Inside Outdoor Spring 2016

nyone who has been in the outdoor retail industry for more

than a few years realizes after a while that there is not a

whole lot of truly “new” under the sun – that is, technolo-

gies or marketing that actually moves the dial, and with it

the whole industry, at times to a new paradigm. As editors in the out-

door media, we are subjected to this reality on a regular basis.

We are frequently baited with promises of trailblazing new prod-

ucts and designs that, in actuality, end up being little more than “new

technology” posing as colorways, a few grams of weight reduction or

a serif removed from a corporate

logo. Of course, big shake-ups such as what nylon did to the outdoor

industry can’t be expected to come around regularly, but there are always

new rebels hiding in the aisles of every Outdoor Retailer show that add

to the canon of innovation. You just have to look pretty hard.

Following are a few profiles of companies we found hiding in the

shadows of the mega-booths of major brands at the most recent OR

Winter Market. They may not have gotten a lot of attention at the show,

but we believe they are poised to make some real noise.

From top right, Oros aerogel jacket gets hosed with liquid nitrogen, page 20; RXBar provides a lesson in

transparency, page 24; APX re-thinks rubber, page 18; Kovea’s backpacking stove cooks clean, page 26

Game

Changers

Inside

Outdoor

Spring

2016