rcwild
04-11-2004, 09:00 PM
Submitted by Charly Oliver
New Gear for Spring 2004
I just returned from the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City Utah. Following is a report on some of the cool products I saw shown there available for Spring 2004.
After the first day of wandering around I was a little disappointed that I hadnÕt seen anything particularly spectacular. Just another ho hum Outdoor Retailer show. By the end of the third day however I had ferreted out a few notable products that might be of interest to canyoneers, mostly in the footwear category.
Canyoneering in the U.S. is such a small sport that many in the outdoor industry still raise a questioning eyebrow when it is mentioned. With the exception of a few European companies who make specific products for their home markets, exhibiting vendors presented a noticeable dearth of canyoneering products.
Footwear
Three different companies now offer what they specifically call a canyoneering shoe. The 5.10 Canyoneer, arguably being the most popular. This shoe has undergone minor changes over the years improving both its durability and performance and is still the preferred choice of many.
Nike ACG has been working on a canyoneering shoe for a few years now that will finally become available next spring. The Air Riovero promises to be a contender. At $100 it is competitively priced and carries the Nike brand of quality and performance. This shoe is light and features a sticky rubber sole, nice cushy shock absorbing mid-sole and synthetic Hypalon upper. Little drain holes complete the package. The shoe is ankle high and should provide at least as much support as the Canyoneer.
Salamon is also offering a canyoneering shoe although I was unable to get a close look at it. This shoe may already be available in Europe. Anyone out there have any experience with it?
The old stand-by approach shoe category still crosses over to canyoneering very well. 5.10 offers the Guide Almighty, Water Tennie and other models that seem to work well in the canyoneering environment, the La Sportiva Boulder and Montrail D7 both being excellent alternatives.
I think the current version of the La Sportiva Boulder has the stickiest rubber of any approach shoe IÕve ever worn. The Montrail D7, although not as sticky, is a bit more supportive and probably better when carrying a heavy pack or for anyone preferring more substantial footwear. The new La Sportiva Exum Ridge deserves consideration too. The upper has been re-designed and should be considerably more durable than the previous model.
Mad Rock, a new company to enter the market with performance rock climbing shoes at very competitive prices, will offer a nice looking approach shoe called theÓ FanaticÓ. This sticky rubber sole and rand, leather and synthetic upper, lace up looks like it will be very nice. At $80 it is a good price too.
Ropes
With numerous advances in specialty rope designs appearing recently none of the major rope manufacturers were showing anything new this time around. The standard and best choice for most people is still a nylon, low elongation (static) rope in the 9mm to 10mm diameter range. BlueWater, New England, PMI and Sterling all have excellent offerings.
Combining exotic fibers to make performance hybrid ropes has been the latest craze. The simplest being to braid a Polyester sheath around a nylon core. As polyester does not stretch and absorbs very little water this eliminates annoying sheath slippage and helps keep your rope from getting heavy throughout the length of a trip. A Polyester sheath also helps your rope dry faster.
Spectra and Kevlar fibers are also being used in rope cores to add greater strength to smaller diameter ropes. Spectra is probably the preferred choice here as Kevlar fibers weaken substantially after use. Although there are some ropes manufactured with Kevlar for single use applications I know of no one using Kevlar in a canyon specific rope.
Packs
Nike ACG had a pack prominently displayed (which the salesman assured me would be great for canyoneering) that continues to prove most of these companies design products without a clue of what is actually needed. The ACG 2.1 features Ballistic nylon, waterproof main compartment with zippers and a cool compression system (although IÕm not sure it would really work any better than conventional compression straps). But hey, it features a cell-phone pocket so how bad could it be?
Petzl still offers their heavy-duty vinyl packs that are simple in design, incredibly functional and about as durable as it gets. I saw canyon packs from Camp too, nothing special, but very functional. It will probably be next to impossible to get them here in the U. S.
Although they didnÕt have a booth at the show I got to check out the new Imlay ÒCanyoneering PackÓ Looks pretty good! In fact, as nice as any IÕve seen. A simple, functional pack made with bombproof materials and construction and actually designed for American canyoneering. These packs definitely deserve a close look.
The Rope Silo is a rope pack/deployment bag that comes in three size to fit any rope diameter or length. IÕm a big fan of managing the rope out of a bag and the Silo is a particularly nice one.
Dry Bags
There are a lot of dry bags available these days, all pretty much the same. One exception is the Pacific Outdoor ÒPneumoÓ dry bag. It is available in five sizes (from tiny to downright huge) and is pretty cool. They use a lighter-weight fabric than most (probably not as durable) but feature an air valve that allows the bag to be either burped or inflated depending on your need.
At every show I attend talk about canyoneering increases. Just about every one recognizes the name even if they arenÕt quite sure just what canyoneering is. You can certainly argue whether or not increased popularity is good for our sport. One thing for sure though, manufacturers respond to growing markets so as canyoneering becomes more popular the gear selection should just get better and better.
Charly
New Gear for Spring 2004
I just returned from the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City Utah. Following is a report on some of the cool products I saw shown there available for Spring 2004.
After the first day of wandering around I was a little disappointed that I hadnÕt seen anything particularly spectacular. Just another ho hum Outdoor Retailer show. By the end of the third day however I had ferreted out a few notable products that might be of interest to canyoneers, mostly in the footwear category.
Canyoneering in the U.S. is such a small sport that many in the outdoor industry still raise a questioning eyebrow when it is mentioned. With the exception of a few European companies who make specific products for their home markets, exhibiting vendors presented a noticeable dearth of canyoneering products.
Footwear
Three different companies now offer what they specifically call a canyoneering shoe. The 5.10 Canyoneer, arguably being the most popular. This shoe has undergone minor changes over the years improving both its durability and performance and is still the preferred choice of many.
Nike ACG has been working on a canyoneering shoe for a few years now that will finally become available next spring. The Air Riovero promises to be a contender. At $100 it is competitively priced and carries the Nike brand of quality and performance. This shoe is light and features a sticky rubber sole, nice cushy shock absorbing mid-sole and synthetic Hypalon upper. Little drain holes complete the package. The shoe is ankle high and should provide at least as much support as the Canyoneer.
Salamon is also offering a canyoneering shoe although I was unable to get a close look at it. This shoe may already be available in Europe. Anyone out there have any experience with it?
The old stand-by approach shoe category still crosses over to canyoneering very well. 5.10 offers the Guide Almighty, Water Tennie and other models that seem to work well in the canyoneering environment, the La Sportiva Boulder and Montrail D7 both being excellent alternatives.
I think the current version of the La Sportiva Boulder has the stickiest rubber of any approach shoe IÕve ever worn. The Montrail D7, although not as sticky, is a bit more supportive and probably better when carrying a heavy pack or for anyone preferring more substantial footwear. The new La Sportiva Exum Ridge deserves consideration too. The upper has been re-designed and should be considerably more durable than the previous model.
Mad Rock, a new company to enter the market with performance rock climbing shoes at very competitive prices, will offer a nice looking approach shoe called theÓ FanaticÓ. This sticky rubber sole and rand, leather and synthetic upper, lace up looks like it will be very nice. At $80 it is a good price too.
Ropes
With numerous advances in specialty rope designs appearing recently none of the major rope manufacturers were showing anything new this time around. The standard and best choice for most people is still a nylon, low elongation (static) rope in the 9mm to 10mm diameter range. BlueWater, New England, PMI and Sterling all have excellent offerings.
Combining exotic fibers to make performance hybrid ropes has been the latest craze. The simplest being to braid a Polyester sheath around a nylon core. As polyester does not stretch and absorbs very little water this eliminates annoying sheath slippage and helps keep your rope from getting heavy throughout the length of a trip. A Polyester sheath also helps your rope dry faster.
Spectra and Kevlar fibers are also being used in rope cores to add greater strength to smaller diameter ropes. Spectra is probably the preferred choice here as Kevlar fibers weaken substantially after use. Although there are some ropes manufactured with Kevlar for single use applications I know of no one using Kevlar in a canyon specific rope.
Packs
Nike ACG had a pack prominently displayed (which the salesman assured me would be great for canyoneering) that continues to prove most of these companies design products without a clue of what is actually needed. The ACG 2.1 features Ballistic nylon, waterproof main compartment with zippers and a cool compression system (although IÕm not sure it would really work any better than conventional compression straps). But hey, it features a cell-phone pocket so how bad could it be?
Petzl still offers their heavy-duty vinyl packs that are simple in design, incredibly functional and about as durable as it gets. I saw canyon packs from Camp too, nothing special, but very functional. It will probably be next to impossible to get them here in the U. S.
Although they didnÕt have a booth at the show I got to check out the new Imlay ÒCanyoneering PackÓ Looks pretty good! In fact, as nice as any IÕve seen. A simple, functional pack made with bombproof materials and construction and actually designed for American canyoneering. These packs definitely deserve a close look.
The Rope Silo is a rope pack/deployment bag that comes in three size to fit any rope diameter or length. IÕm a big fan of managing the rope out of a bag and the Silo is a particularly nice one.
Dry Bags
There are a lot of dry bags available these days, all pretty much the same. One exception is the Pacific Outdoor ÒPneumoÓ dry bag. It is available in five sizes (from tiny to downright huge) and is pretty cool. They use a lighter-weight fabric than most (probably not as durable) but feature an air valve that allows the bag to be either burped or inflated depending on your need.
At every show I attend talk about canyoneering increases. Just about every one recognizes the name even if they arenÕt quite sure just what canyoneering is. You can certainly argue whether or not increased popularity is good for our sport. One thing for sure though, manufacturers respond to growing markets so as canyoneering becomes more popular the gear selection should just get better and better.
Charly