New Outdoor Gear We Saw at the Outdoor Market Alliance Show Winter 2024 Show
The Treeline Review team at Outdoor Market Alliance Winter 2024 show. From left to right: Sam Schild, Liz Thomas, Chris Meehan, and Becca Downs.
Four of Treeline Review’s editors and writers talked with nearly 60 companies at the Outdoor Market Alliance’s (OMA) Winter 2024 Denver Media Show to discover what’s new, and exciting in the world of outdoor gear and what we’re looking forward to testing in the next 12 months.
With our team’s wide variety of interests, each of our fearless gear nerds honed on different aspects of the outdoor gear world reporting back new things coming to market and how companies are changing their products and offerings to meet the times. It’s hard work, but we’re happy to do it for our readers!
We saw brands we’ve known for years, like MSR, Outdoor Research and Mammut, and their latest offerings. We also saw newer brands, like Paka, which makes clothes out of Alpaca fibers. Another interesting thing we noticed is that more European brands, like Mountain Equipment and Montane (both of Britain), and Flaxta are making further inroads into the North American market.
Treeline Review Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief and thru-hiking guru, Liz Thomas, was on hand checking out all types of gear. Semi-nomadic desert running rat Sam Schild looked into #VanLife and car camping gear. Becca Downs, one of our trail running badasses, ran down the latest on traveling gear. Mountain and powder chaser Chris Meehan checked out sustainability trends and the latest winter gear. What we came away with was an understanding that companies are continuing to make their products more sustainable while still making them better and longer lasting.
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Thoughts from Chris Meehan
Sustainability
On the environmental and sustainability front brands continue to make strides in making their products more environmentally friendly. Patagucci (aka Patagonia) is far from the only company that’s doing a lot to make their products more sustainable. There were plenty of notes of environmental efforts undertaken by companies, but there was a definite rhythm and drumbeat to the song, recycled materials were the snare and the removal of forever chemicals (PFCs and PFAS) were the bass drum.
More recycled content
Almost everyone we talked to is using more recycled content in their synthetic softgoods. This includes using recycled nylon and polyester in their fabrics, and often in insulation. We also saw more recycled content in foams used in shoe midsoles and the rubber in the soles of some hiking shoes and boots.
Removing PFAS and PFCs
Almost everyone we met who makes soft goods, like rain jackets and winter jackets, is moving away from PFCs and PFAs (trust us, you don’t want us to spell it out, but you can learn about them here). These chemicals, often called forever chemicals, were used in jackets, packs, boots, and outerwear as part of the waterproofing or durable water resistance (DWR) treatment applied to their products to make them retain water repellency for a long time.
Many companies are using their own DWR treatments up to their mid-range offerings and then using a treatment like Gore-Tex’s new ePE (expanded polyethylene) membrane in higher-end products (If you want to go down the gearhole you can learn more about ePE being more sustainable here).
We also talked with Nikwax, which is beginning to partner with more manufacturers to use their solutions, which were always PFAS free, in new applications. Outdoor Research, for instance, is the first to use Nikwax’s Direct.Dry in manufacturing some of its waterproof gear. They’ll be launching the new application in the next iteration of their popular Aspire II and Foray II collection of rain jackets and pants when they launch in Fall 2024.
Finding sustainable gear
These are all positive developments, and we hope to see more of them in the future, like more use of solution dyeing, for instance. If making a sustainable purchase is one of the most important things for you, look for products that use bluesign-approved materials or are certified by bluesign, they continue to up the game in terms of ensuring companies are making more sustainable products. Another thing to look for are companies that have completed impact assessments and are actively working to reduce their environmental footprint as outlined in a sustainability report, like VF Corp’s.
Full life cycle sustainability
Of all the sustainably made products we saw at the show, perhaps the most sustainable was the Endless Promise Collection from NEMO. Under the program, NEMO is focussing on making fully circular products, which include updates to existing products, like their Disco and Riff sleeping bags, and new products, like the Coda sleeping bag (which is so popular, it is already out of stock).
Under the program, NEMO makes every part of the gear 100% recyclable and reusable—that includes the materials as well as the insulation. For instance, NEMO is Allied Down’s first partner for its traceable, recyclable down program: RENU:TRACE. We’re hoping to see more companies join in the near future. In the meantime, you can read more in our review of the new Nemo's Endless Promise Disco Sleeping Bag.
Innovation in ski and winter gear
Ski bindings
DPS showed off a couple of interesting new technologies. Its new DPS F 15 EVO Bindings for alpine touring, which are made by ATK, have a new brake lock that engages when you twist the binding. Even more interesting is that the pin bindings for the toes now have lateral release tension adjustment—something we haven’t seen before, and the bindings adjust from 7-15, making it harder or easier to release when in ski mode. You can learn more in our guide Ski Bindings: What They Are and How to Choose. When they come out, we're looking forward to testing these for our Best Backcountry Ski Bindings guide.
Permanent Glide
DPS also showed off a new formulation of its Phantom permanent glide (no wax needed) treatment designed for nordic skis. The new formulation is designed for those unique needs, and one of DPS’ reps warned that if you tried to use them on alpine touring skis, skins would never stick to the base again. For now, you can check out our guide to Best Ski Waxing and Tuning Kits.
NFC Chip in Skis
The skis featured new features inside, like a near-field communications (NFC) chip. The chip will help DPS increase production efficiency by tracing the manufacturing process, and once in a shop or customer’s hands, it can offer information about the skis.
Updated avalanche beacon
Mammut introduced the latest version of its already revolutionary Barryvox avalanche transceiver, the Barryvox S2. The new transceiver won an ISPO Award for innovation. In making its decision, ISPO cited its easy-to-read display—which works even with polarized lenses in high light, the ability to update the device over Bluetooth, and its fine searching capabilities, all of which make a faster, better way to find a buried backcountry companion. The Barryvox 1 was a winner in our Best Avalanche Beacons guide. We’re looking forward to demoing this when it becomes available.
Ski helmets
We also saw a new line of ski and snowboard helmets from a newer company called Flaxta. Its Deep Space line of helmets all look the same on the outside, but depending on the model, include varying levels of protection, including MIPS liners.
One model, not available yet, will feature a Quin device. The app-connected device can tell when you’re in an accident, inform your friends or family, and even call 911. It offers medical professionals information about your accident, like impact speed and more information that is useful in assessing brain injury.
Flaxta is also unique in that two parts of the helmet, the hardshell top and the goggle clip, are customizable. Buyers can change out colors to match their kit or make their helmet stand out. We're looking forward to testing these for our Best Ski Helmets guide.
BOA Ski Boots
K2 showed off a handsome line of skis this year, but we also got to see how quickly they’re adding BOA’s H+i1 system into their line. BOA launched the system last year in partnership with K2, Salomon, Atomic, and Fischer, marking the first major change we’ve seen to traditional 4-buckle downhill ski boots in a long time. The BOA system promises a fit that’s much more customized to a rider’s foot, promising more comfort in a stiff hard boot. We’ve been testing them out on a pair of K2 Mindbenders and have been impressed with them so far, but we are still getting used to the boot.
USA-Made Mountaineering boot
One other thing that impressed us was Danner’s US-made hiking/mountaineering boot, the Crag Rat EVO. Sadly, the majority of US-made boots these days lack the technology we want and expect in a quality hiking and mountaineering boot. However, this boot from Danner includes a Gore-Tex liner, crampon compatible heel, and a highly ruggedized exterior around the base of the synthetic leather upper. It’s a boot we’d be happy scraping against and bouncing off rocks, and doesn’t feel too heavy in hand.
Thoughts from Sam Schild
We saw a continued push towards accessibility in sizing as well as broadening the umbrella of who the outdoor industry is catering to by pushing into niche markets. Yes, it’s still making gear for core outdoor athletes, but it's pushing into more specific segments and making gear for a more diverse audience.
Plus-size backpacks
As Gregory Packs redesigns the backpacks in its model line, they’re adding plus-size options to every pack going forward. This year, we saw the newly redesigned Gregory Jade and Zulu, a lightweight hiking backpack with awesome ventilation. This pack comes in a 28-liter plus size option as well as 20, 24, and 28-liter backpack sizes. We look forward to the day when every Gregory Backpack is available for a wider range of body shapes and sizes. For now, check out our guide on the previous model of plus-size backpacks in our Best Plus-Size Outdoor Gear guide.
Car and travel
New Gregory Alpaca Camping and Travel Line
This year, Gregory is also stepping outside of the backpack world and into the car-camping storage world. The Alpaca Gear Basket and Alpaca Gear Box aren’t revolutionary products by any means, but they’re not a backpack. These new offerings from Gregory represent a broader trend we saw of outdoor brands continuing to vie for a piece of that high-dollar Overlanding market. (To be clear, these aren't made of Alpaca fiber, like the Paka products below).
Yakima MOD Drawer System
This year Yakima is moving beyond roof racks, cargo boxes, and bike racks with the release of the MOD Drawer System. This is a modular drawer system that easily installs in the back of any vehicle with a larger trunk, and it allows you to mix and match what size and shape of drawers you want to use as well. It’s not revolutionary, but it clearly targets those Overlanding customers who don’t bat an eye at high-dollar car accessories.
Thule Outset Tent
Thule also previewed a new tailgate hitch-mounted tent, the Thule Outset. This tent has the same benefits as a rooftop tent, mainly because you can sleep on uneven, bumpy surfaces. But, it promises to be much easier to install and uninstall on your vehicle since you don’t have to lift a heavy rooftop tent on top of your car. You might not look quite like those cool Overlanders with a rooftop tent on their Forerunner sitting in Denver traffic, but you’ll get better gas mileage this way. And you can leave your tent set up at a campsite during resupply runs.
Deuter Steps Into the World of Bikepacking
Deuter, the brand you probably know for making high-quality backpacking packs for hauling heavy loads, has stepped into the world of ultralight bikepacking bags. Their new Cabezon line consists of the fully-waterproof handlebar, saddle, and half-frame bag models. The handlebar bag uses a two-piece harness and double-sided stuff sack design. The saddle bag also employs a similar two-piece system, with a harness that mounts to your bike’s seat rails and seatpost and a waterproof stuff sack that slides into the harness. The frame bag is a simple half frame design and is fully waterproof while leaving part of your frame available to still use a water bottle. Though they aren’t revolutionary, hopefully these bags are as durable as they initially seem. We’re currently testing a set of Cabezon bags, so we’ll know more soon. We’re looking forward to adding these to our guides to Best Bike Handlebar Bags, Best Seat and Saddle Bags, and Best Frame Bags.
Thoughts from Becca Downs
While the pandemic still ebbs and flows in our collective consciousness, more and more folks are feeling comfortable planning trips. At the OMA media show, brands showcased some of their newest innovations on the travel front, including smart and packable suitcases and packs, water filtration and purification, and clothing that can double as durable outdoor gear and casual daily outfits.
Travel luggage and packs
Brands leaning into travel gear this spring have been most evident in the innovations in luggage and packs. Of the brands I met with, I was most impressed with Mystery Ranch’s line of versatile and convertible packs and suitcases. A couple of my favorites include the Mission Wheelie, Mission Rover, and 3 Way 18 Expandable Briefcase.
The Mission Wheelie is available in three sizes – 40L, 80L, and 130L – and features five total pockets and plenty of organizational features. The Mission Rover is a versatile, three-way carry system that can be used as a suitcase, shoulder, or (stowable) backpack. It’s available in 30L, 45L, and 60 Plus. The 3 Way 18 Expandable Briefcase also comes with thoughtful organizational features, and can be carried as a briefcase, over-the-shoulder sling bag, or as a pack. All three items serve as functional, durable, convenient travel bags.
Gregory also presents a new line of packable, durable packs, wagons, and totes for whatever travel needs a person may have, from flying to car trips to a walk to the park. From thoughtfully-designed, stackable gear boxes, travel-friendly, collapsible totes, and an all-terrain gear wagon, car travel in particular can be more organized with these systems.
Cotopaxi also surprised me with additions to their already impressive line of convertible bags and packs with a new suitcase and adjustable packs. The Allpa Roller Bags – available in 38L for weekend trips and 65L for longer trips – takes their best-selling Allpa Pack and converts it into a roller for greater ease while traveling. The roller bags have a lot of organizational features, are water-resistant, and durable. The 38L size is also carry-on compatible.
Travel-oriented clothing
When I wrote the Staying on Track: Running Tips for Travelers guide last spring, I provided a tip of packing running clothes you might wear casually in order to save room. Outdoor brands are leaning into that idea with their new lines of outdoor clothing that doubles as casual wear.
One of my favorite examples was in Cotopaxi’s new line of clothing, which aims to make packing for trips easier with its versatility. Their hiking dresses (the Muevo and Tolima Overall dresses are both cute and have pockets!), jackets (like the updated Teca fleece full-zip jacket, now available in up to 4x), shirts, and pants are all designed to hold up in the outdoors while looking trendy enough to wear casually about town.
Other brands are marching to the same beat by designing durable, breathable, technical outdoor clothing that looks nice enough to travel in, too. Icebreaker’s spring line of clothing, for example, includes dresses, tanks, shirts, and even a skort (the Merino 125 Cool-Lite Active Skort – essentially a skirt with shorts underneath). The new line utilizes merino wool along with their proprietary ZoneKnit and Cool-Lite materials in areas where you’re more likely to sweat. The clothes lean into the athleisure look while maintaining features needed in durable outdoor clothing. As someone who has never hiked in a dress, but is intrigued by the trend and its potential benefits, I’m particularly excited to test the Merino 150 Active Dress.
Treeline’s team wearing the same Paka Original Crew. From left to right: Liz Thomas, Becca Downs, and Sam Schild.
The brand Paka–which prioritizes sustainability and fair wages for a community in Peru where they are based and mill their fabric–uses alpaca fiber and their proprietary “PAKAFILL” insulation, which is warmer than synthetic wool and can withstand moisture/precipitation. Their undergarments are so buttery, and their sweaters are gorgeous.
Hand-sewn features are added by Peruvian workers–who are paid 4x the living wage–and their names are added to a tag on the inside of the garment as a personal touch. Paka’s clothing is not only sustainable and well-crafted–it’s also beautiful and something you could wear for a range of occasions.
Making fashionable outdoor clothing is nothing new for Royal Robbins, but it’s worth adding that their new clothes continue to look nice and hold up to the elements. I’m personally excited to try out an updated design of their popular Spotless Traveler Tank dress, which would be nice enough to wear in most work settings or an evening out.
Travel-oriented water purification
For international travelers, Grayl continues to have your water purification needs covered. They’ve innovated their water filter and purification system with some thrilling new features in the new GeoPress Ti. Now made with titanium and collapsible handles, this bottle doubles as a cooking “pot” so you can boil your purified water. Another small handle is added so you can hook a carabiner and rope to drop the bottle into hard-to-reach water sources. Essentially, the GeoPress Ti is a water collector, filter, purifier, 24 oz drinking bottle, and cookpot, all in one.
Favorite Gear Innovation
While the hiking dresses have piqued my interest, and while the Grayl GeoPress Ti has impressed me, the product most on my mind since leaving the media show has been La Sportiva’s new trail running shoe, the Levante. With stickier outsoles and a lower stack height, the Levante is designed for running on technical, mountainous terrain. The Levante features new midsole technology–an XFlow™ super foam midsole for cushioning and energy return, and the Trail Rocker™ to support the natural strike of the foot while running–and has a 6mm drop.
This shoe is women’s-specific and designed with input from one of La Sportiva’s ultra athletes, Clare Gallagher. Gallagher has won the Leadville 100, Western States, and other major ultra races, so of course, I fangirled so hard at the mention of her name and am stoked to test these trail shoes soon.
Thoughts from Liz Thomas
As a hiker who is always on the lookout for ultralight gear, there were a few items that piqued my interest for distance backpacking.
Black Diamond's new Ultralight Pack
Rarely does a major brand come out with a pack that makes the ultralighters turn their heads. Black Diamond's new BetaLight 30L pack did just that.
At 697 grams (24.6 ounces), it's made of waterproof Ultra 200 fabric with taped seams and a vest-like harness with functional shoulder pockets.
It's got a roll-top and (rare among fastpacks of this size) has potentially load lifters. It's got a removable frame and removable hipbelt, though the hipbelt pockets actually looked like they could fit a phone, so maybe you'd want to keep it.
Can the BetaLight beat out other ultralight fastpacks? To be determined. What we can say is that unlike many other mainstream brands trying to go ultralight, this one actually looks promising at first sight.
Sleeping pads and mattresses
The Nemo Tensor sleeping pad is our winner for most comfortable sleeping pad in our Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads guide. We've often talked about whether its comfort makes it worthy of the title of best overall winner. Our only complaint with the Nemo is that it weighs more than its main competitor, the Therm-a-Rest Neo-Air XLite.
The new Nemo Tensor All-Season is about to shake things up. It has an r-value of 5.4 and weighs 14.1 oz (in contrast, the XLite is 12 oz with an r-value of 4.5). The Tensor Extreme has a r-value of 8.5 and weighs 17 oz (in contrast, the NeoAir XTherm is 16 oz with an r-value of 7.3). Given the comfort of older models of the Nemo Tensor, there's a possibility the long-time winner in our Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads guide will be unseated. Stay tuned!
We're testing the ExPed MegaMat Luxemat, which is proving to be an even more comfortable take on the long-time winner in our Best Camping Mattress guide, the ExPed Megamat. Compared to the traditional MegaMat, which remains available, the Luxe has an organic cotton tricot knitted fabric with wool insulation underneath. It has carry handles and can even go into couch mode. The wool adds air movement and moisture management, a significant improvement over the sticky surface of the regular Megamat. The topper is washable (another plus), which is a popular feature with pet owners. As a dirtbag, my car camping mattress doubles as a guest bed (sorry / not sorry to anyone visiting me), so having something nicer, easier to clean, and to put away is a huge improvement on an already much beloved camping mattress.
Innovation in filters
The Platypus Quickdraw filter is the current overall winner in our Best Water Filters and Purifiers for backpacking guide. It's now available in multiple colors, so you can tell your filter apart from your friend's. But, the newest iteration, the QuickDraw Gravity, is both a squeeze and a gravity filter. They also have a new adapter called the Daycap that can screw onto a Hydro Flask or Yeti bottle. This allows you to use your favorite insulated hiking water bottle as a water filter for hiking or travel. However, it is only a filter, not a purifier (read about the difference between water filters and purifiers here), so it is only for use domestically.
Meanwhile, the Lifestraw Peak Solo is now available in more colors beyond black and blue. It's a hollow fiber water filter that operates similar to the Sawyer Squeeze or Quickdraw, but boasts the lightest weight of any filter of its class at 1.7 oz and claims the fastest filtering at a rate of 3L/minute. I take all water filter claims of speed with a grain of salt, but was impressed by its backflush syringe which screws on to avoid the inevitable alignment issues that come with other backflush syringes.
The shoe update
La Sportiva's long-time favorite, the Bushido trail running shoe, has won prizes in our Best Women's Trail Running Shoes and Best Men's Trail Running Shoes guides.
Now the Bushido III, the newest iteration, comes in a WIDE WIDTH. That's right, kids. All of us wide-footed people who have drooled over the Bushido for nearly half a decade can finally wear this trail running and scrambling favorite. The newest iteration is supposedly more breathable and even lugg-ier. I can't wait to try these out.
The Vasque St. Elias is a classic hiking boot that has been a favorite for years and is featured in our Best Hiking Boots guide. It's getting a major update to reduce break-in time. Vasque is adding a collar for more comfort and more cushioning. The lugs are deeper. We're intrigued and curious to test out the new twist on a classic boot.
Scarpa has been a winner in our Best Hiking Shoes and Best Women's Trail Running Shoes and Best Men's Trail Running Shoes for a while. Now they are the first brand to introduce RECCO technology into their upcoming hiking boots in their Moraine collection of hiking boots and Rush winter boots. RECCO is a technology that is often found in ski gear to help rescue lost skiers. By putting RECCO into hiking boots, lost, dead, or injured hikers are now more easily found with a RECCO sensor. It makes sense to have the RECCO reflector in them too, since you're much more likely to turn to the same pair of boots for every hike than you are to turn to the same jacket.
Xero Shoes is well known for their minimalist hiking sandals and we have tested a few for our Best Hiking Sandals guide and Best Camp Shoes guide. In the last few years the company has made forays into shoes of all sorts–from hiking boots to office-appropriate footwear. Each shoe design remains zero drop, keeping in line with the brand's ethos.
The Xero Scrambler is a lightweight hiking boot that looks like the Altra Lone Peak Mid, which also features zero drop. Notably, the Scrambler has a Michelin rubber sole. It's also got eVent Bio PFAS-free waterproofing (there's also a mesh, non-waterproof version). The women's version is built on a women-specific last, which is one way brands show they are not just "shrinking and pinking" men's gear but designing items that reflect subtle anatomical differences. The Scrambler is also available as a low shoe.
Xero shoes also makes winter boots with a heat reflective insole and Chelsea boots for use at home. We're excited to test out more of their Best Men's and Women's Winter Boots guides.
Down insulation
Example of sheet down used in the Helly Hansen Odin.
Up until now, outdoors people get to choose: down jacket or synthetic jacket. We dive into the pros and cons in Which is better: a down or synthetic jacket?, but one of the big differences between the two is how the insulation physically stays within the thin, shell fabric of the jacket. Synthetic insulation is often laid down in sheets. Down is blown in, often using a reverse vacuum-like machine. Down can migrate (labor-intensive baffles sewn into a jacket help keep down in place).
Helly Hansen's new Odin LT jacket uses a new type of down insulation where down is attached to a sheet offering the lightweight insulation properties of down but the feathers stay in place like synthetic sheet insulation. So far, the unique down is only in their higher-end jackets, but we look forward to seeing the technology become more widespread.
MSR Lightning Explore new bindings
For the past few years, MSR has been phasing in a major change to their snowshoe line-up: easier to use and repair Paradigm bindings. We’ve covered how much easier and more comfortable these bindings are in our Best Snowshoes guide. In the past few years, they've updated the bindings on the Lightning Ascent (our best backcountry snowshoe winner) and our overall winner, the Evo Trail.
Now, their mid-price, intermediate-to-advanced Explore series of snowshoes gets a binding overhaul, too. The Explore line is for folks on rolling terrain–not ones who are sticking just to flat trails but who don't need the full climbing capabilities of the Ascent line, either. We're thrilled for more options with better bindings.
Conclusion
As fun as it was to see the new gear, getting the Treeline Review gang together in person is always the highlight of these events. We're proud to be 100% remote so testers take gear from the mountains to the ocean and from the alpine to the desert.
We cherish the chance to hang out together and learn about gear, laugh about upcoming adventures, and nerd out about innovation. Many thanks to Becca, Chris, and Sam for your insight, gear nerd-dom, and good times at Winter OMA 2024. I can't wait to go back.
