Show Time: Part Two |  |  | New Stuff From The Spring Go Outdoors Show! Part Two
Time for Part Two of our report from the G-Mex where some of the
top manufacturers were showing us what they'll be selling for
Autumn/Winter 2001. Got that AUTUMN WINTER
2001. What we're actually saying in a terribly subtle way
is that most of this kit won't be in the shops until at least
September, so don't go tormenting you local gear shop or the man
behind the counter will get all confused and eventually club you like
a seal cub.
* For reports earlier this week, check the links at the bottom of
this article
Meanwhile, with foot and mouth roaming the countryside, settle
down and see what's in store for later this year. But remember, it's
much later this year. Hmmm, that should keep the manufacturers
happy (good job they don't read this).
|
Official Site
Health Warning
None of this stuff will
be in the shops until September, to preserve your health, do
not hassle
your local outdoor shop until then... And don't say we
didn't warn you, eh.
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Scarpa
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Cerro Torre Thermo -
insulated version of the
Cerro Torre for colder
climbs...
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The biggest news from UK Scarpa importers The Moutain
Boot Company is that, in addition to ThorLo, they also now
import and distribute Grivel ice gear, see our earlier show
report. On the Scarpa front though, most of the big noise
happened last autumn with the launch of new models like the
contoured Alpha plastic boot and the new Super Trek, fabric
SL, both of which should be in the shops about now. One
thing that has taken them by surprise though, was the
popularity of the leather Cerro Torre ultra-lightweight
alpine boot with the result that Scarpa have now produced an
insulated Thermo version for use in more extreme conditions.
Looks ideal for those 'as prefer leather to plastic but
still mix it in the cold stuff.
web
site
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Patagonia
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Embarassing shot of
Speed Ascent
Jacket - the Fairy Snow of technical
shells. It's dead soft.
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The big story from Patagonia is their introduction of
what they're calling 'Regulator Soft Shells' as distinct
from their existing waterproof breathable shell clothing.
The new stuff combines insulating fabrics from the Regulator
fleece range with EncapSil a highly water-resistant,
wind-proof shell fabric. Encapsil actually works by coating
individual fabric fibres with a polymern forced in under
heat and pressure. The result, say Patagonia is that the
gaps are filled in and although the material isn't
technically waterproof, it can't absorb water and with a
wicking inner layer is effectively functions as a
waterproof garment. Sound familiar? Like Pile-Pertex
maybe?
Of course being Patagonia, the whole
thing is tagged as: 'Patagonia denounces fear-based apparele
Calvanism - launches enlightened Regulator Clothing System',
so there you go, Patagonia isn't a brand, it's a religion.
We checked out the new stuff and in classic Patagonia
fashion, it's beautifully made and cut. The Speed Ascent
Jacket uses a springy Stretch EncapSil fabric outer with a
layer of single-sided R2 Regulator fleece providing the
insulation-wicking capability - drop tail, roll-down hood,
crotch strap. Feels spot on in an exhibition hall, with
stretch panels at the side killing pointless bagginess. As
it ought to at around 225 quid.
There's also a matching Stretch Woven
Salopette, the Dimension Jacket, which they say is a
'bombproof general mountain shell' with a comfortable looped
polyester interior and Integral Jacket and Pants aimed at
high aerobic activites in cold and windy conditions and
incorporating strategic stretch panels for strategic
stretching. Neat.
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|
Looks like a suede car
coat but is actually
the highly sophisticated R4 windproof Regulator
jacket (I think)
|
Other tweaks include subtle modifications to the Regulator
fleece range. On our fave R2 pullover, the stretch panels
have been reshaped for a more aerodynamic look, the R3 now
gets stretch panels for a closer fit and there's a new R4
Windbloc fabric which features an R2 face fabric and an R1
interior with a Polartec Windbloc Urethane layer laminated
between the two. It feels loads softer than most windproof
fabrics we've come across and, in jacket form, will retail
for about £155.
web
site
|
|
Official Site
Health Warning
None of this stuff will
be in the shops until September, to preserve your health, do
not hassle
your local outdoor shop until then... And don't say we
didn't warn you, eh.
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RAB
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New jackets for next
winter from the Sheffield down
dudes
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Sheffield's masters of down have been
hard at work in their goose-plucking sheds and their latest
kit combines the traditionals standards of production and
technical excellence with much more modern, or rather more
flattering, looks.New stuff for autumn winter 2001 includes
teh Summit Jacket, a new development based on the Glacier
Guide. It's designed for technical use in alpine and winter
conditions and uses a new Pertex Endurance outer which is 20
per-cent more abrasion resistant than previous versions with
stretch Cordura reinforcement in high wear areas.
Also new is the Denali, designed for use
in extremes of cold and at high altitude. It also uses the
Pertex Endurance fabric and Stretch Cordura but has 350g of
660 plus down fill and uses Double Contruction for increased
warmth. Check ou the new range of artificially filled RAB
sleeping bags as well.
web
site
|
|
Official Site
Health Warning
None of this stuff will
be in the shops until September, to preserve your health, do
not hassle
your local outdoor shop until then... And don't say we
didn't warn you, eh.
|
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Sprayway
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Frostfire hug fest
invite. Yuk...
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The guys from Sprayway seem to have gone
into some sort of corporate overdrive for next winter,
there's been mucho tweaking and development including a
great new range of women's kit that we'll be telling you
about tomorrow. We could bore you witless with an endless
list of new products, but we're not going to do that.
Instead we'll tell you about the two that really caught our
eye.
The first is the neat Frostfire Fleece
Jacket - think Regulator 2 on steroids and you're somewhere
there. The Thermal Pro fleece fabric is furry but highly
technical, warmer than Polartec 200 and packs smaller, it
also incorporates a number of handy pockets including
map-sized chest ones. The whole thing just says hug me, hug
me. Okay, so we're shallow.
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Yes officer, that's
definitely the man
he was wearing a Summit Peak
jacket
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The other star is the updated, top of the
range Summit Peak shell jacket. The current incarnation uses
concentional Gore-Tex and has been overshadowed by the
introduction of XCR, but the new version should change all
that. It's cheaper than before, uses a lightweight Gore XCR
three-ply fabric together with water-resistant pit zips,
backed with a strip of XCR for insurance, wired hood and
weighs about 200g less than the current Summit Peak. We
reckon it's going to be a contender.
web
site
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Phoenix
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Phoenix Glacier Jacket,
new for 2001
and bristling with features
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Okay, confession, by the time we got to
the Phoenix stand, we were actually pretty close to death,
so the details we have might charitably be described as
sketchy, but we can tell you that Phoenix has a load of new
stuff for winter 2001 from top end stuff down to humble
hillwalking gear.
There's a new Glacier Jacket which uses a
Protex XPD laminate with Oxford nylon reinforcements in high
wear areas , plus integral hood, snow skirt, pit zips, and
all the other features you'd expect from a top technical
jacket. The longstanding, weighty, but effective Mountain
Jacekt has been updated with new cosmetics for the winter as
well.
Also interesting is the 3-in-1 Alpine
mountain jacket, which is a combo of the basic Alpine Jacket
- available seperately - and a duck down lined, zip-in
gilet. Interesting idea and you only pay £30 extra for
the gilet.
web
site
|
|
Official Site
Health Warning
None of this stuff will
be in the shops until September, to preserve your health, do
not hassle
your local outdoor shop until then... And don't say we
didn't warn you, eh.
|
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Zamberlan
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Trail Lite GTX - an
updated classic
the Gore-Tex lining works out at an
extra tenner
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Well, all good things come to an end, even outdoor
shows and this one ends on Z for Zamberlan Boots. The Zed
Team actually have three new boots for the aurtumn winter
season. First on the list is the Trail Lite in both men's
and women's sizes. It's an more modern looking general
walking boot featuring oiled leather, more anatomic padding
for increased comfort and a water-resistant liner in the
front 3/4 of the boot, though the heel section sticks with
Cambrelle for a smoother feel. Other features include a
one-piece folded tongue. Price is the magic
£100.
Number two on the list is the same boot,
priced at £110, but with a waterproof, breahtable
Gore-Tex liner. I'd be tempted to pay the extra tenner, but
Zamberlan man says that the £100 mark is still an
important psychological buying threshold, so I might not in
real life.
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Revamped Mountain Lite
looks like
it should be a contender come
autumn
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Last but not least there's a new and very
neat looking version of the stalwart Zamberlan B2 category,
3-4 season Mountain Lite at £139.95. Complete with all
you'd expect, at least one slavering hack wasn't prepared to
accept any alternative to a test pair, even though they
haven't actually been manufactured yet... One to look out
for.
web
site
|
|
Official Site
Health Warning
None of this stuff will
be in the shops until September, to preserve your health, do
not hassle
your local outdoor shop until then... And don't say we
didn't warn you, eh.
|
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