Gear Trends and Cool Things We Saw at Outdoor Market Alliance Winter 2025
We got a sneak peek at what to look forward to in outdoor gear in 2026
Outdoor Market Alliance in the snow. Photo by Evan Dudley
Eight of Treeline Review’s editors and writers talked with nearly 60 companies at the Outdoor Market Alliance’s (OMA) Winter 2025 Denver Media Show this month.
We discovered what’s new and exciting in the world of outdoor gear and wanted to share it with our readers. We got a look at yet-to-be-released outdoor gear, what is on the horizon, and trends in the outdoor industry.
Best yet—the Outdoor Market Alliance show is a non-profit that donates proceeds to getting more folks outside, like this show that donated space and travel support to Riverlink and Mountain True so they could discuss the recovery efforts in and around Asheville post-Helene. These efforts are near and dear to our hearts, as Treeline Review helped raise over $19,000 for Hurricane Helene victims.
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Some of the Treeline Review team at OMA. From left to right: Becca, Mary, Sam, Liz, Stasia, Kai, Miso (the pup), and Chris.
Here's a recap on what we saw:
Semi-nomadic desert rat Sam Schild looked into bike and run gear, but has a lot to say about lifestyle items. (Jump to Sam's section →)
Editor Becca Downs, a trail running coach badass, ran down the latest on run and lifestyle gear. (Jump to Becca's section →)
Mountain and powder chaser Chris Meehan checked out sustainability trends and the latest winter gear. (Jump to Chris's section →)
Skier, runner, and cyclist Stasia Stockwell kept an eye out for snow and sustainability trends. (Jump to Stasia's section →)
Treeline Review Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief and thru-hiker, Liz Thomas, was checking out big industry-wide trends. (Jump to Liz's section →)
Editor Mary Murphy, sustainability expert Meg Carney, and new climbing writer Kai Burkhardt and dog Miso (featured in our Dog Gear guides!) were also walking (or in the case of Miso, sleeping on) the showfloor.
Here's what we’re looking forward to testing for Spring 2025 and Fall/Winter 2025/2026.
Interested in gear trends? See our OMA Summer 2024 article.
Sam Schild’s Takeaways
Sam Schild (the only person looking towards the camera) at the outdoor industry happy hour the night before OMA. Photo by Evan Dudley.
Outdoor Lifestyle
A trend I noticed at this year’s OMA show is the continued growth of outdoor lifestyle brands. What is “outdoor lifestyle,” exactly? Well, it’s what you do and what you wear when you aren’t doing a traditional outdoor “sport” but are still doing outdoorsy things—think parties with your friends in the woods, going to a festival, and driving to remote campsites for the weekend.
Royal Robbins continues to make strides in making clothing that is comfortable, looks good, and performs well for its intended applications and beyond. I tested their Desert Pucker last year. And while that shirt is very comfortable and looks great, I’m more excited about their new Camino Pucker, a redesigned version of the Desert Pucker.
The Camino Pucker is made with the same wood-derived Tencel fiber as the original, but the Camino comes in fun vintage designs and a looser fit. I wore this shirt over the weekend, and have ridden bikes, hiked with friends under the hot midday sun, and gone to dinner without changing my outfit. The Tencel fabric is fast-drying and doesn’t get too hot, so it’s the perfect shirt for all summer long. The Desert Pucker always felt more like a dress shirt to me, but the Camino Pucker is just fun, so I’ll wear it more often than the Desert Pucker.
Yakima also released its first hard-sided rooftop tent, the SkyPeak HD. If you’ve spent much time in outdoorsy cities, think Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City, you’ve likely seen your fair share of SUVs with rooftop tents. The SkyPeak HD stands out because you can integrate it with Yakima’s roof rack system. This roof top tent supports up to 300 pounds, which means you can put a roof-mounted bike rack on top of this tent (or solar panels, a solar shower, or cargo box).
Rooftop tents are a pain to mount—they’re heavy, and require at least two people to hoist onto your roof—which is why people end up driving around with theirs mounted all the time. The SkyPeak HD allows you to still use your roof in other ways while still being ready to set up camp quickly on the weekend. It also costs less than other hard-sided rooftop tents, and while rooftop tents are not nearly as affordable as traditional tents, it’s good to see a high-quality rooftop tent that doesn’t cost more than most used cars I’ve bought.
Helinox, which created the lightweight camp chair that every other brand also uses, is releasing a new camp chair, the Chair One (re). This chair, which also comes in a high-back version, integrates aluminum shavings from the manufacturing process into the support struts. It also has a dual-tension design that helps distribute the weight across the frame. This chair is much more comfortable than similarly-shaped packable camp chairs I’ve sat in, and I’m even more excited to spend long afternoons at camp in the Chair One High-back (re) I’m testing.
Trail Shoes
I was excited to see that La Sportiva is expanding their Prodigio line.The Prodigio trail runner is one of my favorite trail shoes, and it’s our top choice for men’s trail running shoes. Now they’re expanding the Prodigio line in some cool ways. This spring, they’re releasing the Prodigio Pro, Prodigio Max, and Prodigio Hike.
The Prodigio Pro, available in men’s and women’s, features a nitrogen-infused midsole, making it lighter, cushier, and more responsive than traditional running shoe midsoles. After a couple runs over the weekend, I can say this super shoe for the trails is fast. And it costs less than $200, which is a good deal for a super shoe. Several Treeline writers will be putting miles on these over the spring and will report back with our findings.
La Sportiva is also releasing a lightweight hiking shoe, the Prodigio Hike, in men’s and women’s. This light hiker has a higher ankle “mid” design and Gore-tex waterproofing. We haven’t gotten word on if a non-Gore-tex version will be released, which would fill the needs of many hikers, but it’s nice to see the Prodigio expanding into hiking shoes since so many people already use trail runners for hiking.
Finally, this year, La Sportiva is releasing the Prodigio Max, which will have the most stack height of any La Sportiva trail running shoe. It has 37-31 mm of stack height, which is on par with the HOKA Speedgoat, Altra Olympus, and other max cushion trail running shoes.
Bike Stuff
Sidi, a previously niche European cycling shoe brand, is redesigning their shoes for the American cycling market. You used to have to go out of your way to wear Sidi; now, it will be easier to get your hands on these shoes and they’ve been redesigned with a wider fit, which Sidi deems the “Millenium fit.” Sidi is now available on QBP, which supplies bike components and accessories to just about every American bike shop. We’ll likely see more from this brand in the American market.
Their new mountain bike shoe, the Physis, features a wider fit, carbon plate, and Dyneema dial system (Sidi’s own BOA-style tightening mechanism). They also have a newly designed carbon-plated road shoe, the Genius Knit 10, which features the wider Millenium fit and Dyeema dial system in a road platform as well. Neither of these shoes are cheap, but Sidi has always been a premium brand. Plus, a carbon plate is always expensive in shoes. But at least you can more easily get your hands on them, and they’ll be more comfortable now that there’s extra room for your toes. We’ll get back to you on comfort for long days in the saddle.
Becca Downs's Takeaways
Treeline Review editor Becca Downs (left) and Treeline co-founder Liz Thomas (right) trying on Minus33 gloves.
Made in the USA
A small theme I took note of at OMA is brands who manufacture their products in the USA. OKA Recovery, for example, is a new recovery shoe brand that manufactures its footwear in Buford, Georgia. The shoes are also made of 100% USA-sourced single injection EVA foam (which includes the reuse of OKA shoes that have reached the end of their life). OKA displayed their shoes on a bed of the EVA materials they use in making the shoes.
Two other brands manufacturing domestically include North Carolina-based sock company Farm to Feet, and Minus33, which manufactures its socks in New Hampshire (though, other clothing items are manufactured abroad). Farm to Feet in particular stood out, as they, like OKA, utilize US sources, manufacturing, and workers. They even source their packaging and point-of-sale displays in the US.
But Farm to Feet doesn’t just invest in US materials and workforce–the company invests in its natural resources and community by giving back to outdoors organizations and maintaining membership of the Conversation Alliance.
I was impressed with these companies’ efforts to circulate and invest in local communities. Considering growing concerns about threats to public lands and natural resources, possible tariffs, and even employment instability, it can feel comforting to see such efforts in the outdoor industry.
New in Trail Running Shoes
Continuing with footwear, new and upcoming trail running shoes caught my attention at OMA.
Scarpa recently updated their Spin Ultra from the 2.0 to include more cushion and updates to the upper. The Spin Ultra 2.0 has held the spot of Best Trail Running Shoes for Traction in our Best Women’s Trail Running Shoes guide. I’m stoked to test these and see how they compare to the older model.
La Sportiva recently made in-line updates to their Prodigio trail running shoe (i.e., didn’t release a new model, but made an update to their current model) that addresses an issue runners were having with the upper rubbing at the ankle. The Prodigio is the Overall Best Trail Running Shoe in our Best Men’s Trail Running Shoes guide, and I’m currently testing it for the women’s guide.
As Sam mentioned above, La Sportiva also showcased the Prodigio Pro, which is essentially a racing version of the Prodigio, with a PES Power Wire upper and a responsive XFlow Speed midsole. Unlike a lot of supershoes right now, the Prodigio Pros do not have a carbon plate, which makes me eager to test them side-by-side with a carbon-plated trail shoe. These seem durable, responsive, and comfortable–all important when it comes to racing on trails.
What I’m even more excited about from La Sportiva, though, is their upcoming Prodigio Max trail running shoe, which offers more stack height, more cushion, and a new fit. It seems like it will be great for long days on the trail, and an even more accessible shoe than the original Prodigio in the sense it will fit and accommodate more runners–we’ll see. La Sportiva is set to release the Max in August.
I also learned about trail running shoes I’m eager to test from brands that weren’t on my trail running shoe radar. For example, the Lowa Madrix is a lightweight, responsive, carbon-plated shoe designed for elite ultra racers. It has 6mm drop, a breathable upper, and a Vibram outsole.
I’ll admit, I didn’t expect Lowa–a brand renowned for their boots– to offer a racing trail shoe, so I’m interested to see how they compare to others I’ve tested, like the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro and HOKA Tecton X 3.
Another company that wasn’t on my radar for releasing a new trail running shoe is Teva, which will drop their new trail runners in June.
Chris Meehan's Takeaways
Treeline Review writer Chris Meehan (left) with Liz Thomas, Becca Downs, and Sam Schild.
Sustainability
Amidst headlines like “you’ve got a teaspoon of plastic in your brain—what’s that mean?” the outdoor industry, at least in the US, is still scrambling to get rid of most if not all of the PFCs and PFAs in their clothing…down to the last thread! Already they can’t sell clothes with those forever plastics in some of the country’s largest and richest markets, including California and New York. It’s a sustainability initiative that needs to happen across everything. But right now it’s a story we keep hearing about everything that’s coming out.
The newest and greenest iteration of Outdoor Research’s Foray rain jacket, all the features without the carbon footprint!
Beyond that, probably the most interesting sustainability story in clothing I saw at the OMA show was the new Foray (men’s)/Aspire (women’s) 3L Jacket from Outdoor Research.
The company is calling it the first technical rain jacket that is certified as carbon neutral by Climate Impact Partners, a third-party organization.
This means the company offsets all the carbon used in its production with other mechanisms, like purchasing carbon credits and using greener energy.
The jacket is obviously PFAS-free and uses NikWax’s Direct Dry for its DWR. The jacket has mechanical stretch and is made from 100% recycled fabric. The jacket won an ISPO Innovation award for achieving the first carbon neutral certification in a technical apparel piece, and we’re looking forward to testing it in the wild.
The Ravine Metawool uses an interesting combo of merino and synthetic insulation in a midlayer.
Snow innovation
Ortovox is doing something interesting with insulation, mixing wool with synthetic insulation in one jacket and wool with down in another. Such mixes are something we’ve seldom seen before, though Smartwool blends merino and polyester in its Smartloft pieces.
In the Ravine Metawool the company is using 80% German Merino wool and 20% polylactide, a synthetic insulation. The jacket is a mid-layer intended for backcountry riding. The Metawool also takes an interesting approach in that it looks like a more apres-style jacket with its unique quilting than most jackets in the same class.
The Ortovox Downwool 270 mixes up the insulation game with wool and down together.
Its companion is the Downwool 270 jacket, which is 70% RDS-certified down and 30% alpine wool. This warm puffy jacket is more of a freeride jacket for the coldest days. Ortovox says that in high humidity wool will increase its loft by up to 30%. That should help offset any loss from the down in the jacket not insulating as well when wet or in high humidity.
We also saw some promising new ski kits from Mountain Hardwear, Ortovox and a couple other companies (but we’re not allowed to talk about some of them just yet😉).
The new Ravine Plus and Ravine Free series from Ortovox are smart looking ski kits aimed at backcountry riders. The company redesigned its kits after looking at style in the US and Japan, among other locations and the asymmetrical front panels and other touches make both look great.
Mountain Hardwear introduced its new Mythogen backcountry kit with a jacket and bibs. One unique feature to them—in the men’s—is a butt zipper panel that goes from each knee to the lower back.
They call it a full rainbow drop-seat, but let’s face it, it’s a butt zip🤣. We’ve seen it in women’s bibs but not men’s and Mountain Hardwear says its athletes have been asking for it for years. The bibs also have two bib pockets, two hip pockets, and two thigh pockets, and the jacket also has two large chest pockets and two glove pockets. It’s a kit we’re hoping to test out in the fall. But with Gore-Tex ePE–the same you'll find in Arc'teryx and Patagonia's higher-end jackets– is not cheap. The jacket retails for $800 and the bibs are $700.
Stasia Stockwell learning about Volkl skis on the show floor for an update of our ski guide for Fall 2025.
Stasia Stockwell's takeaways
Outerwear innovation without PFAS
Outdoor Research has been fairly ahead of the game when it comes to transitioning to PFAS-free materials. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be changes to some of their key pieces. The Hemispheres ski kit, Outdoor Research’s top-of-the-line Gore-Tex freeride kit and longstanding winner in our Best Women’s Ski Jackets and Best Women’s Ski Pants guides, will see some crucial updates for next season. Features like the Gore-Tex Stretch material will disappear, and the kit will now use the latest ePE membrane from Gore.
Another tester-loved piece from Outdoor Research will be leaving the line as more PFAS-free material changes come into play. The touring-oriented Skytour Ascentshell kit, another winner in both our women’s and men’s ski jackets reviews, and our Best Women’s Ski Pants guide, will be replaced with a new kit that uses a different membrane.
As the team at Outdoor Research explained, electrospun membranes like their Ascentshell material are incredibly tough to make without the use of PFAS, because these chemicals are applied to the threads before they’re spun into a shell fabric. And without these chemicals, Outdoor Research didn’t feel that the membrane’s waterproofing was up to their standards.
So, keep your eyes peeled for the new touring-oriented Cloudchaser jacket and bibs, which we’ll be testing before it launches this fall. We’re incredibly curious to see how this new line compares to the Skytour, which has been a long time Treeline favorite. You can learn more about the OR Skytour Ascentshell ski jacket in our in-depth review.
We like the sustainability ethos and clean, Scandi-inspired designs of Stellar. Photo courtesy Stellar Equipment.
While not a new brand, we got a proper introduction to Europe-based Stellar Equipment at OMA this winter. There’s not a ton of new-new within their outerwear lineup, despite many brands constantly launching new lines or having to pivot to PFAS-free materials. And that’s something we actually found to be pretty interesting and refreshing.
Their hardshell jackets use PFAS-free Dermizax membranes, which in our experience with other products, offers better breathability and a softer, less crinkly feel than many traditional Gore-Tex jackets. We tried the Stellar Free 2.5 shell on at the show and loved the fit and feel of the jacket, along with the clean and simple styling and color palette that comes from the brand's Scandinavian roots.
Stellar’s approach to performance apparel is to only change pieces in the line when innovation is truly necessary. This means they don’t do seasonal launches and don’t have new lines or pieces every year, because they don’t think that’s the most sustainable way to do things. And that simple styling means that even if you add a new piece to an existing Stellar kit down the line, it’s likely to still match seamlessly. We love that overall approach and we’re excited to test some of their ski apparel for the remainder of this season.
Function meets fashion
Co-founder Liz Thomas and editor Becca Downs trying on the new Ortovox down jackets, which have a different cut than previous Ortovox items.
Another European ski brand we’ve been keeping our eyes on is Ortovox. Their style has been pretty distinctly “Euro” and rather technical up until now, but it’s time for a change. Rather than being lumped in with other similar European ski apparel brands, Ortovox wants to stand out on their own. Brand designers recently spent time traveling to ski destinations across the world, from Japan to North America, to see what styles and features skiers and riders outside of their Euro bubble wanted in ski apparel. We’re excited about what they came up with—some truly nice looking kits that keep their highly technical specs.
Along with updates to their freeride-oriented outerwear, one midlayer in particular, the Ravine Metawool, which Chris mentions above, caught our eyes—a wool-based active insulation piece that’s both highly technical and stylish enough to wear from the high mountains to a high-fashion city.
Style in the world of ski gear continued to be a theme. We saw two eyewear brands we’re excited to test—Vallon and Vuarnet. Both brands lean into a balance of style and technical function, something that a lot of skiers can really appreciate. We’ve gotten one day of skiing in so far with the Vallon Stairways goggles, and we’re excited to test models from both brands and report back.
Microplastics: Filtering out plastics with plastic
Lastly, we noticed water filter brands like LifeStraw taking on contamination on the other end of things. They’re releasing new filter systems for both the front country and backcountry that filter out viruses, but also microplastics. The lifestyle design is another pretty expected tumbler with a straw—everyone has to have one now, right? But the difference with the Go Tumbler is the included filter. It weeds out viruses and bacteria, as well as microplastics, and has a carbon filter for improved taste. I used mine immediately after the show with hotel sink water. It’s a bit harder to drink out of and requires a little more effort because of the filter, but it’s super handy for travel.
I was curious, though, how something that’s made of plastic (the filter) can effectively filter out microplastics. The answer is in the quality of the plastic itself. LifeStraw says they use ultra high quality plastics for their filters, which means they take longer to break down. Good for immediate use, but maybe not so good for the long-term since that plastic eventually will end up in a landfill? The brand has tried to experiment with other materials for their filters, like titanium, to eliminate all plastics from their products, but the challenge there is prohibitive cost, both to the brand and its customers.
Liz Thomas's Takeaways
Treeline co-founder Liz Thomas (left) and editor Becca Downs checked out the new shoes from Oboz at Outdoor Market Alliance. Photo by Evan Dudley.
Reversibility
Mountain Hardwear’s ultralight Air Mesh Hoody, their Octa-based take on the Alpha Direct hoodie, has been a favorite among ultralight reddit boys and everyday thru-hikers, too. It's easier to find than many Alpha Direct fleeces from cottage brands and in many cases, is lighter than Alpha Direct.
Now, Mountain Hardwear is upping the game with a double-sided version of their uber popular AirMesh hoodie. Being double-sided means you can wear it fuzzy side out to reduce wind or fuzzy side in to add warmth. The result is a more versatile hoody that can be used as an alternative to a puffy jacket and maintains insulation when wet (unlike down). Unfortunately, the proprietary new Air Mesh jacket won’t be available until later this year, too late for thru-hikers headed off this spring.
We were thrilled to see a similar design by Marmot in their Active Aerothermals. Like Mountain Hardwear, Marmot uses their proprietary mesh-style fleece on the inside of a lightweight mid layer. Fuzzy on the inside with softer face fabric on the outside, it lets you use one jacket to accomplish multiple goals. Best yet, it retails for a more reasonable price than the Mountain Hardwear. We saw similar fuzzy on the inside, shell-like on the outside from La Sportiva and Mammut, too.
With all the reversible items we saw, it means we can all save weight (and money) compared to investing in and carrying two jackets.
New freeze-dried food
Liz Thomas (far right) with editors Stasia Stockwell (middle) and Becca Downs (left) having fun with the new Mountain House pizza flavor.
One could argue we are in the golden age of freeze-dried backpacking foods right now. Legacy brands are stepping up to compete with smaller-niche brands. What that means for hungry hikers and campers is more options and more flavors.
The OG, Mountain House, maker of freeze-dried foods for decades, is revamping their collection with three new flavors. The big splash is a pizza flavor. It takes the best part of a Mountain House cheesy lasagna and removes those pesky noodles, giving you essentially (in my opinion) the good stuff. Before you ask, it’s not shaped like pizza and doesn’t have the same texture. Instead, pizza crust floats throughout like a pizza casserole. At a time when many freeze-dried meal plans are making meals smaller, the pizza has a whopping 740 calories and 28 g of protein. We think this will help ease some backpackers' and thru-hikers' cravings for pizza while on trail.
But in my opinion, the real star of the Mountain House new flavors are their cheese and beef enchilada. With freeze-dried tortilla chunks of just the right thickness and chewiness scattered in a flavorful cheese sauce, multiple people commented on how much better it is than the actual enchiladas served at our Colorado hotel restaurant.
Chemical-free weaves
Several brands introduced new knits and weaves designed to reduce reliance on chemical treatments in apparel. Royal Robbins released their Mosquito Protection Technology (MPT), which is woven to repel mosquitoes and uses no chemicals (including Permethrin). So unlike most mosquito-proofing, it never washes out.
Mountain Hardwear is releasing their woven sun protection Sunshield hoodie, which is their first shirt to offer broad spectrum sun protection (UVA and UVB). With this hoodie, sun protection will not wash out over time as it does with chemical treatments.
With woven garments, I’m going to need to test both of these to see how breathable they are. But the fact they are keeping out bugs and UVB without chemicals is intriguing to me.
Better electronics
While most of the outdoor industry spent the last few years of R&D on removing PFAS from waterproofing, electronics is one space where the tech jumped by bounds. Additionally, outdoor electronics benefit from technology improvements found in everyday tech gadgets–a much bigger market than just an outdoors audience.
The Japanese brand Nestout exhibited their modular battery packs. I had initially dismissed them because, despite their waterproof and drop proof rating, they are heavier than other battery packs.
But when I saw what those batteries could do, I changed my mind.
These batteries hook directly with accessories like portable USB fans and camping lantern lights to turn into lightweight and packable camp gadgets. They're still too heavy for my ultralight backpacking trips, but are leagues ahead of other car camping lanterns I've tested in terms of packability and versatility. Some of these items are small enough they would considered backpacking items for non-thru-hiking backpackers. I'm looking forward to testing how these modular systems work with their battery pack and will report back.
Parting Thoughts
The Treeline Review team from left to right: Jae Thomas, Kai Burkhardt, Liz Thomas, Mary Murphy, Chris Meehan, Becca Downs, and Amanda Jameson.
At Treeline Review, we're interested in sustainability trends and think it's important to report on them–because we know our readers care and to keep the brands accountable. This year, we're thrilled to see the removal of PFAS as just the beginning as brands come up with new and innovative ways to remove more harmful chemicals from their gear–whether through filters, weaves, or natural fibers.
We're thrilled to see more European brands and more Made-in-the-USA brands available. New brands means more options for outdoors people and it also pushes established brands to do better. This is especially true when it comes to sustainability, as many European brands are further along their journey. Having more options for Made-in-the-USA brands is also good for sustainability, as it reduces the need for transport and associated emissions.
While lifestyle and fashion-forward gear may seem out of our wheelhouse, as we describe in our mission, the best gear is the gear that you love so much you will continue to use, year after year. So we don't think it's a bad thing that so many brands are focusing on versatile items that will work from town-to-trail, are reversible, or gear that is less ugly. If it means it'll get used instead of sitting in a landfill or in the back of your garage, we consider that a win for people and the planet.
Most of all, the joy of OMA is not in the gear trends, but in having a chance to gather with the Treeline Team. We're proudly a fully-remote company, which means our writers can live where they like playing outdoors. It also means we have fewer chances to give each other high-fives. Getting us all together to celebrate the work we do is the best part of OMA and we were thrilled to have another chance to do that this winter.
