At Outdoor Retailer Summer this June, I visited lots of brand booths to find the best gear on the floor.
Here are my product picks from the show:
Restube Beach
This new water safety product is basically a small inflatable version of a lifeguard’s rescue tube. It’s 20×5 inches (50×13 cm) and is stored in a small waistpack, retained by a webbing leash. The tube is deployed via a pull-tab to inflate from a CO2 cartridge or it can be inflated by mouth. | $53; restube.com
Backlander Outdoor Camping Bed
Built for ultimate comfort in the backcountry, the Backlander Outdoor Camping Bed provides a burly 79×28-inch sleeping platform with a closed cell foam mattress which supports 880 pounds. Consisting of an aluminum frame reinforced with stainless steel, the bed folds down to 40x28x7 inches. The bed weighs 30 pounds and has a storage bag that can be purchased separately. Two beds can be joined side-by-side for double width or, with the bunk kit, stacked one on top of the other. It also floats. | $479; backlanderoutdoors.com
Bijou Build Play Structure
Designed to support active outdoor play, the Bijou Build is a modular play structure built for playing, climbing, swinging, or just resting under the shade of the canopy. The kit ships with only the patented connecting pieces and instructions, saving the buyer the cost of shipping the needed 10-foot 2×4 boards which can easily be picked up at the local lumber yard. | Starting at $509; bijoubuild.com
Rapid Rope
With a no-tangle refillable deployment canister and built-in cutter, the 70 feet or 120 feet of 1,100-pound tensile strength webbing is the fastest way to get just the length of cordage needed. With cross stitching every quarter inch, there’s no need to treat the cut ends to avoid fraying. Made in the USA. | $20-$25; rapidrope.com
Wacho Beach Chair
Made with ¾-inch foam padding, water-resistant fabrics, and a lightweight wooden frame, this chair only weighs 4.2 pounds and folds down to 17.5 x 3.5 x 22.0 inches. It can be deployed with one hand, and can adjust to a full range of recline angles. There’s a small mesh pocket on the back to hold small things. | $130; bewacho.com
Onwrd Vehicle Organization System
Clear up the clutter and get all the little stuff organized on the modular seat-back panel. Choose from a range of packs and bags to customize according to need and move them between vehicles. Base panels available for headrests as well as single and bench seats. | Pre-built kits starting at $350; onwrdsupply.com
LoonaGo Portable Female Urinal
A must-have when you’re out and about. LoonaGo, a portable urinal designed for female anatomy, was created for a “go” on the go. Great for car trips, camping, concerts and festivals, and more. Never leave home without it. | $40; boomhomemedical.com
Crazy Creek Aircliner
Inspired by a long-ago partnership with Therm-a-Rest, Crazy Creek now has the all-in-one air pad ground chair. With as little as five breaths, the durable recycled 420D/210D ripstop nylon goes from 2.7 x 23 inches to a standard size Crazy Creek chair with 2-inch air padding. The chair weighs 29 ounces. | $125; crazycreek.com
Chalkless – 8 gram bottle
The proprietary formula of silica temporarily removes the oils from hands to vastly improve grip, and therefore accuracy when holding a racket, rock hold, or anything where the transfer of energy from the hand to the object being held needs to be precise. | $25; chalkless.com
Grand Trunk Adventure Shelf
Available in three sizes, this shelving system packs down into a disk between 6.5 x 2 inches and 10.5 x 3 inches. Deployed, and easily hung, it holds from 7-35 liters of gear on 3-5 shelves. The Adventure Shelf is made of 70-denier ripstop nylon. Available Spring 2025. | $40-$60; grandtrunk.com
Spark Infinite Firestarter
Made of 16-gauge 304 stainless steel, the Spark is a three-leg reservoir for alcohol fuel (i.e., rubbing alcohol) which burns gently and steadily for long enough to ignite logs. The Spark stays in the fire until it’s extinguished. After it cools, just brush it off and use it again. | $59; sparkfirestarter.com
Nomad Grills
This 28-pound case houses two heavy-duty, die-cast charcoal cookboxes offering up to 425 square inches of grilling space when opened. The base model includes a single grate, with a second Cooking Grate or Carbon Steel Griddle sold separately. | $695; nomadgrills.com
Armadillo Backpacker’s Table
The Armadillo camping table is a new concept for backpackers who prefer an adjustable height (up to standing height) table with a metal surface suited for cooking. It saves weight by making use of a tree to stabilize one side. The portable legs for the other side roll up into the surface plates, and when not in use the table is smaller than a sleep mat. Still in development and not yet available for sale, keep an eye out for it when it is released.
Impetro Gear
Potentially disrupting the way you think about having a stable of backpacks to suit various adventures, Impetro Gear offers a single base unit with the carry harness straps—which is usually the most expensive part of backpacks to develop and produce. Then, just purchase the pack needed: 10-liter hike pack, 15-liter bike pack, 22-liter ski pack, or 33-liter mountain pack. The pack just zips on to the base unit as needed. | Starting at $149; impetrogear.com
Pingora Outro 40 & 55
Based in Holiday, Utah, this new brand founded by long-time hikers, climbers, and skiers focuses on efficiency and comfort. The new Outro includes a unique 50/50 packing system to separate and organize on-trail from in-camp gear for more efficient access. The torso-length adjustment system has been uniquely designed to maintain load transfer ability without sacrificing comfort. Available Spring/Summer 2025 | $TBD; pingora-gear.com
JackRabbit OG & XG eBike
Forget the pedals. These bikes are really scooters, but they look like bikes. With a throttle, we probably wouldn’t use pedals anyway. JackRabbit ebikes max out at 20 mph and fold down for easy storage or transport and come in two versions: the OG with one battery at 300 watts for 10+ miles of range, and the XG with two batteries at 500 watts to go 20+ miles | $1,000-$1,750; jackrabbit.bike
Melan Sunscreen
Pushing for cleaner ingredients and full transparency, Melan was started to help prevent Melanoma – a cancer of the skin – and chooses to support Melanoma prevention research. The product applies easily, doesn’t leave a greasy residue, and has a fun punny vibe. | $24/6oz; melansuncare.com
The Overland Shower Adventure Trail Outfitters
A hot shower in the wild needn’t be complicated. This simple 19 x 24.5 x 8.5-inch packed system cranks out water up to 120-degrees Fahrenheit with plenty of water pressure (45 psi – it’ll shoot the stream up to 10 feet!). The system has hours of run time on a single 1-pound propane bottle and just sips on the portable power supply. | $895; adventuretrailoutfitters.com