Wednesday at OR

I’m fresh off a full day second on the floor at the Salt Palace Convention Center, and still a little weary from a fantastic night at several promotional events, and the Conservation Alliance 20th anniversary party at Caffe Molise.

Today, there was no shortage of events going on at OR. I began my day in the usual way – in the ridiculously packed breakfast seminar just across the street at the Marriott before the show doors opened. Today’s discussion was focused on inventory management. Fascinating stuff, I assure you – but I won’t get into the details – you want to hear about the gear.

By 10am, things were really hopping on the floor of the Salt Palace. Perhaps one of the best events of the day was watching top design students pitted against each other in a marathon challenge to design and prototype a fresh piece of outerwear at the Project OR Live Design Contest. I’m eager to see what they churn out by the end of the week.

Two of my favorite places that consistently draw crowds at the show are the Paddlesports tank, and the climbing zone. The paddlesports tank is a more relaxed and fun ongoing exhibition of the latest canoes, kayaks, and other paddlesports equipment actually on some water. Over at the climbing zone, competitions are happening all day long – and there’s no shortage of real talent up for the challenge.

Personally, I like to get out of the exhibit hall for lunch, and have found that “Tent City”, the patch of grass across the street where manufacturers have their larger tents on display, is a great mid-day break from the madness and traffic in the halls of the event.

The remainder of my day was spent seeking out and examining some of the more interesting pieces of gear that the show has to offer. Read on, and don’t forget that we’ll be doing a deep dive into some of our favorite items from a week at the show come friday.

Today’s Featured Gear

Storm Cotton
Apparently, cotton is no longer considered a complete no-no in the outdoors. Guess this means no more picking on skiers in jeans. A newly blended and treated formulation of cotton, branded as Storm Cotton, is on display at booth #38173. The manufacturer claims that it’s far more breathable than most synthetic outdoor fabrics, yet maintains its water repellency even after 30 washings. We’ll see on that one.

Detroit Rock
If you thought that just about everything that could be done with climbing holds had already been done, then prepare to be proven wrong by Detroit Rock (thedrcc.com.) From ultra-cool, synthetic shapes and designs like skulls and abstract, glossy finished huecos to more traditional looking crimpers, Detroit Rock has an amazing array of holds. Be prepared to revisit the issue of building a climbing gym in the garage with your loved ones.

Klymit
When I heard that Klymit was displaying gas insulated outerwear today, images of complicated burner systems, fuel tanks, and flame retardant liners came to mind. Thankfully, that isn’t quite what they meant. The Utah based manufacturer has introduced a line of insulating layers that trap insulating argon gas within the garment. It’s a principle that’s been at work keeping homes warm for years (newer windows all have thin layer of argon gas trapped between the panes that acts as insulation), so it’s no wonder that this idea is carrying over to outerwear. Very cool.

Overheard on the show floor

The show crew from Masterfit, a microwaveable insole manufacturer, awoke Monday at their Salt Lake City hotel to find that their U-Haul had been cleaned out – not a single piece of the $25,000 show booth and not a single insole was left behind. SLC police are investigating; Masterfit can be visited at the space where booth #32600 should be.

Just in time for OR, the Utah legislature passed new regulations that make getting a drink in Salt Lake City a whole lot easier. In the past, visitors had to jump through a convoluted set of hoops just to be allowed into one of Salt Lake City’s many “private clubs” (they probably call them “bars” where you’re from.) No big change though – the city largely looks the other way during OR week, anyway.

Be sure to check out our full series of posts live from Outdoor Retailer 2009 right here at the Access Road.