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SALT LAKE CITY — The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market opened Thursday and runs through Sunday, bringing with it exciting new products for winter recreation enthusiasts.
An estimated 22,000 manufacturers, retailers and suppliers will attend the expo at the Salt Palace Convention Center and those visitors will generate more than $20 million in direct delegate spending to Salt Lake City and the state.
With some of the biggest names in outdoor gear in attendance, here is a look at five of the new products that were showcased at the event.
Thermos Smart Lid =================
Price: $60-70 in U.S.
If you don't feel like you remember to drink enough water, Thermos has a solution for you. The Thermos Smart Lid tracks and monitors the amount of water a user drinks in a day. It then uses Bluetooth wireless technology to pass that information to the user via the Thermos app on their smartphone or FitBit. Thermos partnered with FitBit on the new product, but it is compatible with any device that has iOS 7 capabilities.
The user can customize their profile on the app and the Thermos Smart Lid will recommend a healthy water intake based on their height, weight, age and gender. The Thermos app will send alerts to tell the user how much water they need to drink to reach their target goals. The lid has an almost two week battery life.
The Smart Lid is leak resistant and can simply be removed from the bottle when it needs to be washed. The straw core also provides real-time readings of the temperature of the water. The Smart Lid water bottle comes in teal and gray.
The product was released in November, but was highlighted in the "new products showcase" at the expo.
Goal Zero Venture 70 ====================
Price: $150
In 2015, Goal Zero unveiled the first product in the award-winning Venture family, the rugged line of outdoor battery packs. The new Venture 70 takes the capabilities of the first model up a notch. The larger battery pack is waterproof and very durable, and is capable of charging a smartphone three times before needed to be recharged.
The battery pack includes patent-pending charging technology to provide the fastest charge possible without overcharging or overheating the device. It also includes two cable options — a micro USB and Apple Lightning — so users don't need to pack their cables in the outdoors.
Once the battery pack has been depleted, it can be paired with a Goal Zero solar panel to be recharged outdoors. The Venture 70 is also equipped with a light so users can tell how much power is left and how fast the power is discharging when a device is being powered.
Price: $55
Crampons, microspikes, ice cleats. While there are a variety of different names, the products all have the same end goal: to keep outdoor enthusiasts from slipping on ice. However, many of the products' rubber loses its elasticity over time and rip where the metal spikes attach.
The Kovea crampons were designed with a special heavy-duty rubber to make them last longer. An additional hole was also added where the metal is attached to the rubber so that the weight is more evenly distributed and puts less stress on the area where the metal attaches to the rubber. A piece of plastic was also added to act as a buffer between where the metal and rubber attach, increasing durability.
The crampons come in any size ranging from small children to adult males. They are color coded by size to make it easier to locate the correct crampons when traveling with a group. The crampons also come in a hard case to protect them from damage.
ColdPruf Base Layer Women's Honeycomb Line ==========================================
Price: $40
Any winter athletes will testify to the importance of dressing appropriately for the weather. While there are a variety of active wear clothing options available on the market, the ColdPruf Base Layer new Women's Honeycomb line was selected as part of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market "new product showcase."
The new Honeycomb fleece line includes jackets in three colors —melon, teal and white — and yoga pants — which are only available in white. The 7-ounce jackets are lightweight, but the fleece lining and divots ("pockets") help hold in warmth. The clothing is made from a 80/20 poly-spandex blend that creates a "moves-with-you" fit and also helps wick away moisture. The material is also created with a long-lasting odor control on the fabric.
"The current trend in base layers, especially among women, is that they serve not only as traditional base layers, but also as active outerwear and lifestyle pieces," ColdPruf VP of Sales and Marketing Peggy Denomme said in a statement. "We wanted to inject new colors and styling in order to provide ColdPruf customers the fit, performance and look that the market demands."
The women's jackets come in a crew neck and mock zip style.
Zuca All-Terrain ================
Price: $275
Zuca specializes in customized, TSA-approved heavy-duty luggage carts and unveiled a new outdoors version at the expo. The All-Terrain has 12-inch, high-clearance wheels to allow the user to cart their camping gear around easily in the outdoors. The All-Terrain is 14 pounds, so would need to be used while car-camping rather than backpacking, but the aluminum alloy frame surrounding the luggage insert is durable enough to handle rugged terrain.
The top of the metal frame on the cart can be used as a seat and can support 300 pounds — so no more having to sit on the top of a cooler when camping chairs are limited. The luggage insert can be removed from the frame and can be hand-washed and hung back on the frame to dry.
The All-Terrain has a long handle that extends up to 51 inches and can be adjusted based on the height of the person pulling the cart. The handle also completely collapses and the wheels can be taken off the cart to make it more compact during travel.
