SSD will be covering the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City beginning Thursday.
See you there.
Archive for the ‘Outdoor Retailer’ Category
See You at OR
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011H2O Gear
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011All rumors aside, former Eagle Industries owner John Carver has some really cool stuff going on. Almost two years ago now, he teamed up with renowned Ski Guide Dean Cummings to create H2O Gear (H2OG). It was formed to develop, design, and test equipment for the most extreme conditions. Between John’s leadership at Eagle and Dean’s on the slopes, it sounds like a match made in heaven.
Their H2O Gear ATG (access the goods) ski line is handmade in the USA. Their custom designs include details from Dean’s years of experience, identifying light lumber to construct the skis. Their tapered sidewalls are heat fused to wood cores to protect the skis from edge damage while also keeping the ski durable, damp, and impact resistant. Additionally, their skis are fully protected by oversized, 4001 thick edges that wrap 360 degrees around the ski.
While all of the skis in the photo below sport some cool paint jobs, they also produce an all white ski designed specifically for military applications. This super damped “hybrid ski” is made from Ash and Aspen and features a reverse side cut which may seem counter intuitive to most but makes it easier to feather. This military model is a shorter ski and designed to traverse junk, or icy snow. It’s truly a working ski.
If you are going to be at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City this week, be sure to stop by and check them out in booth # PV365. Make sure to say “hi” to John and Dean.
Stealth Cargo Pant by Prime Outerwear
Friday, April 29th, 2011
We mentioned the Stealth Cargo Pant by Prime Outerwear during the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Unique styling garnered a lot of attention. Now, Prime outerwear has begun to sell the trousers…on eBay. Yes, it’s a less traditional distribution model, but they are available. So, if you are interested in picking a pair or two up, check out their eBay listing. Manufactured from cotton twill treated with Nanosphere, the Stealth Cargo Pant’s rear pockets feature magnetic closures. Additionally, Prime Outerwear has developed what they call Intelligent Storage which is designed to be accessible whether standing or seated.
New Balance Introduces Merino Wool Clothing 
Monday, February 7th, 2011
Wool really makes sense for military garments but a couple of things have happened over the years that have pushed it to the back of the line. In the late 1980s new, man-made fabrics began to come on the military scene that out performed the issue wool garments which dated back to before WWI. Troops were more than happy to ditch the itchy long johns that their great grandfathers had worn into battle on the Western Front. But then came the IED. Unnaturally (pun intended), the answer was to develop new man made FR performance fabrics since the recently adopted polypropylene and polyester fabrics used in military base layers are very flammable. This was a very costly undertaking. So where was wool, nature’s performance fiber through all of this? Quite frankly, it wasn’t quite ready to make a return.
Traditionally there have been several criticisms of the use of wool:
-Comfort (that itchy feeling)
-Limited domestic availability of Merino wool (considered the best wool for next to skin use, not itchy)
-Shrinkage
-Smell
-Lack of domestic treatment due to EPA guidelines
Despite these generic criticisms, the benefits of Merino wool are myriad:
-Warm even when wet
-Comfortable in a wide range of temperatures as well as against the skin
-Antimicrobial
-Inherently FR (No Melt, No Drip)
We are now at the point where we have almost an entire Army that has never used wool undergarments, and those that have probably don’t have the fondest of memories. Truthfully, current military attention towards wool has been driven by troops with an interest in the outdoors, as commercial wool garments have gotten better and better of the past few years. This has been combined with a concern by those who keep the Army’s purse strings, as they are constantly seeking more economical ways to accomplish the mission.
To mitigate the common criticisms of wool, New Balance has combined Merino with FR Rayon to increase performance and durability. This also increases the FR properties of wool and facilitates field laundering. Then, they have treated the resulting fabric with X-static to further enhance wool’s natural anti-microbial properties to reduce stink. Additionally, there is finally an environmentally green US-based wool treatment facility. Treatment is critical to improving the comfort and performance of the wool. While the US Merino herd is small, as with all things “domestic textile”, the military is a prime customer. In fact, all of the components have just recently aligned in order to allow New Balance to produce a Berry compliant product.
New Balance has developed several garments including Base Layer long and short-sleeved T-shirts, Briefs, light and mid-weight Long Underwear Pants, and a Performance 1/4-zip Shirt. Initially, the plan was to have the Merino products available by July, but user feedback from the test items has been so strong that New Balance is looking to accelerate their schedule.
Units interested in New Balance military products should contact ADS.
Tags: New Balance
Posted in ADS, Clothing, FR, Materials, Outdoor Retailer | Comments Off on New Balance Introduces Merino Wool Clothing
Ninja Suit
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011One of the more interesting things we saw at the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market was the Ninja Suit. Available in a variety of materials and configurations, Ninja Suits can be had in Merino Wool, which is offered in Black and Charcoal in addition to Red, if you are into the retro look of Red long johns. Considering the inherent FR and anti-microbial properties of Merino and the fact that the Ninja Suit has an integral 7-panel hood, it looks to make a case for a base layer for those who spend a lot of time in cold, wet conditions. Outer layers can be shed and the suit worn by itself to dry out in more secure conditions and you always have full coverage in the event of an emergency. You don’t have to take it off even to relieve yourself as it has a full horizontal zip around the waist along with drawstring as well as a front fly and chest zip. It also features thumb loops at the wrist.
MultiCam Keens
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011Spotted at the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City is this example of an upcoming Keen shoe. So now you can have MultiCam Keens, but only if you’re a girl.
N.Tel – What’s It All Mean?
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011Last week we reported that OTB was rebranding to “N.Tel”. This is not the true story. OTB is in fact coming together with athletic and tactical wear fully under the New Balance banner. The N.Tel is actually the philosophy that drives how the entire team at New Balance does business. NB looks at the military as a collection of athletes and designs clothing and footwear with this in mind. The game might not be the same as traditional athletes but the level of commitment and need for stamina and physical prowess is still there. NB has a set of capabilities that they bring to a challenge and they listen to their customers to see how they can use their skills to solve problems.
We sat down yesterday at Outdoor Retailer with the team and we can tell you that in addition to the OTB line and New Balance’s System 7 there is some really cool new products on the way including Berry compliant Merino pieces that will blow your socks off.
Craghoppers Releases New Bear Grylls Clothing at OR
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
UK outdoor brand Craghoppers will launch in the United States in the Spring. The launch includes two lines: Craghoppers and Bear Grylls for Craghoppers. Bear Grylls is the host of TV’s “Man vs Wild”. A former SAS operative who broke his back in a parachuting accident in South Africa, he went on to be the youngest Briton to conquer Everest as well as climb remote peaks in Antarctica. All Bear Grylls products are designed, developed and tested in partnership with or by Bear himself.
One interesting aspect of the line is that they include NosiLife technology which has been tested independently by Europe’s leading test authority (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine). They claim it gives Craghoppers and Bear Grylls products the world’s only permanent insect-repellancy.
Check them out at OR in booth #38179 or online soon with www.us.craghoppers.com.
