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Latest
ACR SARLink 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
ACR's newest and lightest PLB includes a high performance GPS receiver, 5 Watt 406 MHz distress signal transmission, 121.5 MHz homing capability, and a high intensity LED strobe.
McMurdo Fastfind 210 PLB (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
McMurdo offers tried and true 406Mhz band Personal Locator Beacon performance in a 5.3-ounce package. How will it compare against the current crop of personal signaling devices?
CamelBak All Clear Microbiological UV Water Purifier (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
CamelBak introduces a complete and easy to use UV water purification system, marking the adoption of this proven technology by a big company.
Generation Two: SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
New lighter and smaller SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger
New Personal Locator Devices at ORSM 2009 (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
Personal locator devices (PLDs) are a hot, rapidly evolving area for the outdoor market. An overview of where we think it's headed (and why).
Energizer Micro Headlamp is Powered by a Single AA Cell (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
A bright and lightweight LED headlamp from battery giant Energizer that offers several attractive features at $30 and 3.1 oz with a lithium battery (as weighed by BPL).
A Potpourri of Eye Candy: Day 1 (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
A grueling first day at summer 2009 OR rewarded us with loads of lightweight goodies; here's a first installment, with more to come.
ORSM09: Open Air Demo (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
Open Air Demo consists of booths and boats – and there is always something new, something interesting, and something unique.
Tarptent Moment (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
Henry Shires performs his magic once again – the new Tarptent Moment has one hoop pole, two stakes, sets up in less than a minute, and has loads of room for one person.
Coming Soon – Backpacking Light Coverage of the Summer 2009 Outdoor Retailer Show (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009)
What can you expect from our coverage of the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market next week?
The Unbearable Heaviness of Business and the State of Outdoor Retailer
There is a cost of doing business in the outdoor industry, especially as a collective whole. Can social media alleviate some of that cost, or is it simply a mechanism for increasing the clutter of information coming from OR?
Lightweight Backpacks 2008: Current Favorites and New Introductions (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Backpacking Light Associate Editor Will Rietveld highlights our current favorite backpacks in three categories, evaluates some upgrades and new arrivals, and discusses the trends.
Lightweight Shelter Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Our latest lightweight shelter roundup turns up the lightest, most user-friendly tents to be found, ever. Major manufacturers are introducing sub-four-pound double wall two-person tents. And two two-person double wall tents break through the three pound barrier.
Better Bags (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
New sleeping bag designs from Integral Designs, Montbell, Exped, Jacks ‘R’ Better, Mountain Hardwear, and REI show innovative functionality and lighter weight.
Appealing Apparel (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Mike Martin and Will Rietveld have the highlights on new apparel from ORSM08.
2008 Lightweight Footwear Roundup (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
A primer on choosing footwear for fast and light backpacking, with input from the Backpacking Light staff on the footwear they use; a roundup of promising new lightweight footwear found at the summer 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show; and a description of Ion Mask, a nanotechnology waterproofing process that doesn't affect breathability and could eliminate the need for a waterproof membrane in footwear.
Lightweight Lights (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Twinkle, twinkle little star...
Lightweight Rainwear 2008: Current Favorites, New Introductions, and New Technologies (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Associate Editor Will Rietveld provides an in-depth roundup of lightweight rainwear options and highlights current staff favorites, new products in the pipeline, market trends, and a new technology that could dramatically change the waterproof-breathable apparel market.
Plush Pads (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Exciting things are happening in sleeping pads this year at Cascade Designs (parent company of Therm-a-Rest) and Pacific Outdoor Equipment. Cascade Designs has an extensive new lineup of products that will surely interest lightweight hikers, including a revolutionary new pad technology that promises substantial performance improvements over existing designs. Meanwhile, Pacific Outdoor Equipment is moving towards more eco-friendly materials and is launching a very innovative product design program of which you can be a part.
Hot Stoves (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Stove technology continues to advance this year, with trends of additional remote canister stoves with preheat tubes that are suitable for cold-weather operation, new alcohol and canister "cooking systems" that combine stove, windscreen, and pots into highly efficient and compact packages, plus a further move towards lighter stoves in general.
