Best of the ORA Trade-show

The Outdoor Retailer Australia (ORA) Trade-show was held in Sydney last week. Basically for someone like me that translates to three jam-packed days spent in gear-nerd paradise. Some of the Paddy Pallin team went along to check out the latest tech & see what’s in store for the next 12 months. Whist I can’t give away too much, the low down is that there’s definitely plenty of exciting goodies coming. Here’s a couple highlights & some gear that you’ll likely see in the coming months.

The MSR Windburner  (formerly the Windboiler) could been seen as MSR‘s small brother to their Reactor stove. The Windburner is lovely piece of engineering & rumor has it, will be less expensive than the Reactor while its boil time will only be around 30 seconds slower. This mini powerhouse comprises of a smaller version of the highly regarded MSR Reactor burner, housed in a windproof casing & featuring an integrated 1.0L lock-on pot.  Stay tuned for this one!

Petzl had their latest head-lamps on show, with the already popular Tikka line getting another refresh. Aside from some aesthetic changes all models have had an increase in output. For example bringing the TIKKINA up to 80 lumens (from 60), the TIKKA up to 100 (from 80)  & the TIKKA XP up to an impressive 180 lumens. They’ve achieved this without any added bulk from what we could see. These should begin coming through the ranks & be available before long.

Sea to Summit  had a few new goodies on show, along with some of their design team to help tell the story. The X-Pot cookware lineup is impressive, with the 2.8L X-Pot already available. I was particularly drawn the cute little X-Kettle & love how the smaller items in the system pack neatly inside the larger vessels. There were also some larger, albeit very packable versions of the Aeros pillows on show too – For those who like to sleep in comfort in the outdoors, but are not willing to sacrifice on space & weight.

The Marmot stand was awash with colour & their latest innovations in clothing. Once again proving that technical wear can be cool as well as functional. Of course everyone’s furry marmot mascot was there too.

Power Traveller were creating a bit of buzz with a product they’ve been developing in association with Rolls-Royce. The ‘Blow Monkey’ or  ‘Wind Monkey’, which is it’s final stages of prototyping, is an attachment module for their Powermonkey Expedition unit that acts as a wind turbine. The Expedition system already has solar, hand crank & AC charging capabilities. This latest development is looking enhance what is already a very appealing portable off-grid power solution.

Icebreaker had samples their range for the next two seasons, forever expanding the horizons of what can be achieved from that wondrous material, merino wool. What!? They’ve adapted Merino wool for hot & humid conditions you say?

The event as a whole was a blast & I’ve just touched on a fraction of what was on offer to see. Last year the show filled one pavilion, this year two. I’m looking forward to seeing how it shapes up next year!