New gear is always exciting. Most of the time, product iterations happen in small increments so new products–while nice to have–don’t always have a “wow” factor.
However, some companies defy that rule. This summer, we caught up with a number of different companies at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market and got to see several truly new and interesting products hitting the outdoor industry.
Here are some of our highlights–products that truly push the needle on outdoor gear.
ElevenPine Takes Down Spandex
ElevenPine is a new company out of Boulder, CO who’s freeing athletes from the bonds of spandex.
Their product: shorts that transform from bike shorts to brewpub-ready with a simple side zip.
A demonstration of ElevenPine’s zip mechanism and velcro lock-off.
ElevenPine’s founder Jeff told me the shorts went through over 10 product iterations before arriving at their new design. And, having tried a pair myself, I have to say: they get the job done. And after the job is done, they look good.
ElevenPine shorts in action.
ElevenPine is a company to watch over the next several years.
Peak Design Reinvents a Classic
You may know of Peak Design’s camera products from their wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. Or their other wildly successful campaign. Or [1] one of [2] their [3] four [4] others.
All told, they’ve raised well over $10 million on Kickstarter. And there’s a reason for that: they make intuitive, durable products. Products you see and ask, “Why didn’t this exist before?”
Peak Design’s Everyday Backpack, with a safety closure system and pockets galore.
If you’re a photographer, you need to know about Peak Design.
Geigerrig Adds a New Dimension to Bladders
The Geigerrig system is a pressurized hydration pack. Picture your standard backpack water bladder, but with pressure. The pressurization means you don’t have to suck on your mouthpiece and can actually direct a jet of water from your bladder.
To create pressurization, the Geigerrig adds an air bladder on top of the water bladder, all in the same system. When you fill the air bladder with air, it presses on the water bladder and pushes water out of the mouthpiece.
The Geigerrig 2 Litre Hydration Engine.
If you’ve ever felt like there should be a better way to get water than sucking on a dusty mouthpiece, you might be interested to check out Geigerrig’s line.
