Cart
FeaturesGreetings from … Huntsville!
While the rest of the BackpackingLight team was travelling to Salt Lake City today in preparation for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, I spent the day 45 miles North of Salt Lake City at the Open Air Demo in nearby Huntsville, Utah. Open Air Demo gives show attendees the opportunity to try paddling, navigation and climbing equipment in an outdoor setting, while giving makers of bulky equipment like tents and vehicles, as well as smaller vendors who may not have a booth at the main exhibit, a venue to show their wares.
This year’s show is bigger than ever with over 1100 exhibitors at Outdoor Retailer, and nearly 100 at Open Air Demo. Most of the products shown are aimed at mainstream (read “heavy weight”) outdoor activities. While walking through the booths today, I was struck by what a small minority backpackers are in general, and lightweight backpackers are in particular, in the outdoor community. Nevertheless, I saw a number of exciting new lightweight products including a potentially revolutionary Personal Locator Beacon, innovative tent designs, and lightweight sleep systems.
Open Air Demo’s location at Pineview Reservoir provides the perfect setting to test paddling gear.
New Satellite Personal Tracker from SPOT.
It’s about 95 degrees in the sun today. For some reason, this is by far the most popular booth.
The single-person Sierra Designs Velox 1.
New 4-season convertible tents from Big Sky Products.
Golite introduces an entire line of new tents.
A prototype hammock underquilt system from Eagles Nest Outfitters.
Maybe we’ve been going about this lightweight backpacking thing all wrong… With the Earth Roamer Jeep conversion, there’s no need to carry a pack at all. Just drive to your pristine, remote site and deploy your shelter.
That’s a wrap from Open Air Demo. Stay tuned throughout the next few days as we begin our dispatches from main show at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007.
Reader Comments
You must login to post comments.
Forum Index » Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007 » Open Air Demo at ORSM 2007
( MikeMartin - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
North Idaho
Companion forum thread to:
Open Air Demo at ORSM 2007
( jshann )
Locale:
North Texas
http://findmespot.com/ is the company website.
Doug Ritter of equipped.org is there and will also have more to say about the spot satellite messenger. He has lately blogged about tracme.
http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=65
Edited by jshann on 08/09/2007 11:06:38 MDT.
( halfturbo - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
Northern Ka-Le-For-Nee-Yuh
Looks like a dead ringer of the Baku. Differences?
( jshann )
Locale:
North Texas
Rick, it looks like it has a spreader pole over the top as a new feature.
( halfturbo - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
Northern Ka-Le-For-Nee-Yuh
Hi John,
The Bakus have this as well, but they're perhaps shorter.
http://www.sierradesigns.com/images/products/486_1_1_sd.jpg
On reexamining the pics, it appears they've changed the ventilation scheme, which could be an improvement, as I find the Baku's smallish vents not up to the task in some conditions (a Baku 2 in my case). The poles are no longer attached by clips, either running in sleeves or going inside the Velox's canopy entirely.
I know better than to hope for some eVent panels :-)
( jshann )
Locale:
North Texas
You are right. The poles looked to be moved inside the shelter with the spreader left outside?
( crazypete - M)
Locale:
Above the Divided Line
Wow!! I love Jeeps!!!
( edavenport )
Locale:
Southern NJ
It kinda looks like it may be a full inside mesh tent and a silny fly arrangement. If you look closely at the outside corners the fly seems to be attached to the base of the poles with the fly covering the poles. The Baku is a hybrid tent setup much like a HS Rainbow. Also what is the tent in the backgound of that shot?
( halfturbo - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
Northern Ka-Le-For-Nee-Yuh
Hi Ed,
I don't know if Mike will be checking in, but perhaps we'll get more details from the show floor. Will's probably on it.
I'll go out on a limb to guess the Velox retains the Baku's one-piece canopy concept. I think that gap visible at the head(?) end is probably a full-width bottom vent, replacing the Baku's small pop-open vent. Since I'm SWAGing, the tent behind is likely a two or three-man Velox.
Because SD already has the Asp 2-piece tents (although not in a one-man configuration) I doubt they'd add a second such line to their "ultralight" series.
( jshann )
Locale:
North Texas
The tent in the background a velox 2...2 man version?
( MikeMartin - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
North Idaho
>> The tent in the background a velox 2...2 man version?
You've got good eyes! Sierra designs is planning 1, 2 ... and ... 3 man versions.
Cheers,
-Mike
( MikeMartin - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
North Idaho
Hi Ed-
The Velox 1 is indeed a double wall. The inner tent has 3 mesh walls and 1 Nylon. The fly is nylon with a PU/Silicone coating. Claimed "trail" weight is 3.0 pounds.
Cheers,
-Mike
( edavenport )
Locale:
Southern NJ
Mike,
Thanks for the info... do you have overall dimensions for it? It looks interesting.
( sparrow )
Have any more details on that hammock underquilt from ENO? Synthetic? Weight? Price? Release Date?
( ryan - BPL STAFF - M)
Locale:
Greater Yellowstone
@Sam:
This ENO hammock quilt is a prototype, they are hoping to ship this fall. That's a big caveat, because it weighs three pounds. They are hoping to release the final product in the 1.5-2.0 lb range.
This version had heavy fabric, short staple synth insulation.
Full wrap around the hammock (it's not just an underquilt), secured by hook and loop.
View the main forum index