NEWS: The future of outdoor gear is here. A summary of the OutDoor Industry Award 2017 winners

Saturday, June 24, 2017

EXPED , The OutDoor Show , Katadyn , FISION , Patagonia , tex-lock , PRIMUS , Archroma , Gregory , TERNUA , Helinox

Written by Yasushi Hisatomi

The OutDoor Show Friedrichshafen is a comprehensive exhibition event for outdoor goods aimed at distributors and media in the European market, held every summer in Friedrichshafen, a quiet town facing Lake Constance near the German border in Europe, one of the centers of outdoor culture and industry

We've already covered the details of the event , but what began as a small mountaineering equipment trade fair over 20 years ago has grown to a venue the size of 12 football fields, bringing together nearly 1,000 brands, both large and small, in line with the expanding and diversifying outdoor market, from mountaineering and climbing, to camping, running, fitness, biking, water sports, and more. It's now a monster event that gives a panoramic view of the latest in outdoor culture, attracting the attention of people in the industry all over Europe.

This is our second time covering this event, a must-see for outdoor enthusiasts. This year, we encountered countless surprises. We will be sharing them in detail in several installments. First, we will be looking at the winners of the OutDoor Industry Award 2017, which is selected every year at this event. We will be picking out some interesting items from the nine Gold Award winners selected from 330 nominees, as well as the Startup Award, which is given to innovative products

Please note that the products introduced in these articles are primarily intended for the European market there is no guarantee that they will be released in the same way in the Japanese market

table of contents

1. Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody
2. Ternua Ride On Pant
3. Primus Primetech Stove Set 1,3L
4. Gregory Baltoro 65
5. Helinox Chair Zero
6. Exped Downmat TT 9
7. Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 1.0L
8. FISION Size Advisor
9. tex-lock
10. Archroma “Earthcolors” Technology
Summary: The future of outdoor gear is not just this

1. Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody

Patagonia's new synthetic jacket, which was undoubtedly the hottest item this year, was awarded a gold medal. Over the past few years, there have been many new materials and products introduced to the cold weather jacket market, but this one was a real shock. Despite being made of synthetic fibers, it's incredibly light and fluffy, and its unique tile-like baffle structure is impressive

2. Ternua Ride On Pant

The Ride On Pants were awarded Gold not only for their comfort and excellent design, but also for their advanced approach to reducing environmental impact and their sustainability. The fibers used to make the pants were recycled from 12-ton fishing nets collected from a Basque fishing port, and were bluesign certified, resulting in the fabric being regenerated without compromising quality. Such efforts to address environmental issues remain a major trend across European outdoor products this year

3. Primus Primetech Stove Set 1,3L

The gas stove market is currently trending in two directions: reducing the weight of individual stoves, or pursuing efficiency and convenience. However, Primus' latest all-in-one stove set, which won a Gold Award this year, is a highly refined product that strikes a good balance between effective fuel efficiency, lightness, and ease of use. The set includes a burner with a windshield and ignition device, two pots, a lid and grip, and an insulated storage bag

4. Gregory Baltoro 65

The latest model of the Baltro, Gregory's flagship large backpack beloved by trekkers worldwide, has been awarded the Gold Award, as if it had a reserved seat. While retaining the same highly refined back system that provides excellent load management, the new model boasts revised materials and construction, making it lighter and more breathable, further improving comfort and convenience. What could be better?

5. Helinox Chair Zero

Giving up comfort for a lightweight camping chair might be a thing of the past. The latest model from Helinox, the Gold Award-winning Chair Zero, weighs just 460 grams. It's not just perfect for camping, it's also a great little luxury item to pack in your backpack

6. Exped Downmat TT 9

Exped uses the same principle as a sleeping bag to dramatically increase the warmth of their air mattresses by sealing down inside. Once you've used it, you'll be amazed at how warm it is. Their latest model, the TT 9, is not only comfortable but also extremely durable. Furthermore, each tube is independent, meaning even if one gets a hole, the entire mattress won't become unusable

7. Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 1.0L

The revolutionary BeFree flask with filter, which debuted last year, has been further improved. New large-capacity soft bottles, including 1.0L and 3.0L, have been added to the lineup. Featuring the high-performance EZ-Clean Membrane filter from a Swiss-based international water purification solutions company, these lightweight, packable, durable, and clean bottles are perfect for a wide range of uses, from trail runs to long hikes

8. FISION Size Advisor

The Startup Award, given for outstanding innovative technology and ideas, was given to an excellent e-commerce support technology (service) by Fision, a startup founded in Zurich in 2015. According to the introduction, this system creates a 3D body model based on two photographs of a person, one from the front and one from the side. It can then measure the appropriate size for the user's virtual body and provide it to them. It's not a simple argument, but fitting systems using 3D scanners are already making progress in the shoe industry, and the day may soon be approaching when we can no longer say, "I have to try on outdoor products in a physical store before I buy them."

9. tex-lock

The concept of the other startup award winner is quite simple: tex-lock is a bicycle lock made from an innovative, high-tech textile material that is robust, flexible, and lightweight. Not only does it successfully overcome the drawbacks of traditional metal locks, such as being heavy, stiff, and difficult to use, but it is also fire-resistant and cut-resistant. We can't wait for it to be released

10. Archroma “Earthcolors” Technology

The final Gold Award winner was not a product, but a "dye technology." While color dyeing typically requires many chemicals, Earth Color's high-performance dyes are a new technology that uses patented cutting-edge technology to create warm, ternary colors from natural residues like almond shells. Even if these systems and ideas for increasing sustainability are not visible to users, they are recognized as important innovations, which is a distinctive feature and important role of this industry exhibition

Summary: The future of outdoor gear is not just this

I've mainly introduced the Gold and Startup Award winners above, but the other 38 award-winning products are a lineup of amazing gear with equally interesting functions, designs, concepts, etc. From next time onwards, I'd like to introduce these award-winning items as well as other promising new products I spotted at the event, great brands I encountered for the first time, and other aspects of the future of outdoor gear from my own perspective