One of the highlights of the annual OutDoor trade show in Germany are the Industry Awards handed out to the 2011 products that the judges rate as the most interesting and innovative out there.
Some will never see the light of day in the UK, but quite a few will and there were a few stunners there this year. Here's a quick run down of a few of the winners that should make their way to British shores.
We told you about 'the lightest double-wall shelter in the world', Terra Nova's 500-gramme Laser Ultra 1 race tent a few weeks ago, but this was the first time we've seen it in the flesh and it looks, frankly, slightly bonkers with the ultra-lightweight fly-sheet fabric called ULTRA being slightly translucent. You can see why it's targeted mainly at ultra-lightweight adventure racers. By using the Fastpack system you can slash the weight even further to a mind-boggling 385 grammes.
Another winner we've already previewed is the new Platypus pack range. The Origin packs have been built from the ground up with some neat features including taped seams and contoured back panels. They look good in the flesh too.
Terra Nova weren't the only Brits to impress. As we told you last week, inov-8's bare-grip 2000 landed a gold award for innovation. It's a trail-running shoe that's jettisoned its mid-sole for the ultimate, barefoot-style connection with the terrain coupled with both grip and protection.
What else? The North Face – more about their massive range of new stuff later – landed not just one, but three awards at the show. Two of them were for lightweight clothing and the third for an unusual adventure travel shoe.
The Verto is a lightweight windproof emergency shell jacket made from insanely fine Pertex Quantum 7-denier fabric and weighing just 78g in men's and 68g in women's versions complete with full zip and ergonomic hood. It packs down to the size of an energy bar. The latest incarnation of the two-panel, lightweight, waterproof 159g Triumph Anorak also scored with the judges.
Finally the the Hydroshock SE is an adventure travel shoe designed to work on land and water. It has injected EVA construction complete with drainage holes and a mesh and synthetic suede upper with a quick-pull, lace lock system and unusual looks.
Other winners included Deuter for its Futura Pro pack and Silva's latest headtorch, the Ninox. Exped landed an award for its SynMat 7 UL, a lightweight version of its synthetically filled lightweigh air-filled sleeping mat. Lowe Alpine – more about them shortly – were honoured for the new Headlocker ice-tool attachment system, which is eminiscent of Osprey's helmet lock.
And finally, there was an award for the Steripen Adventurer Opti, a neat, lightweight version of the water-purifying system which uses UV light to kill all bacteria, protozoa and viruses in just 48 seconds. It's a really neat bit of kit with handy warning lights to make sure you use it for long enough.
