Steve Casimiro's 2011 Gear Forecast - Technical Fabrics, Avalanche Packs, Lighter Footwear, and Pastel Colors

By Contributing Editor Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal. See more of Casimiro's gear recommendations in our must-have gear gallery >>

After five days in Utah at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in search of the best new products from 800 brands and 18,000 attendees, I returned home with a swag count of two pairs of men’s boxer-briefs (unused, clean) and a shot glass with an unprintable word on it (used, dirty). Parsing the tea leaves of free stuff like the best tasseographer, I can only come to the conclusion that wool continues to remain supreme and a salty sense of humor is filtering into this occasionally parched culture.

These trends, however, might or might not be making their way to your nearest outdoor retailer. More significant ones, I should note, are. And while it’s impossible for even the most intrepid reporter to suss out every pulse worth mentioning, here are some of the more intriguing developments:

1. After years of mostly tiptoeing around the 800-pound gorilla of technical fabrics, i.e. Gore-Tex, a slew of companies are lining up to steal Gore’s bananas, including Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, and Polartec, the 800-pound gorilla of fleece. Most of their new fabrics are centered around air permeability, i.e., the movement of air to assist evaporation. Gore-Tex, which is not air permeable, relies on body heat to convert sweat to vapor and push it through the waterproof-breathable membrane. Gore’s new Active Shell is laminated directly to the outer fabric of your jacket or pants, which reduces adhesives and thus increases breathability, it says.

2. Pop goes the weasel to stay on top of the snow: Backpacks that contain inflatable airbags to keep you afloar in event of an avalanche will be much more readily available and in more offerings this fall. The bags, which have been used to great success (and much higher survival rates than victims without equipped packs) in Europe, are going to be offered in the U.S. by Backcountry Access, Snowpulse, ABS, and Mammut. Rumor has it North Face is working on its version, to be launched in 2012.

3. Shoes be getting lighter. Yes, the barefoot trend is continuing, with New Balance, Merrell, and instigator Vibram Five Fingers showing up in force. But every regular ol’ dogs are on a diet. Teva has a line of travel shoes, the heaviest of which weighs 5.4 ounces. And Timberland’s renewed focus on technical footwear has spawned a waterproof-breathable hiking boot that weighs less than many trail runners, 12 ounces.

There was more, of course. Alpine touring gear is sizzling hot, Americana and heritage are big, and, though can only pray these will be a short blip on the radar, Easter egg colors and contrasting zippers are huge. Even the undies are bright. Those boxer-briefs? One’s purple, one’s chartreuse.

Comments

[EKG Interpretation]

These are some fantastic shoes.

[bogor plasa]

nice information. i like the shoes style. i hope get the shoes.

[yanzee]

thanks for article. the article very great.

[willy]

A good shoe. it seems interesting to have it

[nikita]

A good shoe. seemed comfortable.

[Calvin Klein]

beautiful but dangerous travelling
Cool

[Matt Boreau]

Those shoes look fantastic. Now, you mentioned the boxer-briefs twice, but other than their color, did they have some special characteristics?

[wandbilder]

How amazing these shoes are....it is very comfortable and it is very light weight..:-))

[ft lauderdale web design]

wow this was amazing thanks for sharing this

[razor e100]

the model is really funny.

[ferragamo shoes]

the information of this post is very relevant
for what i am looking for, thank you so much for sharing this one

[Erric]

wow!!!
the shoes are so vivid and cute!
i love it

[Coach Factory Outlet]

We can believe we are being self-reliant and independent, and yet there is still clearly an overarching destiny, a Great Maker.

[Sami M.]

Every at my gym is wearing these!

[jacobson]

I saw these online the other day. One of the coolest things I've heard about them is that athletes say they feel more in tune with the earth, that wearing the footwear feels more natural.

[South African Hunting Safari]

Perfect for my new adventure. I love the toes' design. One of a kind.

[John looking for paid travel]

Great shows but I think they are not beautiful.but new idea...

[pupu4]

meuni sae pisan....mw dong satu............

[CCIE]

Having light footwear colored with a pastel will have a psychology effect upon traveling. Have a nice picking up your things.

[pupu3]

wowser !

[pupu3]

wowser !

[pupu2]

such a great shoes !

[pupu2]

such a great shoes

[fransfatulesi]

Yeahh..it's very nice information.And this a good shoes..Thanks.

[Fara Mendoza]

Those are fantastic pair of shoes and I hope that they will get near to many outdoor retailer stores. I am a sporty person and would love to have those kind of shoes. The style looks great and I know i will get to be more comfortable wearing it while playing badminton and jogging.