The twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show, this summer in Salt Lake City, Utah, August 3 – 6, is a peek at the future of gear. The items displayed on the trade-show floor are what you’ll see at shops this winter and in the spring of 2011. Below is an early preview, a couple scoops from Gear Junkie and my moles in the outdoors space.
Super Light Tent. England’s Terra Nova Equipment has reached new lightweight horizons with its 1 pound, 1 ounce Laser Ultra 1 tent. It’s made for one person and is touted as “the lightest double-wall tent in the world.” (The two-person Laser Photon 2 weighs a smidge more at 1 pound, 15 ounces.) There are literally trail-running shoes that weigh more than this tent!

Pump-Up Camp Pad. The Klymit Inertia X Frame, $99.95, packs down to the size of a soda can. It inflates with normal air or a C02-like cartridge gun from Klymit that pumps in insulating argon gas. Weight: 9.1 ounces. Length: 72 inches. Width: 18 inches. Made from rip-stop nylon and “body-mapped” to support a sleeping frame.

Power Walk. The nPower PEG device is touted to capture and store the kinetic energy you generate by walking, jogging, or biking. The device stores energy and then lets you use it to charge your phone, MP3 player, or GPS devices. The PEG product — which stands for Personal Energy Generator — is placed vertically in a backpack as you hike. It makes energy through the up-and-down movement derived by walking. $149.99

Human-Grade Dog Chow. Promoting “gourmet jerky and dehydrated trail food” for dogs, PeakWaggers’ canine line is homemade, all-natural and organic. The fancy and trail-ready puppy chow comes in vacuum-sealed bags. Flavors include Chicken Pawmesan, Barkin’ Beef-Barley Stew, and Dog-Gone Cottage Pie. The kicker: Because all the ingredients are “human grade,” a hungry hiker can literally share a meal with Fido in a time of dire need.













