Outdoor Retailer Summer 2016 :: Recap Part II

Day 2 began like all great days in history, with coffee.  Promptly after enjoying some of the Rose Establishment’s finest - we really still needed more coffee actually.  Alas, there were bags to fondle and time was not on our side. 

Vargo

Vargo is a producer of premium titanium backpacking gear, and their current pair of external frame bags are nothing to take lightly.  (Except for the fact that they’re both very light.)  Their third offering is both light and innovative.  They call it the ExoTi 50, and it’s a hybrid internal/external frame pack.

The ExoTi uses the same titanium frame as its brother and sister, but the designers took this a step further, beefing up the waist belt and yoke and sewing it around the frame.  Aside from bringing the external frame into the 21^st century, this bag also uses really interesting load lifters that run in the X-pattern across the front of the bag.  These compress the load up and closer to the user’s back. The goal of this set-up is to maximize support and minimize weight. How’d they do? 2lbs. 12oz. for 50 liters.  For those interested, Vargo Outdoors frequently sells the titanium frames separately for $225.

"They call it the ExoTi 50, and it’s a hybrid internal/external frame pack."

Other great offerings from Vargo include a great titanium flask that won’t taint your booze and some really nifty utility knives.  As always, everything is super lightweight and designed for the discerning traveler.

"Aside from bringing the external frame into the 21^st century, this bag also uses really interesting load lifters that run in the X-pattern across the front of the bag.  These compress the load up and closer to the user’s back. The goal of this set-up is to maximize support and minimize weight."

CORDURA

As a material supplier for many of our favorite projects, CORDURA has always been one to watch.  This year they’ve really worked product innovation from their direction with the 300D TPX fabric.  This stuff is cool.  While the science behind it is still mostly under lock and key, the general gist of it is that it’s extremely strong and waterproof.  Mark Chen, business manager at Chang Ho Mill where the textile is produced, explains: “Driven by a demand for lighter and lighter weight products, laminates are becoming an increasingly popular option for today’s clothing and equipment. Another benefit is the ability to combine materials with different characteristics to maximize the advantages of each. So when we were asked often ‘What material is better and stronger than our current CORDURA® bag and pack fabric offerings,’ CORDURA® TPX technology was our answer.”

"Driven by a demand for lighter and lighter weight products, laminates are becoming an increasingly popular option for today’s clothing and equipment. Another benefit is the ability to combine materials with different characteristics to maximize the advantages of each."

Douglas Davidson, the mad scientist behind The Brown Buffalo design studio, was tasked with creating a range to showcase the new fabric and I gotta say I’m really excited to see where CORDURA and other designers take this stuff. Fingers crossed we see it widely available S17.

Timbuk2

Timbuk2 was slammed full of new product and some really awesome colorways.  They had some crazy limited edition bags including their first fully waterproof backpack, the Void, and the killer Hyper Modern Messenger bag, both of which are RF welded and way overqualified for your commute.

TBH Collection: Aimed at the back-to-school market.  The new Ramble pack is a tombstone style bag with reflective zipper pulls and comes in waxed cotton canvas.  The silhouettes are so great that they wanted to offer them in several fabric choices. 

"They had some crazy limited edition bags including their first fully waterproof backpack, the Void, and the killer Hyper Modern Messenger bag, both of which are RF welded and way overqualified for your commute."

Rift Series: Lightweight daypack collection, designed specifically for serious commuters and designed with insights from the Mission Cycling Club. Complete with pockets to organize your cleats, clothing, jersey, and EDC items.

Edge Series: The namesakes come from secret identities of our favorite superheroes, and for good reason.  The Edge bags are designed to transition effortlessly from street to office; really the pinnacle of bike and urban lifestyle.  With the same full feature set that we’ve come to expect from the Especial series, but with new aesthetic elements in fabrics and finishes such as discreet reflectivity and expanded volume options.

Lastly, the On Bike collection got a refreshing new color and fabric update for spring.  We can look forward to all these launching February of 2017.

"The namesakes come from secret identities of our favorite superheroes, and for good reason.  The Edge bags are designed to transition effortlessly from street to office; really the pinnacle of bike and urban lifestyle."

Mystery Ranch

Stein 62: Adopting the best in load carrying from MR’s legendary bags but catering more toward backpackers and climbers, the Stein is a 62-liter, 4.7-pound workhorse. Utilizing lightweight carbon fiber stays and the traditional Wings design, the weight transfer to the hips is solid.  I also think it’s worth noting that this bag’s back panel and suspension is way narrower than anything else out there at 62 liters - it looks agile. Side zip access, tool attachment, sleeping bag compartment, 400D nylon, and a construction that you know you can count on; at $299 the bag is great value.

"Adopting the best in load carrying from MR’s legendary bags but catering more toward backpackers and climbers, the Stein is a 62-liter, 4.7-pound workhorse."

The most talked about feature of the Stein is the removable yoke and free-floating top lid that transforms into a serious daypack.  The bummer with summit bags is that they’ve always been ultralight and minimally padded.  With the Stein, you get to carry as much weight as you can fit into the lid of the bag and carry it on the same shoulder straps that you used to haul the whole thing to your basecamp.  It’s a nylon Autobot.

"The most talked about feature of the Stein is the removable yoke and free-floating top lid that transforms into a serious daypack."

Coulee 25/40: A 3-ZIP style bag entry into MR’s trail lineup.  The Coulee 25 is a slim little utility bag for day trips and EDC.  I was really digging the stretch woven pockets and the general geometry of the bag.  It comes with the very plush re-direct waist belt which is stowable for less intense activities.  A few pockets up top to store smaller items and this one is good to go.

"The Coulee 25 is a slim little utility bag for day trips and EDC."

Scapegoat 25/35: A little burlier than the Coulee, the Scapegoat is a 500D full frame pack designed more for trekking and hunting.  With heavier loads in mind, the Scapegoat utilizes dual frame stays and includes the Mountain Yoke with a bigger waist belt and dual compression straps to keep everything nice and tight.  It also includes a huge front stretch mesh pocket for whatever, and a few interior side wall pockets for long/tall items, i.e. water bottle or spotting scope. Main access to the bag is via a full-length horseshoe zip.

"A little burlier than the Coulee, the Scapegoat is a 500D full frame pack designed more for trekking and hunting."

Thule

New from Thule for S17 is a huge range of luggage and travel bags, as well as two really solid technical packs.  The luggage line, called the Subterra series, is all about making your life easier while on the road.  They do this in a couple of ways.

Thule’s smaller bags address transitions in traveling with packing inserts that you can remove once you arrive wherever you’re going.  Their 34L roll-top for example comes with a nearly full-sized insert that helps organize your clothing.  Once you get to your destination, you can remove all of your stuff contained in this insert and tool around town with a totally empty bag.  Similarly, their 40L carry-on includes a removable laptop sleeve with a little extra storage that can easily accept the shoulder strap from another bag so that you can head to your meeting with only the essentials. 

"Thule’s smaller bags address transitions in traveling with packing inserts that you can remove once you arrive wherever you’re going."

The larger rolling luggage pieces address overpacking. Rather than spending crazy overweight fees on your single checked bag, Thule’s Subterra bags will actually just split in two so that you can save a few bucks by checking both pieces.  A really great feature on these larger bags, like the Subterra 30", is the compression panel tensioning system.  Instead of the internal compression straps that come standard on most luggage, the design team opted for a compression panel that incorporates the ratcheting belt system found in their bike rack technologies. Pretty cool company story, if you ask me.

"Instead of the internal compression straps that come standard on most luggage, the design team opted for a compression panel that incorporates the ratcheting belt system found in their bike rack technologies."

In the way of technical packs Thule’s Guidepost and Capstone series are worth noting.  The Guidepost is a full feature backpacking bag including adjustable suspension, a huge J-zip for main compartment access, a pivoting hip belt, and a truly great accessory pocket system built around a simple clip that allows you to switch pockets quickly and easily to fit your needs. 

I was so impressed with this modular pocket system that the first thing I asked them was if it’s compatible with other products and if they’d sell it separately.  Hallelujah. Thule’s designers had the foresight to see how stoked I’d get on this and made it compatible with any piece of 1" webbing. So it clips into Thule bags, but will straddle 1" webbing anywhere (see photo). 

"...a truly great accessory pocket system built around a simple clip that allows you to switch pockets quickly and easily to fit your needs."

The lid on the Guidepost is also incredible.  Turn that bad boy inside out and into a full-sized daypack. By not sewing the liner fabric into the seams of the lid, they’ve essentially doubled the volume of the lid when you turn it inside out, and the only extra weight they’ve added is a liter or two of volume and the straps.  Crazy. 

Lastly is the Capstone which is a great ventilated day hiker in several volumes.  Adjustable suspension here uses the same ratcheting system found on their bike racks. Very smart to see that technology used across their product line. 

"The lid on the Guidepost is also incredible.  Turn that bad boy inside out and into a full-sized daypack."

Product Underground

Honestly, I was most moved by what was said at Product Underground.  The most inspiring thing about the outdoor industry is the contagiousness of the entrepreneurial spirit.  This year’s topic was “Giving Back” and if you didn’t leave that amphitheater ready to serve in some faculty of the word, you weren’t listening. 

We heard wonderful key notes by folks like Bryan Papé, founder and CEO of Miir, who implored the audience, “What is my legacy?” And the empowering Ross Evans, founder and CEO of Xtracycle, who through the fire of trial and error quoted the famous existential psychologist Rollo May, saying, “The opposite of courage in our society isn’t cowardice, it’s conformity.”  And the motivational Lisa Pike Sheehy, VP of Environmental Activism at Patagonia, who (thank you so much!) handed me a spare copy of the book Tools for Grassroots Activists. It was such a cool experience to be in the same space as the people who are driving the future of the industry. Oh yeah, and Tae handed out a bunch of PBRs to audience members between sets.