Outdoor Retailer 2019 | Coolest New Outdoor Products – Popular Mechanics

Over three days, the biggest, coolest, most innovative brands (and a few others) displayed their newest outdoor and adventure gear at Denver’s Convention Center. We were there, searching for the best new stuff to fuel your adventure.

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From high-tech portable charging stations, to the comfiest hiking boots, we saw, tried, and reported on it all. Here are the 16 standout products. Whether you’re venturing into the backcountry, or just want to enjoy your backyard, there’s something here for you. Most won’t be available ’til spring—plenty of time to start saving.

Biolite Headlamp 200

Price: $40

Louis Mazzante

Biolite takes a lot of the design features that made its 330-lumen headlamp a runaway success, and offers it in a more affordable package with fewer lumens, but no rear battery. The headband-like fit, intuitive control, USB rechargeability, and light weight are carryovers from the 330, but you’ll also find a green light and new band colors in the $39.99 Headlamp 200.

Skinnies Sun Gel

Price: $35

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Who hasn’t had the experience of sun cream running into their eyes on a hot hike or bike ride? The New Zealand team behind Skinnies has, which is why it designed a non-water-based sun gel—it’s more concentrated, won’t sweat off, and lasts longer. If your regular sun cream is an Americano, this is an espresso. A pea-sized amount covers your face and neck, doesn’t leave a greasy residue, and lasts all day due to a clever process that ensures the gel sits on, not in, your skin. More concentrated sunscreen means less waste, which is great for the planet, as is the reef-safe verification and sustainable design and manufacturing process. Sunscreen is something you use every day and this might be the best one going.

Goal Zero Nomad 5

Price: $59

Louis Mazzante

If you camp, or just spend long days outdoors, you’ve felt the sinking feeling of knowing that your hike might last longer than your phone battery. Goal Zero’s new $50 solar panel charges a USB pack or device with enough juice for a cellphone charge in 2 to 3 hours of sunlight, making it the easiest, simplest, and most affordable way to stay in touch when your outdoors. The integrated stand, and the fact that the whole setup is the size of a legal sheet of paper, means it’ll be easy to fit in any daypack (or the trunk of your car), and you’ll never be without sustainable power.

Coast EAL22r

Price: $125

Louis Mazzante

This lantern has plenty of power to light up your cabin, backyard, or tent, but when you have too much stuff on your table, hang it from the ceiling with the hook on the underside. What we loved most about this lantern, though, is when you remove the plastic cover to reveal the LED cluster bulb, it transitions into a hanging overhead light, bright enough to be a chandelier. The lantern will give you a great diffused light for hours to come. And when day arrives, plug it into the wall—this bad boy is also rechargeable.

Bodyglove Crusader

Price: $2,000

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Paddleboards are a great way to explore flat water and surf, but trips with friends and family can be tough when experience levels differ. Bodyglove’s new Crusader paddleboard solves this problem by offering enough space for a half-dozen paddlers (although realistically four adults is a pretty full load). The rockered nose and fishtail rear make the raft-sized board surf-friendly if your crew is up to it; but even if not, the cooler mounts and stable deck make it a great choice for a day on the river or lake. Think of it as a combination of a private beach and a water-going minivan that you can surf on.

Nemo Sweepstake

Price: $25 (pack of 6)

Louis Mazzante

It’s a tent stake, but better. We love how the Sweepstake solves small problems with simple solutions. The glow-in-the-dark slider not only stops you from walking into the stakes and guylines at night, but also an integrated cleaner which simply slides down the body of the stake to remove dirt and grit that gets embedded in the notched part of the lightweight alloy body of the stake, meaning your stuff sack won’t be full of grit and sand on day two of your trip.

Thermarest WingLock

Price: Varies

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Inflating pads can be frustrating. Thermarest’s new Winglock solves a lot of the frustrations of getting just the right pressure by having two separate systems for letting air in and out—meaning you’ll never let out the air you just busted your lungs blowing in—and letting you tune your comfort level with just a squeeze of the wings on either side of the inflation valve. Not only are the valves different, but they also allow more air to move, so you can inflate three times faster and deflate twice as fast as previous models. Three years in the making, this valve promises to make every night outside a little more relaxing.

Oru Kayak lake

Price: TBD

Louis Mazzante

Kayaks are great fun when you’re using them, but for anyone living in a city or without a garage they are a massive hassle to store. Oru Kayaks were founded when one San Francisco apartment dweller wanted to paddle, and didn’t have the space for a boat. The folding Oru Kayak uses origami-inspired designs to make a boat that weighs less than 20 pounds, assembles in two to three minutes, and packs into a backpack, all for under $1,000 (Oru estimates it will be between $800 and $900). This is a less aggressive boat than the brand’s other designs, but it’s also smaller, lighter, and more affordable.

Hydroflask Trail Series

Price: $45 to $100

Louis Mazzante

Hydroflask’s bottles dominate the insulated-bottle category and can be found everywhere from campuses to cafés, but they’re less common on trails. Hydroflask’s new trail series aims to solve this by cutting the weight of its bottles dramatically. The 21-ounce Ultralight Titanium Standard Mouth Bottle is the lightest-weight vacuum-insulated bottle currently on the market. Weighing 35 percent less than Hydroflask’s 21-ounce Standard bottle, the 24- and 32-ounce Lightweight Wide Mouth bottles are 25 percent lighter than the equivalent-sized regular Hydroflasks. All products within the Trail Series feature TempShield™ vacuum insulation and the brand’s trademark durability. Even if you’re not headed out on the PCT, hauling less weight in your carry-on or backpack is a plus, especially when you don’t have to compromise durability or insulation.

Matrix PowerWatch Series 2

Price: $499

Louis Mazzante

Smart watches are great, but if you’re using them to track sleep or calorie burn then taking them off means missing out on useful data. The Matrix Smartwatch 2 uses solar power and the wearer’s body heat to power the watch, meaning it never has to come off and you get more information. The Thermoelectric charging system also allows the watch to accurately measure calories. In addition to tracking your calorie burn, the watch features GPS, smartwatch functionality, and a number of strap options. With $2 million already raised via crowdfunding, this Silicon Valley start-up is sure to be a huge success.

Patagonia Provisions Salmon

Price: $14 (two 4-ounce packets)

Louis Mazzante

The perfect gourmet backcountry option, or backyard food. Patagonia sources the salmon from Lummi Island Wild, an operation that catches the fish off the coast of Bellingham, Washington, using modern adaptations of Native American techniques. Patagonia cooks and packages the salmon so you can eat it directly out of the bag. You can also boil the bag to warm the fish up or slap it in a pan to grill. And this fish is good. Tender, with a real fresh taste. Have it in a plain original, black pepper, or lemon pepper. Bring some on any adventure and fuel your body while you satisfy your tongue.

Duer Weightless Denim

Price: $129

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These pants use 6-ounce denim, making them incredibly light and thin. They have a soft touch that feels a bit more like chinos, even though the denim has that toughness you expect out of your jeans, and DUER. Of course, being DUER these also stretch to keep you comfortable and are antimicrobial so you won’t get your stank on. The perfect denim for a summer adventure or just a beer.

Altra Tushar

Price: $170 (low), $200 (high)

Louis Mazzante

The company best known for its untraditional, zero-drop running shoes now has an unconventional hiking boot. What’s different about it? It’s one of the lightest, most flexible boots you can find. There are 7mm lugs for plenty of traction, and a light TPU midsole. The heel cup is soft like a comfy shoe, so there should be little break-in, and eVent waterproof fabric should keep your feet dry in nasty conditions. The shoe will be available in low and high versions, for men and women.

Kelty Tallboy

Price: $150 (4-person)

Louis Mazzante

For less than the price of a HoJo in most cities, you can purchase this four-person tent from Kelty that’s designed to make it easier to get families out into the wild. The name alludes to its most appealing feature: This thing stands almost 6 feet tall, so there’s plenty of room to stand up and move around. It’s not light, but it packs into a wide carrying case, so there’s less stress when it’s time to pack up and head home.

The North Face Activist Futurelight

Price: $135 to 145

Louis Mazzante

TNF brings its new Futurelight fabric tech to a ton of hiking and trail-running shoes. The material promises to be highly waterproof and breathable, using nanospun fibers to allow air to pass through, but blocking water molecules. The Activist is for what TNF product manager Ethan Fried describes as “active” users—trail runners and hikers who value comfort and style as much as performance, who likely start or finish their adventure in a coffee shop or brewpub. The boot is light, comfortable, and comes in mid and high versions.

Topo Rover Premium

Price: $169

Louis Mazzante

Topo has developed one of the most identifiable visual identities of any outdoor brand—making almost everything in bright solid hues will do that. But even when the company goes all-black, like it did with the new Premium line, its products still stand out, showing that there’s more to its design than a devotion to color blocking. The Premium Rover is a beautiful version of the popular pack. Despite the all-black exterior, you won’t confuse this with a Samsonite. There’s a sleek silhouette, heavy-duty zippers, and metal buckles and clasps. And you still get the Cordura base, water-resistant upper, and convenient cinch-top closure.