindset and other topics that will help the students become better prepared for what they could run into in the field.  While the adults learn, kids get to play in the dirt and jumps are constructed for RC cars.

With the class concluded, people head back to their camps to start cooking – it’s time for the Dutch-oven competition and pot-luck.  As evening rolls around, tables are lined up and every square inch of surface is covered with dishes for every appetite.  The food is outstanding, and everyone feasts.

The day is capped off with a raffle, and everyone gathers at the main camp to cheer on the folks that win prizes that range from recovery gear to Dutch-ovens.  American Adventurist is fortunate to have the support of a number of great companies that have pitched in to support our community year after year.

 

Desert Rendezvous is one of three events that American Adventurist puts on each year.  Each event is held in a unique environment and steeped in the region’s local flavor.  Yet all of our community events have the same core values of friends, family, an active outdoor lifestyle, and giving back to the local community.  To learn more about our events, please visit our EVENTS PAGE.

Thank you to Richard SooHoo, David Butters, and Justin Pitcairn (@pitcairnoverland) for contributing photos, and to Dave Bennett for helping with this story.  Thank you to David Butters and Kyle Treptow for stepping up to teach our first aid class.  American Adventurist would like to thank the following companies for their continued support of our events:

Support these companies:
4X4 sPOD
Agenda Trading Company
Amaesing Decals
ARB USA
AT Overland
Baja Designs
Canyon Coolers
Danger Ranger Bear
Energy Suspension
Factor 55
Falken Tire
Front Runner
Goose Gear
Ironworks Tactical
Jackcovers
JRs Knives
LT Wright Knives
MAXTRAX
Mojoe Outfitters
Off the Grid Surplus
Overland Xplorers
Pelfreybilt
Princeton Tec
Prometheus Design Werx
Rancho Suspension
Slumberjack
Tembo Tusk
Wilco OffRoad