OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER MARKET 2018: Gear of Interest for Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking— PART 1

By Will Rietveld and Janet Reichl

We have covered Outdoor Retailer for about 13 years now, and it never fails to impress. Yes, it was earlier this year (July), and will be even earlier next year (June). The Colorado Convention Center in Denver is the new location, and its huge.

Most of the interesting gear we find at OR fits in the Lightweight category, but there are some notable Ultralight gems, and some gear can go either way, depending on your gear preferences.

As always, there are a few standout items, and lots of evolutionary improvements, all making for lighter better gear. What excites us varies a lot, depending on where your interests lie, so we present gear in no particular order; just scroll and read what interests you. Also, so we can get our coverage posted faster, and to avoid an excessively long single article, we will post our coverage as a series of shorter articles containing around a dozen items each.

A few notes: (1) gear introduced at this OR will be available in spring 2019, unless noted otherwise, and (2) weights for clothing are for men’s size Medium and shoes are for men’s size 9 and women’s size 7, unless stated otherwise.

Topo Athletic Hydroventure 2 Shoe. Gen 2 for this popular waterproof trail running shoe will come out in January 2019. It will continue to feature an eVent membrane, foot-shape fit (wide toebox and snug heel cup, rock plate, and 25/22 platform with 3 mm drop. Upgrades include an Ortholite footbed, Vibram Megagrip outsole with deeper and wider spaced lugs, and more TPU overlay in wear areas. Weight is 10.2 oz/shoe for men and 8.3 oz/shoe for women; MSRP is $140. When I tested the Hydroventure shoe a couple of years ago, I found it to be nearly indestructible in spite of its very light weight. I had some issues with the thin footbed bunching up, but that should be overcome with the new Ortholite footbed.

A new model coming soon is the Topo Athletic Ultraventure. This brand new model will feature a 3-piece multi-density EVA midsole in place of a rock plate, giving it a soft ride. The Ortholite footbed, enhanced TPU overlay, and Vibram XS Trek outsole are the same as the Terraventure 2. Stack height is 30-25, giving it a 5 mm drop. Weights are 9.1 oz/shoe for women, and 11.2 oz/shoe for men; MSRP is $130. Available from REI in November 2018. I look forward to testing this one for ultralight backpacking.

Finally, from Topo Athletic, is the Terraventure 2, another significant upgrade to a popular lightweight trail shoe. The upgrades include an Ortholite footbed,Vibram XS Trek outsole with wider spaced lugs, and drainage “gills” for water release and faster drying. Stack height is 25-22, giving it a 3 mm drop. Weights are 10.8 oz/shoe for men and 8.2 oz/shoe for women. Available November 2018 for $120. In my recent review of this shoe, I loved its fit, comfort, and traction, but I managed to wear holes in the anterior toebox mesh from sidestepping in steep scree. The enhanced TPU rand and mesh overlays should overcome that issue.

Therm-a-Rest will introduce their Fast and Light collection in spring 2019. The centerpiece is their new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Inflatable Sleeping Pad. Just the name suggests that something really good is coming here! Get ready for an 8.8-ounce, 2.5 in thick, R 2.0 full length sleeping pad. The UberLit will come in three sizes: Small, Regular, and Large. The Small measures 20x47 inches and weighs 6 ounces, Regular is 20x72 inches and 8.8 ounces, and Large is 25x77 inches and 12 ounces. When the NeoAir first came out, the size Regular pad weighed 14 ounces, and we considered that ultralight. So TAR raised the bar on their own product and maintains the lead. Fabrics are 30d nylon bottom and 15d top. The NeoAir Uberlight pads use a diamond core matrix with trapped air for insulation. Start saving your money though; prices are $140, $180, and $210 for the Short, Regular, and Large sizes.

Cascade Designs representatives were really excited to show us their new Fast and Light gear collection, and we were excited to see it. They are really getting serious, as the next items will show. The next is their Therm-a-Rest Vesper 32F and 20F Quilts, featuring 900 fill-power down, side baffles for increased warmth retention,  Nikwax water-resistant down, and a SynergyLink system to integrate quilt and sleeping pad . The shell is 10d nylon ripstop with DWR. Weight and MSRP for the 32F quilt is 15 oz and $330 and 19 oz and $380 for the 20F version; long versions will also be available. With these new products from TAR, you will soon be able to purchase a 24 ounce sleeping system (pad and quilt) at your hometown outdoor store.

Prefer a sleeping bag rather than a quilt? No problem. Next up from TAR are the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32F and 20F Sleeping Bags. Each will be available in three sizes: Short, Regular, and Long. The bags feature 900 fill-power down, zoned insulation, box baffled construction, Nikwax water repellent down, and a ThermaCapture reflective film for better thermal efficiency. For size Regular the weight is 16 ounces and MSRPs is $370 for the 32F bag, and 20 ounces and $419 for the 20F bag, which is a good value for an ultralight bag.

Finally, from TAR is the Therm-a-Rest Ohm, a 32F semi-rectangular, roomier, hoodless, zipper all-around bag that will open to a blanket or quilt for warmer nights. The Ohm has the same down and baffling as the other bags, weighs 18 oz for size Regular, and will sell for $370.

I like to cover the technologies that make our gear lighter and better, and one good example is the new YKK Super Lightweight Zipper. Currently, the YKK #3 zipper is the lightest we normally see, but an even lighter version of that zipper is in the pipeline. The Super Lightweight version is 40% lighter than the standard #3. The tape is less than 0.1 mm thick, breathable, and see-through, which helps keep ultralight gear ultralight. The first garment to use it is the Black Diamond Deploy Wind Shell, which we will cover later.

Garmin InReach Mini Personal Locater. The original InReach has some attractive features, but it’s a bit heavy at around 6.5 ounces. The Mini gives us what we are looking for – a compact, lightweight version with the same functionality. Key features important to users are its use of the Global Iridium Network, two-way160 character messaging, interactive SOS, and pairing with other Garmin devices. The Mini can message by itself, but it’s easier when paired with a mobile phone. Nowadays, many backpackers carry a mobile phone with them on trips because it’s truly a multi-purpose device. One of my hiking buddies claims he has 17 purposes for his mobile phone on backpacking trips; now he can make that 18. Weight is 4.35 ounces including a carabiner, and MSRP is $349. Another advantage of the InReach is the different subscription options that are offered, so one can choose the best option for her frequency of use. I’m currently a SPOT user, but I am getting tired of their expensive service plan that includes features I don’t use. SPOT does have a 2-way communicator called the SPOT-X coming out, but one friend who has tested it told me that it is “very buggy”.

The Sea To Summit Nano Day Pack is indeed nanoweight at 1 ounce. It’s always handy to throw in an UL day pack for side hikes from camp, and the Nano Day Pack makes that inconsequential. Capacity is 18 liters, it’s made of STSs 15d ultra-sil, and will cost $40.

The Nemo Rocket 2P Single Wall Tent raises the bar for a 2-person lightweight fabric tent. The weight is a mere 22 ounces using the included carbon T-bar ridgepole and center support, or 19 ounces using trekking poles. A notable feature is the tent’s square ends to enhance interior usable space, made possible by Nemo’s clever Self Equalizing Corner System (right). The canopy is 7 denier nylon ripstop and the floor is 10d. Did I mention the Rocket 2P has two doors with vestibules? There is room on each side of the center support pole for a standard 20-inch wide sleeping pad. The center support may be an annoyance, but each sleeper has her own entry, which will help minimize that issue, and the center support disappears if you use trekking poles to support the tent. MSRP is $450, which is significantly less expensive than a Dyneema tent.

We previously reported on and reviewed the Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration Bottles, which were initially available in 0.6 L and 1 L sizes. Now Katadyn is coming out with a 3-liter version called the Katadyn Gravity BeFree 3L. This one comes with a detachable hose and shut off clip, but you can use the flask and filter unit by itself to fill water containers by squeezing the flask. It doesn’t come with a bite valve to use it as a hydration system, but it would be easy to add one. Weight is 3.5 ounces and MSRP is $70.