NEWS: The future of outdoor gear is here. Summary of winning items for "OutDoor Industry Award 2017"

The OutDoor Show Friedrichshafen is a comprehensive outdoor goods exhibition event for distribution companies and media in the European market, held every summer in Friedrichshafen, a quiet town facing Lake Boden near the German border in Europe, one of the centres of outdoor culture and industry.

As I mentioned in a previous article about the event , the exhibition, which began at a small mountaineering equipment fair over twenty years ago, has evolved to the point that nearly 1,000 brands, both large and small, have gathered at the venues of 12 soccer fields, as the expanding and diversifying outdoor market, from mountaineering to climbing, camping, running, fitness, motorcycles, and water sports. This monster event is now attracting attention from people all over Europe, with an eye on the "now" of outdoor culture.

This is the second time we've interviewed an event that outdoor enthusiasts should never miss. This year I came across countless surprises. I will explain these in detail in several parts from now on. First, we'll start with the items that are awarded the "OutDoor Industry Award 2017" that are selected every year at this event. We've picked out some interesting items, including nine gold-winning titles selected from 330 candidates, and startup awards sent to innovative products.

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

1. Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody

Patagonia's new synthetic jacket, which was probably attracting undeniably attention this year, won a gold medal. In recent years, the winter jackets are packed with many new materials and products, and I was shocked by this. Despite its synthetic fiber, it is incredibly light and fluffy, and the unique tile-like baffle structure is stunning.

2. Ternua Ride On Pant

It's not just about the comfort and design of the pants that Ride-on-Pants won gold. The biggest reason is its advanced response to environmental impacts and its sustainability. The material fibers are recycled from a 12 tonne of fishing boat net collected from Basque fishing ports, and are recycled into raw materials without compromising quality. These environmental challenges continue to remain a major trend in European outdoor products as a whole this year.

3. Primus Primetech Stove Set 1,3L

The trend in gas stoves can be seen in two directions: either lighter weight on its own or pursue efficiency and convenience, but Primus' latest integrated stove set, which won Gold this year, is a highly complete product that balances effective fuel efficiency, lighter weight and ease of use. A set of burners with windshield and ignition device, two pots, one lid and grip, and a storage bag that can also be insulated.

4. Gregory Baltoro 65

Bartoro, the flagship Gregory large backpack loved by trekkers around the world, won gold as if they were sitting in a reserved seat. While essentially taking over the highly-finished rear system that achieves excellent load management, the company is said to have reviewed its materials and construction to increase lighter weight and breathability, further improving comfort and convenience. What will you do if you get any better?

5. Helinox Chair Zero

It may be a time when they gave up comfort with lightweight camping chairs. The latest model of Helinox, which won the gold award, Chair Zero, weighs only 460 grams. This makes me think it's fine not only to camp, but also to pack it in my backpack as a small luxury item.

6. Exped Downmat TT 9

Exped, which uses the same principle as a sleeping bag to enclose down inside the air mattress, as a way to dramatically improve the heat retention of air mattress. Once you use it, you'll be amazed at its heat retention, but the latest model, the TT 9, is comfortable, yet extremely durable, and has a great mechanism that allows for the individual tubes to be independent so that even if a hole is made somewhere, everything will not become unusable.

7. Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 1.0 L

The groundbreaking filtered flask bottle "BeFree" that debuted last year has evolved. Newly large-capacity soft bottles, such as 1.0L and 3.0L, have been added to the lineup. The high-performance "EZ-Clean Membrane" filter is proud of by an international Swiss-based water purification solution company, and the lightweight, packable, durable, clean bottles are suitable for a wide range of applications, from trail runs to long hiking.

8. FISION Size Advisor

The startup award was chosen for outstanding innovative technologies and ideas by Fision, a startup that launched in 2015 in Zurich. According to the introduction, this system creates a 3D body model based on two photos on the front and sides of a person. You can measure the right size for your actual body shape virtually and provide it to the user. It's not a simple argument, but 3D scanner fitting systems are already in the field of shoes, and the day you can't say, "You have to try outdoor products in a physical store before buying them," may be coming soon.

9.tex-lock

Another startup award concept is very simple. tex-lock is a revolutionary high-tech textile-based bicycle key that is robust, flexible and lightweight. Not only is it beautifully overcome the weaknesses of conventional metal locks, such as heavy, stiff, and difficult to use, but it is also incomparable to fire resistance and machinability. I can't wait until this is released.

10. Archroma “Earthcolors” Technology

The final gold awards we would like to introduce are not products but dye technology. Color dyeing usually requires many chemicals, but Earth Color's high-performance dyes are a new technology that creates warm, ternary colors from natural, remaining products, such as almond shells, thanks to the latest patented technology. Even if it is not visible to users, the fact that these various mechanisms and ideas for increasing sustainability are recognized as important innovations, which is a characteristic of industry exhibitions and an important role.

Summary: The future of outdoor gear is still not like this

We have focused on Gold and Startup Awards, but the 38 other award-winning items, with just as interesting features, designs, concepts, etc., are lined up with a wide range of amazing gear. From next time, I would like to introduce a side to the future of outdoor gear, including the highly anticipated new products we witnessed at the event, as well as good brands we met for the first time, from a silly perspective.