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SALT LAKE CITY — Outdoor Retailer is back for its second of three installments in Utah this year, bringing more than 700 brands to Salt Lake City to showcase their summer outdoor products this week.
About 200 of these brands are either new businesses or first-time exhibitors, says Lisa Ramsperger, a spokeswoman for the giant expo. These new brands range from local startups to global favorites trying to crack the U.S. market for the first time.
"There's a lot of discovery and getting to see what's new on the market, what's coming out on the market, what new brands might be the next big thing," she told KSL.com during a preview of new products held Sunday evening. "There are a lot of good opportunities to see product launches and learn about new brands, too."
She adds that the summer show happens in June because it's just before the "buying season," where products are being introduced to the marketplace for the first time as consumers get ready for the next round of summer recreation. That's why many new products aim to improve hiking, running, biking, camping and other popular summer activities.
Here are five new summer products that could make a splash in the market this year.
A way to haul e-bikes longer distances
The marketing firm Precedence Research anticipates that 40 million e-bikes will be sold this year, marking 130 million sales since 2020. The growth of e-bikes was already on display when Outdoor Retailer first returned to Salt Lake City earlier this year, and that continues this week.
But how do you plan to haul your e-bike if you're going great distances to ride it?
The South Jordan-based RadGnaRack is hoping to have that solution. The company, which officially launched this week, unveiled a new rack designed to haul all types of bikes, but especially much-heavier e-bikes. It's adjustable on one end so the rack serves as a ramp; once the bike is on the rack, users can adjust it again to elevate the bike and keep it from dragging. It's capable of holding two bikes.
"This is a rack that is specifically engineered toward them and assisting the loading of these big, heavy bikes for people who are not big, strong individuals," said Don Serra, the company's director of development and designer of the rack.
Tyson Creager, RadGnaRack's director of operations, adds that the rack is engineered to hold 120 pounds per bike, which is a little more than the heaviest e-bike the company could find on the market. It costs about $1,200, though he said the company is offering a 15% discount for the next few weeks as it launches.
It's available through the company's website.
Italian brand takes on the American market
UYN, which stands for Unleash Your Nature, is another brand ready to hit the market for the first time — in the U.S., at least. The 5-year-old subsidiary of the 73-year-old Italian company Trerè Innovation announced in April that it would open its first U.S. store in Boston by the end of this year.
While UYN offers all sorts of apparel made from "plant and bio-based materials," such as Merino and yak wool, its shoes definitely stand out. It touts itself as the first brand to make shoes out of socks without any seams, offering a new lightweight and comfortable footwear option.
"It's very, very advanced, in terms of using natural fibers," said Charlotte Daher, a spokeswoman for the brand.
Most of the company's sneakers range between $100 and $250 on the market, though there are hiking boots that cost a little bit more. They're already available online, ahead of the first retail store opening later this year.
Speaking of Merino wool ...
UYN isn't the only brand tied to the strong Merino wool trend. CEP, a German brand mostly known for its medical compression socks, is using the same fiber as it jumps more into socks for skiing and hiking.
So why is it an ongoing trend in outdoor and recreation products?
"Merino wool has just so many positive aspects when it comes to breathability, climate management and also because it's a very, very cozy, soft material," said Daniel Eismann, general manager of CEP USA.
Eismann explained that CEP merged this with its background in compression socks to design its first hiking sock a few years ago. He notes that the company's turn to skiing and hiking seemed like a natural transition based on its home country's popular activities.
"We are a southern Bavarian brand, so skiing and hiking for us is a national sport," he said. "We're happy we're finally having a skiing and hiking collection, which I think will excite a lot of passionate outdoor (recreationists) out there."
The company unveiled a new line of socks on Sunday that will be available next year. A new pair of Merino wool hiking socks cost between $24.95 and $54.95, depending on the style and size of the sock.
A more advanced water bottle
Water bottle technology has gone high-tech in recent years, and a new bottle set to hit the market this summer aims to take it up a notch.
Larq started as a Kickstarter project in 2017, offering a reusable water bottle with a digital purification system. Its creators wound up receiving more than $1.3 million, well more than its initial $30,000 goal. Larq has expanded since then, even appearing on "Shark Tank."
It now has all sorts of different water filtration products, including a bottle with a filtered cap. It's now set to offer a larger, one-liter "swig top" bottle in August. If customers want an ultraviolet cleaning sensor or a filter on it they can buy that cap on its own and upgrade their bottle that way, according to a spokesperson for the company.
The company's bottles range in price between about $40 for a plain reusable bottle to $118 for a larger bottle with high-tech systems.
More solar-charging gear
A few new solar-charging products are being displayed this week, including Garmin watches that build on the technology.
In Garmin's case, it adjusted its solar lens technology to allow for various display sizes within its Fenix Pro series, said Natalie Miller, a spokeswoman for the company. These changes have also allowed the batteries to get more life between charges. For example, one of the new Felix watches can get up to 14 days of battery life on one of its power-saving modes. That's possible with three hours of direct sunlight.
While this could be a benefit for someone who is away from electricity in the outdoors, it could just help a user avoid the need to plug in their device every once in a while, too, Miller says.
"It's really helpful for your all-day health monitoring. You don't have to plug this in at night to charge it, so you get all your sleep stats," she said. "That'll give you a better overall picture of your health."
Garmin watches typically range between $799 and $1,099, and can be purchased either from the company or various retail stores.
