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Outdoor Retailer is here! BACKPACKER’s gear scouts are bringing you live coverage of all the action from Salt Lake City beginning January 20th with All-Mountain Demo Day. Get daily roundups of the hottest new gear, watch video recaps, and read interviews with some of the coolest pros in the industry.
Tired of uncapping and pouring your growler like some kind of animal? Sick of the finding your beer warm or — worse! — flat? Annoyed that you can only take two quarts on car camping or river trips? Well, you may have a drinking problem. DrinkTanks has your solution. The gallon-size Juggernaut ($89) keeps colds cold for 24 hours and carbonated (up to 10 psi) for a week. Add the Keg Cap Kit ($45) to power your beer out with compressed CO2, for the authentic bar/tailgating experience.
Off-the-grid is a thing of the past with this portable communication device that pairs with your smartphone to create localized person-to-person texting networks in even the most remote wildernesses. You can ping your hiking buddies to come check out the waterfall you just found, or more importantly, send out a distress signal. Each device is good for about 30 hours and better yet, doesn’t require any monthly airtime fees. $149 for two wands (if you pre-order before April); devices ship in Q2.
This stove has no legs; it just hovers on its windscreen. We first saw it at the summer show, but are excited to test it with the optional base available to help it float over snow. $100
For those dabbling in winter camping, enter the Ocelot. Combine this little number (filled with The North Face’s proprietary Heatseeker Pro synthetic insulation) with your standard three-season bag to turn it into a winter-capable sleep system. You can also use the overbag as a regular 40 degree bag for summer pursuits, or you can turn it into a blanket for two via the wraparound zip. 1 lb 7 oz, $99
This ski and alpine climbing pack is made from robust polyethylene. Weighing just 750 grams, the fully-featured pack has a rope strap, stable axe attachments, and unfettered packbag. MSRP $180.
Cold spots, begone: Columbia’s new patent-pending construction foregoes traditional seams and instead overlaps a blend of 900-fill down and synthetic insulation across the baffles to keep wearers way warm. $450, 1 lb. 8 oz.
Get a comfy, casual look paired with technical performance with Craft’s latest layers, made of fast-drying polyester with bodymapped mesh sections in the body’s hottest zones. The torso is seamless to prevent chafing. MSRP $60
Built for long approaches and steep descents, the MTN Explore puts power where its needed for uphill and downhill. Carbon and flax increase stability and reduce weight along with a honeycomb tip, while engineered sidecut and rocker shape help maximize edge grip on uphill traverses. Expected MSRP: $850
Take our 2013 Editors’ Choice Award winner and give it some more oomph. The 27-degree range of motion propelled our testers uphill, no problem. The RS has the same resort-stiff, but touring-light Pebax/carbon construction (and 25-degree range of motion) as the SL, but it charges downhill better. The cuff is stiffer, the forward flex is bumped up to 130, and a new liner is thermo-moldable in the lower and race-inspired (rigid) in the upper. Note: They are on the heavier side at 1,990 grams per boot. (MSRP ~$850)
Atlas is making a splash this year with multiple introductions to the snowshoe market. The Rendezvous series features a low price point ($140; en-us.atlassnowshoe.com) and gender-specific bindings (the women’s is the Elektra). The lightweight construction is easier for beginners to handle, but it comes at a cost: these snowshoes don’t have heel risers.
