2005 Harrogate Show Part Two

Here's the long-awaited part two of our Show Report from this year's Go Outdoors trade show at Horrorgate in the country of Yorkshire. Here the serried ranks of the UK outdoors industry gathers to exhibit the kit that'll be in the outdoor shops early next year. So, without further ado, here it is... Part three to follow shortly.

Meindl's hard-working cobblers have been, erm, hard at work with some interesting new models due in 2005. We're really interested in the new XO Series shoes - below - which won a European ISPO Outdoor Award earlier this year.

The shoe uses a Gore XCR membrane which is actually laminated to the material of the upper for better breathability plus moulded external ribs, a hefty plastic heel stabiliser and the Variofix heel strap make for a shoe which is claimed to be super-light, stable, waterproof and comfortable. The sole uses Meindl's distinctive Meindl Magic sole with Kevlar reinforcement. Looks good to us, particularly as the Magic Low we tested last year had only marginal heel stiffness. Price will be £89 in men's or women's versions.

Also in the Magic line-up is the new Emotion XCR which builds on last year's Magic Lo, but adds new plastic heel reinforcing cradle, as on the XO and has wire extensions to improve mid-foot wrap. One really neat touch is that the plastic toe bumper is actually sprayed on to provide improved durability and prevent peel. Looks good.

On the boot front, the Memory Foam used in the Borneo and Burma models this year which moulds to the shape of your heel, has been introduced into other boots in the range for 2005 and there's a new, wider, 'comfort last' for some models.

One interesting new model is the Bornholm - see below - which uses the memory foam and new comfort last in a boot that looks a lot more contemporary than the traditional Meindl walking models. Priced at £89, it's a three-season walking and trekking boot without Gore-Tex and featuring a kevlar-stiffened sole with EVA cushioning and an upper made with a combination of Nubuck and 'velour' leather. Weight is around 1200 grammes per pair for a men's size eight and they look great...

www.meindl.de

We finally got to see ME's new tents in the fabric flesh and they look great with lots of carefully thought-through detailing, at least four vents per tent and, in the case of the top-end, expedition geodesic Helios - below - lots of internal room too. In fact we're going to run a separate report with more, outdoor, pics, but here's a taster...

www.mountain-equipment.co.uk

Kefas is another nothern Italian brand that's relatively new to the UK, but has an impressive range of boots on offer from lowland walking right up to crampon compatible winter mountaineering boots. Prices start at 40 squid and head on up...

The UK importers say that the last is wider than the typical Italian last, so more suited to the UK shop, so definitely another option in the search for the perfect fit. The company uses Sympatex waterproof / breathable membrane liners and in particular their new High2Out membrane which is claimed to be 120 per-cent more breathable than other membranes.

Below is the new Churuco boot, reckoned to be their number one bestseller in Europe and using the Sympatex membrane along with a Vibram sole, MicroEVA cushioned mid-sole and water-repellant suede leather. Definitely a brand worth keeping an eye open for.

Okay, take a look at these. Cool no? They're just one of a full new range of footwear from none other than Regatta and they looked great, we'll bring you more details in a separate article soon, but you'll be seeing a full range from approach shoes to walking boots via sandals in the shops next spring...

www.regatta.com

A couple of neat developments from MSR. One is a new, updated version of the renowned XGK expedition stove with a tripod-based burner for uprated stability - unfortunately the sample didn't reach the show, so we can't show what it looks like just yet.

The main attraction though was MSR's radical new capillary-fed stove in the flesh. We're already reported on it in detail, but to remind you, it uses a special 'capillary force vaporizer' unit like a small pill to convert liquid fuel to pressurised gas and eliminates the need for complex priming and pre-heating operations while saving weight.

The stove is quite dinky in the flesh with an integral pan included for efficiency and while the reservoir looks small, apparently one fill of white gas should last for around three days under normal use.

The actually vaporiser thing, that white tablet, is tiny. Apparently the stove is now available in small numbers in the US, but not yet in full production, more details when we have them...

www.msrcorp.com

The big news from Berghaus was the launch of their new Bioflex packs, but there's a lot more going on up in the North East with the company showing its first range of sleeping bags, some select clothing additions to the Extrem Light range and new footwear too.

The bags are a new departure for the company as they seek to take over the entire outdoors market and range from travel bags right through to an all-singing, all-dancing, expedition bag which uses the Dry Fusion seam welding technology from the pack range to create a totally waterproof shell.

The whole range of 11 bags looks to have been done with typical geordie thoroughness and uses down, Polarguard 3D synthetic filling and the company's own brand artificial fill. The whole range will be tested to the new EC standard so you'll be able to compare temperature ratings with other EC-tested brands.

Extrem Light

The Extrem Lite range gets a few new additions too - aimed at fast-moving, weight-saving fans, the collection gets two new Paclite jackets to complement the Paclite Alpine Pro which is new for this winter and in the shops now.

The Paclite Trek uses the standard Paclite Helium face fabric but with harder wearing Cassis - Cordura-based - reinforcements in high wear areas. It uses micro-seam tape for added breathability too as does the rest of the Paclite range next year. More funky - below - is the new Paclite Endurance which has panels of stretch Paclite fabric incorporated for mobility, high chest pockets for harness access and a mad looking stretch mesh external chest pocket.

Also sporting the stretchy mesh stuff - it's the bit on his tit - is the Stretch Windshirt which does what it says on the label, viz, is stretchy, a shirt and keeps wind out. It uses Airfoil Light with a DWR treatment and weighs just 178 grammes, erm, approximately, for chaps and 138 grammes in women's guise. Thanks to Chris for his excellent modelling...

Last but not least, the boot pixes have been hard at work too. There are all sorts of neat little changes and some new boots. One notable thing is a new Exowrap lacing system which embeds the lace loops low down on the forefoot for a better forefoot fit when the shoe is laced up. The Borasco XCR - below - uses it along with a Vibram Planet sole and Gore-Tex XCR liner.

Exowrap also gets a look in on the new three-season Picos Boot - below - again with a Gore-tex liner and looking cool and funky in a Salomon sort of stylee. It's a three-season boot with an EVA-cushioned Vibram sole unit that weighs in light at about 1200 grammes per pair.

Also new are the Toma GTX and Moreno GTX, a pair of three season nubuck lightweight trekking boots with Gore-Tex liners that use a specially developed Vibram sole which is exclusive to Berghaus and has grips reputedly based on a mountain bike tyre tread pattern. Can't say I can see it myself, but make your own mind up...

www.berghaus.com