28-45 Mrch Cmp Pdl WG.qxd 7/12/06 4:44 AM Page 32 delightsstatic-snews.s3.amazonaws.com/snews/gt_upload/summerout06_hard... · Aside from Mountain Hardwear’s experiment in complexity

» W W W . G E A R T R E N D S . C O M3 2 » O U T D O O R » S U M M E R 2 0 0 6

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»The days of cheap oil are over. With rising prices at the gas pump and the cost

of airline tickets shooting skyward, backpacking and car camping may win out

over long road trips or faraway travel for vacations. Consumers who haven’t

looked at camping equipment in recent years are in for a pleasant surprise at

retail: It’s easier to use, works better, and is more comfortable than ever before.

STOVESThe stove market has been particularly hot—sorry, we couldn’t let that pun go—in thepast few years. Of course, backpacking stoves have seen decades of minor refinementsbut very little variation from the common themes—butane, white gas only, multi-fuel,and various ways to boost fuel efficiency.

Things really started heating up in 2003 when Jetboil introduced its then revolutionarycooking system. The Personal Cooking System clearly caught the old-guard stove brandsby surprise, and they’ve been playing catch-up ever since. Meanwhile, Jetboil has beenworking to overcome some of its shortcomings, notably the system size—or lack thereof—since it was perfect for solo camping, but not so good for groups. The introduction of a1.5-liter Group Cooking System with heating fins, stabilizer base and pot supports is asignificant step toward making the Jetboil a versatile option for most types of camping.

MSR appeared ready to up the ante on stove design in 2004 when it displayed a white gasstove that used capillary action instead of a pump to deliver the fuel to the burner, makingit nearly as easy to operate as a butane stove. But, alas, thistechnology proved to be vaporware due to a variety ofproduction problems, as well as military demandfor the technology reducing consumer availability.

Two years later, MSRstill can’t say when theCFV stove will make itto market,and youwon’t seethem on display atO u t d o o r R e t a i l e rSummer Market.

However, MSR is stillready to rumble, thecompany told us, with a newstove, the Reactor ($150). Ifit’s as good as MSR says itis, the new stove couldprovide the first real compe-tition for Jetboil. While theresemblance is striking, the technology isindeed more advanced. This butane stove hasan internal pressure regulator so that perform-ance doesn’t fall off as the canister empties orin cold weather. The burner uses radiant heatand is enclosed by a heat exchanger, so it’sefficient and windproof. The 1.7-liter pot is amore convenient size for groups than theJetboil and should be readily adaptable to ahanging configuration—a nod to thecompany’s climbing/mountaineering heritage.

When Coleman introduced the X-seriesin 1997, these liquid-feed butane stoves werewell ahead of all others on the market dueto superior cold-weather performance.

COMFORT IS KING and is ruling the roost in stove, tent,backpack and sleeping bag designs for the season.

B Y C L Y D E S O L E S

» delightscamping

Sierra Designs’ Kunlun Tent »

MSR’s Reactor »

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Unfortunately, the required Powermax fuelcartridges never achieved widespread distri-bution, so the stoves languished. The X-series will get a major boost this summerwhen the new butane adapter that wasannounced at Outdoor Retailer WinterMarket reaches stores. The new Fyrestormups the ante with a sophisticated designthat should improve versatility and perform-ance. Ranging from $150 to $190, the stove’spopularity may be affected by price. Andwhile butane performance is outstanding,white gas performance is, well, nothing towrite home about.

The Optimus Nova, a popular expedi-tion stove for the past five years, will bereplaced by the Brunton Vapor AF ($140),which adds the option of using butane orjust about any liquid fuel. This shouldcompete well with the Primus Omnifuelfor travel to remote locations. The dual-burner Brunton Wind River Range ($430)remains the car camping stove of choiceto carry in your Range Rover—nothingelse on the market is as elegant.

PACKSFor the most part, there are no major newconcepts entering the pack market nextseason. After sorting through all themarketing proclamations, it appears therewon’t be much that creates buzz at the showlike last summer’s introductions by Arc’Teryxand Mountain Hardwear, or the previousyear’s pivot packs from The North Face.

Trimming the fat and improving ventila-tion continue to be the main themes in thepack world. Aside from Mountain Hardwear’sexperiment in complexity with the Exoduspacks, most brands are emphasizing lighter,leaner and much simpler models. At the sametime, the truly ultralight packs have fadedfrom the mainstream (once again) as manyhikers come to realize that a bit of weight int h esuspen-s i o ns y s t e mcan trans-late intov a s t l yincreasedcomfort when on thetrail.

Some examples of existing packs gettinglighter include the Deuter Futura Zero andACT Zero, which are more than a poundlighter than the current models. The air meshsuspension (a feature Lowe Alpine added toits line last year) still makes these some ofthe most well-ventilated packs on the market.

Gregory is updating the already light-weight Z-pack with a new suspension thatoffers better ventilation. The new Z 55 willalso be offered in a women’s version, calledthe Jade 50, and a smaller Z 35 with a roll-top closure.

Arc’Teryx is expanding its AC2 pack seriesby offering a few models for women and amegapack for guys. The Maia is based on theNaos but shaped for women, though we can’thelp but wonder why these weren’t intro-duced last year. And the Naos will now comein an 85-liter model, as well as the existing70-, 55- and 45-liter model. Meanwhile, theBora line of packs gets a cosmetic makeover.

Now that Dana Design has beencompletely assimilated into new ownerMarmot, Marmot has revamped the entirepack line. With a tip of the hat to the oldbrand, many of the classic names, such asthe Astraplane, remain the same. But thesuspension system and pack features aresubstantially modernized. Even most ofthe previous Marmot packs have beenupdated as part of the integration, so theentire line bears scrutiny.

The new Osprey Talon 44 will certainlyget noticed for its unique styling. Beyond thelooks, at 2 pounds, 5 ounces, this top-loaderis light enough to appeal to technophiles.The Atmos, which already comes in a 25-,35- and 50-liter version, will soon have a 65-liter option. Likewise, the Aura 35 and 50will be joined by a 65-liter sibling.

TENTSMaximizing volume without increasingweight has been the name of the game inbackpacking tents for the past couple ofseasons, and that trend continues. Nearlyall the manufacturers have gone to bent-pole designs that allow steeper walls on the

Mountain Hardwear’s Bebop pack »

lower third of the tent. Somewhat rare inthe past, pole hubs (remember Quest?) arenow found on most tent lines since theyallow more sophisticated configurations.

The advent of silicone-coated nylon hasalso helped to significantly reduce weightand bulk. At first, this fabric couldn’t be seamtaped and was too flammable to pass theCPAI-84 tent standard. But using both sili-cone and polyurethane has resulted in aversatile fabric that is now common in single-wall tents (such as The North Face Flightseries and Sierra Designs Bakus), as well ason the rainflys of numerous high-end tents.

For the most part, it has been thedomain of the niche ultralight companieswhen it comes to designs that really cutweight. Small brands like Big Sky andTarptent are joined by the not-so-smallBibler, GoLite, Hilleberg, Integral Designsand MSR when grams count. Even afterfour decades, the Stephenson clan (Jack isretired and son Bill runs things now)retains its loyal Warmlite following.

Car camping tents have made a resur-gence recently with many companiesoffering better designs for those who wantspace and don’t plan to carry their sheltertoo far. In the past, this market has largelybeen dominated by really flimsy dome tentsor monstrous cabin tents that are often soldby megastores. Thankfully, just about all themajor outdoor brands offer quality familytents, and that would be a good thing, partic-ularly for specialty retailers.

This new generation of car campingtents typically can accommodate four tosix, but it only takes one person to set themup in a couple of minutes. The sheltersare reasonably light (15 pounds, give ortake a few ounces) and fit into the trunkof smaller cars. Large doors and windowsmake these pleasant shelters from sun andbugs. Moreover, these can actually with-stand significant wind and rain, whichcan greatly enhance a family outing if theweather turns sour.

Coleman Exponent’s Fyrestorm Ti Stove»

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M’s Sequence Tee™

W’s Essence Tee™

Technical tees that feel like cotton and function like wool. Check out our full line of apparel at Booth #17026 at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.

Feels this good,works this well.


The new Marmot Zonda is a reptilian-like ultralight two-person tent with a singlepole that gives quite a bit of space forabout 4 pounds. For the somewhat lessweight conscious, the new Bise 2P and 3Preflect the general trend toward maxi-mizing livability while still keeping themreasonable to carry.

Mountain Hardwear is adopting a polehub for the new Viperine 2 and 3, and Casa4 and 6 tents. These designs emphasize steepwalls and a vertical entrance with a vestibule.Going in the opposite direction is the Bunker,a one-person version of the single-wall EV2mountaineering tent that uses external polesfor faster pitching in a storm.

Sierra Designs has seen significantgrowth with its larger tents, and thecompany continues to expand the BaseCamp series with the Moken 4 and 6,which fits between the Bedouin andBenjari tents in terms of features andprice. The new Tengu brings back the oldconcept of a fly and a tent body that pitchtogether for easy setup during a storm—simply amazing that this isn’t morepopular. The Asp emphasizes spacious-ness and features a side canopy intendedto block wind and sand.


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BAG ITSLEEPING BAG INSULATIONS ARE GETTING CONFUSING.

Thankfully, the sales and clinic “down wars” that have been prevalent for the last twoyears appear to be losing steam. Our feeling is fill power—600, 700, 800 or even 900-plus power down bags—all perform essentially the same with subtle advantages interms of weight savings, compressibility and durability as the true fill power goes up.We’d also point out that just because your goose speaks European dialects rather thanChinese, it ain’t nothing to honk about. Fill power should fade as a selling feature ascompanies return to focus on what really sets products apart—you know, key thingslike shell fabrics and design.

With synthetic fills, the market is getting more confusing than ever. While PolarguardDelta has gained wide acceptance as a premium synthetic insulation and PrimaLoft hasmade major in-roads in recent years, more manufacturers are using proprietary fills.Unfortunately, they haven’t really explained the benefits of these proprietary fills, soretailers and consumers are confused.

Invista has done a good job of getting its clients to explain the differences betweenthe three versions of Polarguard, so these products are readily understood by retailersand also consumers—at least as well as can be expected. However, the company dropsthe ball on explaining its various Thermolite products. What were once DuPont insula-tions known to many consumers as Hollofil and Quallofil are now relabeled HL-H4 andQuallo—we just gotta get scientists and engineers outta those naming meetings.

Though Albany has done a great job popularizing PrimaLoft, we wonder how many retailersand consumers know that PrimaLoft is actually two products—PrimaLoft One and PrimaLoftSport? And now we have major brands like Kelty, Marmot and Mountain Hardwear offeringno-name fills, meaning the synthetic bag market is fast on its way to the same mass confu-sion we’ve seen with waterproof/breathable fabrics.

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The North Face expands its Flight seriesnext year with the Vario 23, which is atwo-person dome with a hybrid design(like an SD Baku) that weighs around 4pounds. The new three-person Him 35expedition tent weighs 10 pounds, makingit a lighter alternative than the company’scurrent VE-25 and Expedition 36.

SLEEPING BAGSPerhaps the area of greatest stagnation inthe camping market is sleeping bags. Forthe most part, there haven’t been any majordesign or feature improvements in adecade. Oh sure, lots of nice tweaks hereand there that mean lighter weight or moreversatility or greater comfort, or those so-called snag-free zippers that perhaps shouldbe called “less-frequent-snag,” but there’s

really been nothing that will inject energyinto sleeping bag sales. So, with few excep-tions, the story continues to revolve aroundcreating new products by tweaking fills.

Kelty has never been in the high-endsleeping bag market, but the brand remainsstrong in the mid-range backpackingsegment. The new Luxor sleeping bag opensup a relatively untapped category of “luxurycamping.” This has down on top,Thermolite Quallo on the bottom, a softfuzzy liner, welded external pocket and aninternal iPod pocket. At $180 retail, thiscould be the car camping bag of choice.

Sierra Designs is imitating the MountainHardwear welded-seam down bags withits own versions next season on its expe-dition models. Although the technologyincreases weight due to the tape and glue,the supposed advantage is better waterresistance. Even kids are getting gender-specific Polarguard HV bags next seasonwith the introduction of one model forboys and two models for girls (the kid’sdown bag goes away).

While Marmot remains a dominant forcein down bags (few updates needed), thebrand has struggled with synthetics (seem-ingly constant tinkering). Next season, it

will offer bags in no less than three differentsynthetic fills. The Pounder series(PrimaLoft Sport) and Trestles series(proprietary SpiraFil) remain unchanged.Coming soon will be the Mountain serieswith proprietary ThermaClime, a contin-uous fill laminated to the shell (think Wiggy’sLamilite and Mountain Hardwear Lamina).

Meanwhile, Mountain Hardwear isswitching proprietary insulations on itsLamina bags. Instead of a continuous fill (a la Polarguard), the new Thermic Microis more akin to PrimaLoft, but it’s bondedto the shell fabric and reportedly verydurable. All of the existing Lamina bagsget this new insulation, a new series name—UltraLaminas—and come with half-lengthzippers and lighter (20d vs. 40d) shell fabric.

Yet another new synthetic fill comesfrom The North Face in the Propel, its 40degree F ultralight bag. Instead of thePolarguard Delta currently used, the newversion will feature “Climashield XP,”which is also a continuous fill, for a weightsavings of 1 ounce.

» To download extra copies of this magazineor see back issues, go to www.GearTrends.com/magazines.

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CHECK IT OUT: For the most com-plete look at new products and trends

from Outdoor Retailer Summer Market2006 for backpacks, tents and sleeping

bags, be sure to read the SNEWS® post-showtrends reports, appearing at www.SNEWS-net.com beginning in late August.



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28-45 Mrch Cmp Pdl WG.qxd 7/12/06 4:44 AM Page 32 delightsstatic-snews.s3.amazonaws.com/snews/gt_upload/summerout06_hard... · Aside from Mountain Hardwear’s experiment in complexity