Best New Gear at Outdoor Retailer 2017

Last month, the annual Outdoor Retailer Australia industry trade-show was held again in Sydney’s Moore Park convention precinct. Each June this event presents a three-day hive of activity where brands, distributors, retailers and media can come together to show off new product ranges, plus just celebrate our industry as a whole.

Usually we put together a wrap-up with words and some photos. But this year myself (Lachlan) and Dave decided to step it up a notch and become a roving video crew for a couple days. We chatted to representatives from various brands and got the low-down on some new and upcoming outdoor tech. Some of the products mentioned below are already available, whilst others will be released later in 2017 and into 2018. Checkout the links for more info.

To keep it fair for everyone we subjected to appear in front of the camera, we also jumped on the other side for the quick intro below. Enjoy!

Mont Adventure Equipment: The good folks at Mont are well known form producing top quality, hard wearing outdoor gear designed right here in Australia. We chatted to Will and Sarah about the brand new Epoch expedition tent, and super warm Kiandra Sleeping bag.

MSR: MSR some great looking new tents, but it was the next generation of their already amazing WindBurner stove that piqued our interest. The current WindBurner is great for light and fast cooking, especially with one or two person groups. However for larger undertakings and group cooking, it’s simply to small… Enter the the MSR WindBurner Duo! I’ll let this video with Jeff tell the rest of the story. Expect this to be available sometime in 2018.

Nemo Equipment: Nemo are crushing it as always with lightweight, cleverly designed gear for sleeping and shelter. Here’s brand rep Issac for a quick rundown on a few products and some welcome comedy relief.

Camelbak: Hydration specialists Camelbak are never short of new innovation. Recently they gave the beating heart of much of  their range an update by releasing a new hydration bladder, the Crux. Here’s Alex from Camelbak to explain what’s changed and improved compared to the previous version.

LED Lenser: Whilst they are most well known for producing high performing LED torches, LED Lenser also make some really great headlamps. Here’s Evan with all the details about the awesome new range of MH headlamps designed specifically for the outdoor user.

Sea to Summit: Never one to sit around for long, Sea to Summit had some new innovation on display. But it’s not always the big flashy products that need attention. Here’s Tim, and the other Tim,  each talking about a some small but still important products they’ve just given a make-over.

Black Diamond: Climbing has always been at the heart of Black Diamond‘s focus, so it’s no surprise that they’re still finding way to make our vertical adventures safer. The ATC pilot, explained here by brand manager Seth is a super simple, yet very clever assisted braking belay device.

Petzl: Hardware specialists Petzl have been making top quality well respected head-lamps for decades and the latest offerings are no exception. What got us the most excited however is the addition of what Petzlall ‘Hybrid Technology’ to the range, and specifically the Core lithium rechargeable battery. Damian from Petzl in France explains why this little battery will be so useful!

Pacsafe: Last but least, we heard from Rob and Amy about Pacsafe. Whilst many people may know Pacsafe as that ‘travel security brand’ fewer will realise the company had it’s origins right here in Australia.

So hopefully that’s help satiate your gear info cravings for a little while. If you’d like to know anything further about any of the products featured, please feel free to leave a comment below.