2005 Harrogate Show Part One

We've just got back from the 2005 Go Outdoors UK outdoors trade show at Harrogate with a load of pics of and info on some of the kit that manufacturers will be releasing early next year, though there's also the odd item that's in the stores now or before Christmas.

In general though, don't go bothering your outdoors retailer for this kit just yet as it won't be available till Spring 2005 which means January or February next year. Those of you in the trade will also be interested to learn that despite rumours to the contrary, the organisers say that there will definitely be another Harrogate show next year, oh, and attendance was a whopping 3 per-cent up on the first day...

Anyway, here's the first part of our show coverage. Enjoy... Part two on Monday.

The undoubted star of the Scarpa range is the new Chamonix GTX, - below - it's designed as a winter equivalent of the specialist scrambling Pro Ascent boot and should be ideal for UK winter scrambling and summer alpine routes.

It's graded B2 for crampon use, so will take a heel-clip crampon and has a Gore-Tex liner for protection from damp things, melting snow and the like. The last is Scarpa's DC rather than their more technical climbing fit, which means it's more boot-like in fit and, importantly, should be more comfortable for long walk-ins and mountaineering days. Chunky rands protect the toes from damage.

The real revelation comes when you pick a pair up in your hands - these things are astoundingly light thanks partly to a special Vibram sole unit which uses lightweight EVA for cushioning without pounds. Price will be around £160 which sounds a lot but is, apparently, rather less than it ought to cost...

Walkers are catered for as well with the old Delta boot, the one that sits just below the SL in the current range and is aimed squarely at mountain walkers, being replaced by a new addition, the ZG10 GTX in both men's and women's versions.

Scarpa says it's a traditional boot structure, but styled more in keeping with the trendy ZXero G range introduced earlier this year. You get a full toe rand for protection, the ZG lightweight alloy lace furniture - yes, furniture - a full Gore-Tex lining and oiled nubuck leather for added water repellancy. Price will be £140 and the Delta is consigned to the great boot dump in the sky.

Elsewhere there have some detail changes and restyles aplenty. The Helium approach shoe gets another colour variant which also has a new sole unit for a softer feel under foot. There's also a new entry-level rock shoe the Vantage - see below - with shiny styling that echoes Scarpa's top-end rock boots unlike the rather dowdy-looking Helix, it also gets a lower heel and a five quid price cut. More serious rock climbers will welcome a new Velcro-fastened version of the Eclipse rock boot as well as a Vision Velcro with a softer mid sole for better smearing performance. Next year's rock boots also get a neat little Italian flag to remind you of where they came from...

At the more horizontal end of the market, there's a new range of Chinese-built Scarpa casual outdoors shoes prices from £60 upwards with a broad last aimed at being comfortable and flexible. Look good, and manufacturing out east has made them more affordable..

www.scarpa.net

The most beautiful of all the outdoors women at the show was definitely this cute X-Underwear model with her prototype panelled base-layer kit. Apparently it not only puts extra fabric in areas where you need more absorbency, on your back for example, but also provides support which prevents 'muscle vibration' and conserves energy. That's what they say anyway... Still in development, so watch this space.

More prosaically and arguably more usefully, X-Socks has a new range of women's specific socks which may be in the shops by November. The socks use the brand's tested system of padding and channeling for optimum performance together with left and right-specific socks, but have reduced volume in ankle and forefoot to cater for the feminine foot. Trekking, expedition and running variants will be available and in less garish colours than some previous X-Socks too.

www.x-socks.com

Wayfayrer was dishing up some new pork ravioli options to the meeja cohorts. Not bad at all and the treacle pudding was okay too once you'd got over the slightly gristly texture. More worrying was a first sight of the new Wayfayer packaging which was, well, it didn't really shout 'food' at you... Wayfayrer's 'wet food' that comes in a pouch for easy heating or, as an option, with a self-heating package. It's not super lightweight, but then it's tastier than dried foods...

www.wayfayrer.co.uk

Swedish navigation experts Silva have been hard at work, but it's not all navigation for the Scandinavians. In fact most of the new stuff takes a different tack. Sorry... The Helios Storm lighter is an impressive butane-powered outdoor lighter that can apparently handle winds up to 70 knots without blowing out. Priced at £14.95 and in the shops for Christmas.

There are two new GPS units, the Atlas - £159.95 - and the Atlas Pro - £275. Both are, well, GPS units, but are billed as being 'urban friendly' since they can carry large maps in their memories and pick out useful features etc, like pubs, erm... The Pro version is pricier but is totally waterproof rather than just water resistant like the standard model and, significantly, should be Memorymap compatible some time next year.

Trekking iPod fiends will be casting an interested eye in the direction of Silva's Solar I and Solar II portable solar panel chargers. They're both designed to clip onto your pack for easy use. The Solar I charges four AA batteries and has a power output of 1.2 watts, price is £29.95 and weight 120 grammes.

Meanwhile the Solar II kicks out 4.75 watts and is compatible with car cigarette lighter attachments and can be used to charge GPS, iPods and the like. It's not super lightweight though at around 300 grammes, but that's the price of music while you trek... Price in financial terms is £59.95.

Last but not least for gadget freaks is the all-singing, all-dancing Silva ADC a sort of mini weather station that can measure wind speeds, temperature, barometric pressure, altitude, count the number of ski runs you've made, plus tell you the time, wake you up in the morning etc, etc. Different models range from £69.95 to £199.95 depending on how many measurements you feel you need to make. And it's in the shops now...

www.silva.se

Craghoppers has had a wholesale reinvention of its pack range for next spring with a huge cull of the current Flow-Motion, sliding shoulder strap models, though they may return in time. There's a range of eight packs, all totally new and aimed at general day-walking use.

There's a pair of small capacity travel Daypacs, a 25-litre and 35-litre day sac and - we suspect that these will be the most interesting to most OMers - two waterproof Dripacs in 35-litre and 45-litre sizes priced at £55 and £60 respectively. Also in the range are a couple of Dripac beltpacs for fast movers at £20 and £25. Nowt dramatic, but look sturdy and reliable work horses we reckon and the waterproofing makes for a unique plus point in the mid-range market.

On the clothing side, the travel-orientated range moves on relentlessly in shades of beige and green, but more interesting is a new three-layer eVENT waterproof jacket called the Exile. Craghoppers has three two-layer jackets in eVENT, but we reckon the three-layer version is a much better bet for all round use.

It's hard to tell much from a quick try-on, but the Exile's a traditional, longer-cut, general hill-walking waterproof boasting twin chest pockets with water-resistant zips plus two handwarmer pockets and a concealed map pocket. Cut is looser than more technical jackets and at first try, the hood - which we found too short on earlier models - is massively improved and turns nicely with your head. It's a great, highly breathable fabric and what's more, you'll be able to get it in black too.

Looks like it'll be a good option for general hillwalking use.

www.craghoppers.com

We've already told you about Brasher's new B1, crampon compatible winter boot - a real departure for the company - and the pink and sky blue women's boot, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Next spring, the company is unleashing no fewer than 19 new models of boot on an unsuspecting world.

Not only that, but they're targeting pretty much anyone who walks from casual travellers right up to winter mountain walkers and at a pretty keen price too. The new range is packed full of Gore-Tex liners and Vibram soles and there's a new rating system with 'flex' rated from one to seven and 'form' - different fits - from one to four. So, an Aracar GTX winter boot would score one for flex and one for fit as it's a very stiff and has a closer, reassuring fit.

Ho hum... We're confused already. The blizzard of new models is all a bit overwhelming too, but there's basically pretty much something for everyone with trekking, hillwalking, mountain walking, winter mountain walking, casual walking etc, etc, etc all being covered with the traditional Brasher range targeting the lowland rambler still being there.

They look nice, well made and very well priced - a new Tekapa, Gore-Tex lined, Vibram-soled, three-season number aimed squarely at the KSB 300 will retail for £100 for example. Whether mountain walkers will be attracted to the Brasher name with its ramberesque associations remains to be seen however.

Anyway, here's some pictures of boots. If you walk, Brasher will have you covered it seems...

www.brasher.co.uk