Seasonal shifts for those of us living and working as retailers in the outdoor industry are 
always an exciting time. Products we’ve watched in anticipation for several months, or even years as names, specs and images that have been slowly leaked through official blogs and press releases, are finally arriving at our door and the first hands-on experience is always a nervous one! Does the piece of kit you’ve been looking forward to actually live up the hype? Or is it quickly discarded in favour of a surprise dark horse?
This spring is no different in outdoor industry
We’ve spent the winter watching epic teasers from brands showcasing the time, effort and development they put into their new gear, often taking the form of an extreme challenge on a far flung continent. Recent Berghaus sponsored expeditions to Mount Asgard and the summit of Antarctica’s stunning Ulvetanna have resulted in a string of high profile pieces designed for extreme environments, which have been subject to testing beyond what many of us could even comprehend by the world’s leading adventure professionals. We’ve seen Salomon’s alpine athletes making insane cliff drops look like child’s play and become trembling, sweaty wrecks watching The North Face sponsored climber Alex Honnold free solo thousands of feet of impressively difficult headwall.
Today’s outdoor innovation is constant and brands which don’t continually and consistently push their design and technology to the limit are quickly left behind. We demand a lot from our kit – even though the majority of us will never come close to a situation where conditions surpass the defensive capabilities of Gore-Tex’s Pro fabric, we like to know that should we be faced with the worst, it won’t be our equipment that fails us.
Buzzwords like Hydrostatic Head and Breathability have been around for years, but are now more competitive than ever before with respective figures sky rocketing in recent years so much so that outside the lab, in the real world, we would struggle to notice the difference. However, the last eighteen months or so have seen the focus of outdoor technologies move on from simply aiming for the highest possible waterproof statistics, and towards technologies that make a tangible difference to me and you out on the mountains.
The emphasis is shifting from durable waterproofness to tailored performance directed toward specific activities, and is being dictated by modern, progressive users. We’ve seen companies like Polartec release their revolutionary Neoshell technology which focuses on extreme breathability rather than outright waterproof performance. Polartec have decided that a hydrostatic head of a mere 10,000mm is comfortably enough to keep us dry and so instead are focussing on providing unheard-of levels of breathability, which in turn keeps us more comfortable when walking in wet weather.
My first experience wearing the superb Rab Stretch Neo Neoshell jacket was charging up the south western ridge of Bauchaille Etive Beag, a relentless five hundred metre ascent with no path to speak of. Hood up and zips sealed, the difference over my Mountain Equipment Pro Shell Tupilak in similar circumstances was remarkable. The Stretch Neo has no venting options other than the main zip, though I certainly didn’t lament the lack of them, and while the Tupilak is a an excellent jacket, it relies on pit zips for ventilation, and even then, ascending the same route in the identical conditions would surely have resulted in a dampness approaching the summit.
There are other companies also evolving different approaches to waterproof technologies too. Pertex, well known for lightweight, windproof fabrics, produce Shield+ (and a recently introduced stretch version with the same properties), which is designed for ultralight backpacking and adventure racing. But unlike previous lightweight fabrics, which were barely able to call themselves waterproof, it really packs a punch, with impressive waterproof/breathable numbers.
Neither of these fabrics is accompanied by a Gore-Tex style ‘lifetime guarantee’, but then, they aren’t designed to last ten years. They are designed to excel in the circumstances in which users choose to place themselves. Both will keep us dry, but offer something more than just that, which is exactly the point.
Our gear expectations and requirements are changing, and the industry is learning this and responding quickly. The current trend is toward lighter weight and higher performance; just how much can we get for a gram?
2014 promises to be an exciting time for outdoor enthusiasts
The wait is finally over. The major recent development was Berghaus’s introduction of their Hydrodown, which has been swiftly followed by others with various versions of hydrophobic down sweeping into the market. This has completely and instantly changed the way we think of natural insulation. Its drawbacks are now significantly lessened and even in our damp British climate, they are now a very real option outside their traditional stomping grounds of freezing winter days. Companies are scrambling to switch to hydrophobic material and those who don’t will find themselves at a major disadvantage versus their rivals.
Established down specialists like Rab overhauled their entire clothing range this past winter to include the new technology, while their sleeping bags are due to follow this spring and will be one of the hottest properties in stores this month. Products such as the Rab’s Ascent 300, with it’s close to zero comfort rating, tiny pack size and meagre 840g total weight, plus chamber baffles and eco-friendly fluorocarbon free hydrophobic down make it one of the most exciting prospects of the year so far.
The list of interesting new products is impressive, but a few we are particularly keen to test.
Montane’s Sleeping bags are a perfect example of outdoor hype. First they were just a whisper, then a rumour, then we saw an image, an announcement, then some bloggers touched them and we knew they were real. Last year we saw superb new packs, this year they are not only expanding the pack range, but are also carrying their Fast & Light ethos into backpacking and ultra-racing sleeping kit too. The 730g Featherlite sleeping bag looks very exciting indeed. With boxwall construction and Montane’s 750+ fill power down, this isn’t just a another superlight showpiece, it really means business.
Elsewhere the lightweight, high performance theme continues. Perennial innovators Berghaus are at it again in 2014 with their Vapourlight range. Mixing clever design and ultra-modern fabrics they’ve not just given us a single product, but a complete set aimed at ultralight, fast moving users across multiple disciplines. The real gem in the range has to be the Vapourlight Hyperthem Jacket – half the weight of the average microfleece, yet just as warm, reversible, offering different degrees of insulation from each side, windproof and water resistant and all for only £120! Lightweight aficionados rejoice.
And it wouldn’t be spring without mentioning a new superlight tent would it? This year sees us introduce the Nordisk Telemark 2 to our range. Yes, 2, you read correctly. Not what you were expecting in the same sentence as ‘new superlight tent’ I know, yet this two man miracle weighs in at only 880g, can genuinely fit two adults in and doesn’t scrimp on smart, useful details either. Innovative use of its own poles transforms the tent into a tarp, it is extremely strong and has an impressive wind resistance too. Imagine carrying a three season two person tent, sleeping bag and mattress that together weigh less than 2kg!
We’re also excited to see the new Scarpa Zen Pro approach shoes. The original Zens were excellent, but now they are more rugged and offer superb support for longer distance trails, as well as fantastic scrambling abilities too, meaning they could be a real winner for summer mountain adventures this year. As with all outdoor enthusiasts, we’re pleased to see that 2014 brings continued resurgence for Lowe Alpine too, a brand with whom we all seem to have an unexplainable soft spot! Their superbly redesigned pack range is expanding and their clothing also continues to impress the experts.
And all this innovation without mentioning some new 50,000mm+ HH waterproof fabric that we don’t really need… Refreshing isn’t it.
For more information, see nevisport.com