Outdoors

In Photos: Adventure gadgets and gear from Outdoor Retailer 2017

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Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017
Dometic used Outdoor Retailer to introduce its Wi-Fi-connected CFX-100W electric fridge/freezer
Sportsmobile Sprinter 4x4 camper van
Inside the Sportsmobile Sprinter 4x4
James Baroud roof-top tents at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017
Some vintage trailer flair 
Dometic CFX-100W users can set and monitor refrigerator temperature from a mobile device
PowerVision shows its PowerEgg 4K HD drone at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market
PowerVision's PowerRay aquatic drone
PowerVision PowerEye
The Ring O Fire kit from Live Fire Gear includes 550 paracord with a built-in fire-starting strand
Live Fire Gear FireCord kit
An alternative to headlamps and not-as-powerful GoMotion lights, Flexlite harness lights put 1,188 lumens of light on your chest
Some disgusting water getting the filter treatment
Flexlite offers products for outdoor and professional use
Rambo builds some of the woodsier electric bikes out there – fat tire bikes aimed at hunters
The GoBoat is a simple, inflatable tube boat
Rambo bikes at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market
Roof-top tents from China's Incar
It seems that more and more roof-top tents come to Outdoor Retailer each year – here's one from Incar
If you don't have two trees for your hammock ...
This little solar-backed E.Tunes Bluetooth speaker from Renogy put out some nice sound for its size
Renogy offers various power bank options for outdoor enthusiasts
The Treble 2.0 hammock shelter swallows up a show participant 
One of the more interesting developments in the cooler craze, the CreekKooler is a floating cooler that's something like a food and beverage kayak
Now that coolers are all about robustness and muscle, why shouldn't a heavy equipment brand put its name on one?
One of the latest offerings from Primus, the Kachoma grill is designed to be a light, portable gas grill for backyard and beyond. In Europe, it can be powered by the same gas canisters you'd usually use for backpacking stoves, but in the US it uses a 16.4-oz propane cylinder
Primus' Kamoto is a folding fire pit designed to create campfires where they're not allowed directly on the ground
A far cry from the disposable foam cooler, Rovr builds tough, multipurpose coolers built to haul food, drinks and more
Rovr Rollr coolers have anchor points to hang and tie gear like the included cupholders and cutting board
Rovr's included cutting board provides a little space for prepping food and drink
Rovr already uses pneumatic all-terrain tires and it's currently upgrading to this burlier pair
Rovr includes a dry box inside its 80-quart cooler, helping keep food cold but not soggy
The available bike attachment turns the Rovr Rollr into a bike trailer cooler
Rovr currently offers an 80-quart model and plans to launch a 60-quart version on crowdfunding soon
The included collapsible tote lets you organize other gear and roll it to camp atop the Rollr cooler
A Chilean outdoor company looking to make its break in the US, Rokum offers tents and sleeping bags with specially fit inflatable mattresses, aiming at a more comfortable night of sleep in the wild
A little motorcycle love at OR Summer Market
Rokum offers two- and four-person tents with integrated (but removable) inflatable mattresses
The 13,400-mAh myCharge AdventureUltra includes an AC power outlet for charging up laptops, powering TVs, etc.
Renovo has redesigned and streamlined its modular water filter system since the last time we looked at it. The three-level filtration system can be used for everything from simply cleaning up the taste of tap water to taking care of bacteria and viruses in untreated water bodies around the world
You can drop the Renovo Muv filter system in a water bottle, use it as a straw, hook it up to a hydration pack, or use it as a pump for greater quantities of water
Our first hands-on look at the Scubajet modular water propulsion system was unfortunately on the dry show floor, not in a lake or ocean
The Scubajet can be used as a handheld underwater propulsion device or attached to a watercraft to motorize it
Yakima's new dual-level Easy Rider trailer
Tepui's Zipper Gimp system allows for switching out roof-top tent fabrics based on the weather outside
Tepui Baja Series roof-top tent
Tepui didn't have any all-new tents, but it did have a sort of "show tent," its usually white-shelled White Lightning tent with a special black wrap and orange details
Tepui White (black?) Lightning at OR Summer Market 2017
Tepui White Lightning with special black wrap
Tepui Tents at OR Summer Market 2017
Known more for roof racks and gear carriers, Thule also offers some of the more outdoorsy, activity-ready strollers on the market
I'll take the bike ... without the bike
It took a little longer to get launched than originally planned, but the Leatherman Tread Tempo combines watch and wearable multitool
The original Tread is a bracelet with tool links
Since you can't remove the links without losing tools, the Tread Tempo has a size-adjustable clasp
The new Tread LT is a lighter, slimmer version of the Tread bracelet
The Tread Tempo watch is available in stainless steel and black
We've seen a few portable shower options over the years, including the car roof-mountable Road Shower, camp stove-powered Kariba 2-in-1 and the Hotaru. Here's the simple Flow Pro shower from the water storage experts at Reliance
Sierra Designs has created the new single-person High Side tent for bikepackers and solo adventurers
Sierra Designs High Side tent
The US$280 Sierra Designs High Side weighs under 2 lb 
Sea to Summit's Ultralight Hammock weighs as little as 5.4 oz and holds up to 300 lb. This one is the Ultralight XL, which weighs 7.2 oz
Nemo's spreader bar-style Cloudview hammock
Nemo's hammock-inspired Stargaze chairs
Thermacell's new Radius Zone Mosquito Repellent is smaller than we realized when we covered it prior to the OR show
The Radius Zone offers a battery-powered Thermacell anti-mosquito solution
Hot? The Sprigs JakRak lets you take your jacket off and carry it hands-free, like a backpack
Launched on Kickstarter earlier this year, the Sprigs JakRak also works for the wee ones
Adidas must be sick of laces. In addition to Boa shoes, it also recently launched a lace-free running shoe with foot-contouring upper
Adidas combines Boa dial-fit technology with Continental rubber 
Pull Start Fire lets you get a fire going as if you're starting a lawnmower 
NICE is another name in tough, bear-proof coolers 
Sea to Summit hammocks to the rafters
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017
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Van life, social hammocking, $500 coolers, and battery packs and charging cables everywhere? The outdoors - or, at least, outdoor gear and the people that venture into it - is changing. New Atlas stopped by last week's Outdoor Retailer Summer Market to peek in on the latest changes and see the new gadgets and innovations that will be making their way to campgrounds and hiking trails in the coming year. As always, we found plenty of interesting developments.

This year we were only able to stop by OR for a day – unfortunate since we knew the show would be brimming with technology and weirdness like battery-powered boiling and coffee-in-a-pipe. We hit the ground running, though, and found some gems, some diamonds in the rough and maybe even some dirty, dirty coal.

High-end coolers still red hot

It used to be you'd go to the local department store or supermarket, sometimes the morning of your camping trip or picnic, and buy a cheap, basic cooler, maybe even a foam disposable. Nowadays the market is going crazy for high-end, bear-proof coolers with week+ ice retention claims. To stand out in this saturating market, some companies are building multipurpose workhorses, resulting in oddball creations stocked full of superfluous gadgetry (the Coolest, anyone?) but also some solid designs that do what a cooler does, only better.

A far cry from the disposable foam cooler, Rovr builds tough, multipurpose coolers built to haul food, drinks and more

Amidst the OR sea of burly, rotomolded tubs and buckets from names old and new, we found one design that really stood out as a cooler built not only tough, but smart. The Rovr Rollr features the rugged rotomolded construction popular in the upper echelons of the cooler world and adds some features that seem like they will prove genuinely handy at camp, starting with 8-in pneumatic all-terrain tires. We've used other wheeled coolers before and always found plastic wheels insufficient on rough, uneven ground. We only got to roll the Rollr 80 around smooth floor, but we'd expect those airy tires to be better up to the task of crawling over dirt, rock and roots than plastic wheels. We also preferred the two-person drop-down handle with bicycle-style grip over the telescoping handles on other coolers.

The Rollr comes standard with other accessories, like a collapsible cargo box to hold other gear steady while rolling to camp, an attachable cutting board and cupholders. A bike hookup is available to turn the Rovr into a proper food and beverage trailer. Rovr advertises up to 10 days of ice retention and includes an internal dry bin to keep select items cold, but not soaking in melting ice. At $450, the 80-quart (76-L) Rollr dives much, much deeper into your wallet than those supermarket coolers, but at least that money goes toward more than just unnecessary "bear resistance" (Rovr advertises that, too, if you're wondering) and fluff like Bluetooth speakers. Rovr will launch a crowdfunding campaign for a 60-quart (57-L) model in the coming weeks.

Dometic used Outdoor Retailer to introduce its Wi-Fi-connected CFX-100W electric fridge/freezer

Another cooling option, more common in RVing and overlanding than basic car camping, is the electric refrigerator/freezer. Dometic launched its latest, the CFX-100W, at Outdoor Retailer. The new compressor fridge/freezer cools its 88 liters (23.2 US gal) of space with user's choice of 12-, 24- or 110-V power and includes built-in Wi-Fi for managing temperature from afar through the accompanying app. It also has an interior LED light and USB charging port. It will launch in the Northern Hemisphere fall for $1,100.

Fire also still burning hot

Pull Start Fire lets you get a fire going as if you're starting a lawnmower 

Starting a fire may be one of man's oldest discoveries, but Outdoor Retailer proves time and time again that man is always improving upon the ancient craft. In the past, we've seen fire-starting products like Ready Fuel and Insta-Fire. This time around, we happened upon two interesting alternatives, the first of which lets you pull-start a fire as if you were firing up a lawnmower. The simply named Pull Start Fire is a small fire-starting brick that you set up in the middle of a pile of logs before pulling the string and setting it all ablaze. So long as you use relatively small, dry logs, you don't even need tinder or kindling – the Pull Start pack will burn for up to 30 minutes and get the logs flaming on its own. A three-pack costs just under $15.

Our photo of the Pull Start Fire packages can't do the concept justice, so watch one in action in the clip below.

Another interesting fire-starting tool, FireCord from Live Fire Gear, puts a spin on what's become a staple of survival kits and wearables – 550 paracord. Paracord is lauded for its ability to help in everything from rigging up an emergency shelter to replacing broken boot laces. Live Fire Gear adds another use, and you've undoubtedly already guessed it: lighting fire. A contrast-colored strand inside the outer casing is specially prepared to work as tinder, helping turn a spark into a full blaze. The cord comes in various lengths and can be packaged with additional fire-starting equipment, such as a ferro rod and striker. The Ring O Fire kit pictured below costs $23.99.

The Ring O Fire kit from Live Fire Gear includes 550 paracord with a built-in fire-starting strand

Staying wired up

More traditional outdoorsy folks still get outside to unplug from modern society, but younger campers and outdoor users increasingly view staying connected as an integral part of the social outdoor experience – what good is that sweeping view if you can't share it with an Instagram selfie of your smiling mug? The myCharge AdventureUltra helps the new generation keep its phones, tablets and laptops powered up wherever it roams. The small, lightweight powerhouse offers 13,400 mAh of storage capacity and a 110-V AC socket along with the usual USB ports. It can recharge a small laptop or power a 32-in LED TV for up to three hours, making it a nice portable option for the tent or tailgate. It retails for $130.

The 13,400-mAh myCharge AdventureUltra includes an AC power outlet for charging up laptops, powering TVs, etc.

Check out our Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2017 gallery to see all the other gadgets and gear we scoped out at this year's event – everything from far-roaming off-road expedition camper vans, to high-flying drones, to deep-diving underwater propulsion devices.

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2 comments
BlueOak
Lots of very cool stuff. Lots of money vacuums.
Gotta love competition - Yeti extracts obscene prices for admittedly nice coolers... and everyone with rotomolder in their warehouse jumps in for some of the action!
Did Leatherman pony up for some extra attention? The photos seemed to be littered with Tread. What about the display with two Tread watches anti-theft zip-tied to a stand... with a traditional Leatherman tool sitting on the table waiting to free them?
SMB
Who makes the motorcycle/sidecar shown in your photo block?