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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2017 Winter Outdoor Retailer is in full swing in Salt Lake City, and with it, a slew of new and innovative products are being unveiled for the first time.
The expo runs from Monday to Thursday at the Salt Palace Convention Center and has 167 new exhibitors among the 22,000 professionals gathered at this year’s event, according to Outdoor Retailer officials. University of Utah Bureau of Economic and Business Research officials estimate the expo will generate more than $20 million in direct delegate spending.
Thousands of products, including the most innovative top brands in outdoor winter gear, are on display at the Salt Palace. We took a look at three new products that were included in the New Product Showcase.
Fireside Industries Campfire Defender
Have you ever dreaded having to leave your warm sleeping bag to go build a fire after a cold night of camping? Well, so have the men behind this product. The newly released Campfire Defender eliminates the problem of having to start a fire in freezing weather by giving campers the flexibility of leaving their fire burning overnight. Campers can simply set up the cover — complete with stakes and a vent — over their campfire coals and leave it burning without worrying about stray embers causing a forest fire.
Utilizing the help of a fire chief who understands the science behind fires, the cover was created from a military-grade, fireproof material that can withstand heat up to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also insulated with silicon to create a weatherproof shield to protect the coals from the elements and to keep them burning for up to eight hours. Campers can control how much or little oxygen the coals get by opening the vent.
[One of the new products being launched at the Winter @outdoorretailer: The @campfiredefender . . . #outdoorretailer #optoutside #ksloutdoors #outdoors #instautah](https://www.instagram.com/p/BPHCTI7jKRd/) A video posted by KSL.com (@kslcom) on Jan 10, 2017 at 8:01pm PST
There are two versions of the Campfire Defender: the main one is 60 inches by 68 inches, weighs 16 pounds (including stakes) and costs $249; a smaller version is available for backpackers and measures 30 inches by 34 inches, weighs 3 pounds and costs $139.
The Campfire Defender launched a mere 90 days ago and did their big unveiling of their product at the Outdoor Retailer.
Goal Zero YETI 1400 Lithium
Locally-based Goal Zero is often a featured favorite at the Outdoor Retailer, and this year was no exception as they once again made it into the New Product Showcase on the expo floor. This year’s newest offering from the solar-powered giant is an updated, high capacity portable power station that launched at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show and won three awards.
The power bank features a 1,500 watt AC patent-pending inverter that makes it useful for powering electronics and small appliances indoors and outdoors. It has a variety of hookups that allows it to power a variety of things: from a small freezer during a power outage to a CPAP machine while camping. It also has no emissions and no sound, making it useful in a variety of settings. The power station can power 1,400 watt hours and can be recharged by electricity, solar or by plugging it into a vehicle port.
Goal Zero Vice President of Innovation Norm Krantz said one of the biggest differences between this newest version of the power station and previous models is that the weight has been cut almost in half. The new model weighs approximately 46 pounds, with a retail price around $2,000.
Buff ThermoNet
Buff unveiled its newest line of neck, face and head warming clothing at the Outdoor Retailer. The ThermoNet is a technical lightweight fabric comprised of PrimaLoft yarn that is four times warmer than their previous microfiber line. The ThermoNet material is available as a tube neck warmer, a beanie and a balaclava.
Along with being lightweight and warmer, the material is hydrophobic so it’s breathable and wicks away moisture while keeping the heat in, Buff director of marketing Erin Duckhorn said. It is unusual to be able to pair the yarn tubing with PrimaLoft technology, making this new line quite unique. The three clothing items can be worn 12 different ways and are versatile for a variety of uses.
The new ThermoNet line won’t be available for retail until August. The tube and hat will cost $26.99 each and the balaclava will retail for $36.99.
