stove : American Adventurist

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!

“Oh wow! That looks like real food.” Adam exclaimed as I poured the contents of a package labeled Classic Marinara with Penne into a bowl. We both leaned in for a closer look. What we saw looked just like pasta and sauce you would eat at your dinner table—and it also smelled excellent. Spoons were quickly employed and seconds later we were staring at an empty bowl, contemplating what we had just eaten. It turns out the folks at Good To-Go weren’t kidding. Their dehydrated backcountry meals are awesome, and completely redefine what a meal in a bag can be.

If you’ve done any sort of backcountry adventuring, you’ve no doubt had an experience with freeze-dried food. Most folks tend to pack freeze-dried food on their backcountry outings because it’s light weight, easy to pack, and easy to cook. But if we’re being honest, we all know that freeze-dried food isn’t the most enjoyable culinary experience out there, which is why you’ll see folks crush a whole meal on day one and struggle to finish a third of a meal several days in. What gets me is the sodium overload that results from eating an entirely freeze-dried diet. Sure, you can pack other, bulkier, less durable, heavier foods, but that can quickly turn a fast and light trip in to an expedition loaded for bear. Planning your meals is an art and a science, because if you fall into a calorie and/or nutrient deficit on your adventure, your enjoyment of the adventure can really take a beating. Thankfully, Good To-Go has figured out how dehydrate backcountry meals that you’re actually going to look forward to eating every single meal of your trip, meals that will keep your belly full and your body well fueled.

Good To-Go is dehydrating flavorful, chef-created meals, and that makes all the difference in the end product when compared to a freeze-dried meal. In other words, Good To-Go is recreating dishes from all over the world and packaging them in a way that the dishes’ original awesomeness is just minutes away from a reunion with some moisture. You’ll notice the difference the second you crack the seal on a Good To-Go package—your nose is hit with tempting aromas. When you’re done salivating over the smells, look in the package where you’ll find recognizable ingredients instead of assorted colors of cubed something. Heat up some water and pour it in. While you’re waiting for your meal to rehydrate, take a gander at the ingredients on the back of the package. Here you’ll find words you recognize and a nutrition label that adds up to better for you than other backcountry meal options. Try this: Pay attention to what’s in your first few bites. You’ll be blown away by the taste and texture. Each ingredient tastes like the real thing, and you won’t spend your time wondering what cubes you’re eating.

Dehydrated meals will take a longer to cook than freeze-dried meals, and if you’re in a cold or windy environment, you’ll need to take some extra steps while cooking or you’ll be eating a cold meal. Start with using water that is at a full boil. Give the meal a quick stir and then insulate the package in a hat or a pannier box, something that keeps it out of the wind and cold and you’ll be in good shape. Dehydration also doesn’t produce quite as light of a meal as freeze-drying, but this token weight penalty is more than worth it for far superior food. Once you’re waiting on the clock for your meal to cook, make sure you follow the part of the instructions that tell you to hang out and think about how big the universe is—enjoy where you are and that you are outside.

Good To-Go meals taste great, and the simple experience of eating food that has the texture and the other properties of real food is will completely reset your expectations of what backcountry food can be. All of the meals are made with natural ingredients that have real nutritional value, so you won’t be eating pounds of sodium and countless mystery cubes over the course of a multi-day trip. Better fuel for your body also translates into better performance on your adventure and keeps the group’s morale up. Take a second to insulate your meal to keep it piping hot, and then take a few minutes to take in where you are. Hopefully, you’re in an awesome spot outdoors and you’re about to eat a meal that you’re actually going to enjoy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a Good To-Go package when you need an easy meal at home—they’re that good.

You can learn all about Good To-Go by checking out their website. You can order Good To-Go’s excellent meals directly from their website, or drop into your local outdoor gear shop.

Tag: stove

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017