Our second day at Outdoor was even busier than the first, and the show is so vast there is no possibility of being able to cover every bit of ground. However, what we have come across demonstrates that many of the products Club members are likely to use for their camping are going to get more comfortable, lighter in weight and easier to carry or pack than before.
We were shown some interesting new Nomad Duffle bags from Sea to Summit, with capacities up to 130L. Among their many features they have large zippable main pockets, with the interior lined in a brightly contrasting colour, to make it easier to see what has been stowed inside. They also have magnetised handles and straps that can be adjusted to suit your favoured carrying style.
We were also shown Leki’s new Sub1, a supremely light camping chair under 1kg, and its Table XS Lite, both designed with lightweight campers and trekkers in mind.
Primus has introduced a new camping stove called PrimeTech. It’s an all-in-one family stove that comes in 1.3-litre or 2.3-litre sizes. There’s an aluminium pan, strainer lid and clip-on handle that all sits above the integrated burner. The whole set nests neatly together, adding to the space-saving qualities.
To make consumer choice easier Primus will be changing its packaging and point of sale material to help buyers better understand which of its stove products to choose to match their camping style or chosen activity.
As well as this, we’ve seen lots of clothing, and it seems to be getting lighter in weight all the time. Lots of proprietary brands such as Gore-Tex and PolarTec have new fabrics and ‘in-house’ manufacturers such as Jack Wolfskin are not lagging behind, creating different weaves, stitches or natural/synthetic mixes to serve different functions across a range of weathers.
The choice and range of styles is mind-boggling, but it will make for a very competitive clothing market in the UK next year, which should be good news for buyers looking to update their functional wear in the next six months.
More from the show as it continues…