The Best of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2021
Treeline Review editor Brandon Lampley at Outdoor Retailer Summer 2021. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
Our Senior Editor Brandon Lampley and several of our writer-reviewers spent last week geeking out on gear at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, an outdoor industry trade show in Denver, Colorado.
While Summer Market had fewer brands as exhibitors than in years before, it was still the outdoor industry's chance to showcase its newest outdoor gear innovations.
Due to travel restrictions and the Covid 19 pandemic this past year, Treeline Review's writers and editors have not been able to attend an in-person outdoor industry trade show since Outdoor Retailer Winter 2020 (instead, learning about gear mostly through digital platforms). We're excited to share with the Treeline Review outdoor community what we found at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.
While some of the outdoor products we’re most excited about do not fit neatly into category reviews, here are four that are awesome.
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The Princeton Tec snap can operate as a headlamp on a headband, as a bike light, or connected to a magnetic surface. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
The Helix lantern was also a cool item we saw at the Show. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
Princeton Tec Snap RGB headlamp
The Princeton Tec Snap RGB headlamp system is an affordable option for outdoor enthusiasts who need a headlamp. What makes it neat is its potential to cross over across different kinds of outdoor recreation: it also doubles as a front bicycle light! It can also be used as a magnetic lantern. The rechargeable battery can be swapped for regular AAA’s in a pinch as well.
What about the name: ‘snap’? This powerful little magnetic light snaps into the headband, into a handlebar mount, or onto any steel surface for lighting wherever and whenever you need it!
Related: The Best Headlamps
The Vargo Titanium Bots in 700 mL with new attachable Bot Bowl. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
VARGO Bot Pot and Bot Bowl
For those backpackers who are cold-soaking aficionados, Vargo’s Bot Bowl will be available in early September. It nests on the bottom of their popular 1L Bot Pots.
The Bot’s watertight screw-top lid means this super light pot functions as a bottle too!
This can benefit people who like to cold-soak their dehydrated camp food on trail.
The Bot Bowl nests on the bottom of the pot. We think it can be used as a coffee cup!
The Bot Bowl hasn’t been released yet but is anticipated to hit Vargo’s website in early September. The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price is still To Be Determined, according to our contact at Vargo.
Related: The Best Cook Pot for Backpacking
The GCI Rocker Sun Shade Chair with its sun shade propped above it. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
The GCI Everywhere Chair is easy to carry around with a long strap. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
GCI OUTDOOR sunshade rocker chair
GCI Outdoor’s original Everywhere Chair is a winner in our Best Camping Chairs review, due to its portability and comfort. For folks seeking a larger quality and comfortable chair for the park, backyard, or the kid’s ball game, we were impressed with the brand's new Sunshade Rocker. It’s a comfy, portable rocker with shade when you need it, and storable or removable when you don’t!
Related: The Best Camping Chair
The Klymit Insulated Hammock V takes the design of Klymit’s classic and affordable Static V Insulated sleeping pad and adds wings to make it fitted for a hammock. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
For comparison, the shape of the Klymit Insulated Static V. The Hammock V is also available in an uninsulated version. Photo courtesy Brandon Lampley.
Klymit Insulated Hammock V
Hammock camping is super comfortable for many but can get chilly in the shoulder seasons and beyond, even with an under quilt as insulation. Klymit’s Insulated Hammock V changes the game of hanging in the proper cold.
The R-valve of 4.4 and wrap-around wings means that it fits the awkward shape of a hammock better than traditional rectangle or mummy-shaped sleeping pads. This could potentially revolutionize how people hammock in colder seasons!
Related: The Best Camping Hammock
Related: The Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads
We’re looking forward to testing this gear on trail and updating our reviews with new outdoor gear models ! Stay tuned!
