Outdoor Retailer Summer 23: Camping
The Outdoor Retailer show made it back to Salt Lake City this June and there were a lot of brands there showing off the latest and greatest products. One of the big categories is always camping with a variety of options to improve your time in the outdoors. Here is a look at some of my favorites at the Outdoor Retailer Summer 23: Camping.
Teton Sports Outdoors
Camping and backpacking gear seems to keep getting smaller and smaller even with more and more people participating. It is hard to find gear that isn’t ultra-small, ultra-light, and tiny. Not everyone is looking to get smaller though. Teton Sports Outdoors has all of the ultra-light backpacking gear you may want but also realize that some people really just enjoy camping and aren’t trying to set speed records! Or that some of us aren’t as small as the typical backpacker and need a little bit more.
As a heftier hiker with a bigger footprint than most I was really happy to see some of the gear on display from Teton. Teton offers XXL camp cots and sleeping pads! The cots have a length of 86 inches and a width of 45 inches so more body styles will be able to fit comfortably in the outdoors. The XXL cots also have a weight capacity of 600 pounds so you can feel comfortable that it won’t collapse overnight. The XXL sleeping pad stretches 82 inches long by 38 inches wide for a big and tall comfortable night.
Teton Sports Outdoors has all of the gear you would want for a fun time camping but they are just a bit more inclusive in sizing. They have a large assortment of tents, packs, sleeping bags, and more to cover everyone but it is nice to see a line of products to take care of some of us bigger outdoor enthusiasts.
Barebones – Lighting
The most popular booth at the show was held by Barebones Living. I heard several people talking about the Barebones lights but it was so busy it took over a day to get into the booth. Once I was in I could I see why all the fuss. The Barebones lights are antique looking lights driven with LED lights.
Barebones had old mining lanterns made with copper, brass and aluminum. Railroad lanterns made from copper and zinc and a real glass bulb surrounding the LED light source. They also had hanging lights made with the same antique style and metal components. Each fixture looked and felt like a real antique and actually had a heft to it and felt like they were built from a different era when stuff was built to last. Barebones also was showcasing full cast-iron cookware and gardening and assorted outdoor tools all made with the antique look and feel.
League and Company – Games
When you make it to that perfect family camping spot or vacation home it is great to have some games ready to entertain the whole family. League and Company. makes high quality, generational games that are fun for that whole family.
League and Co makes classic outdoor games like Bocce and Croquet and newer styled games like Bag Toss and Pickle Ball. Each game is made from wood and gives the feeling of playing at the family picnic with grandma’s classic set that has been passed down for generations. The equipment on display was high quality, with a good weight to it. Everything felt solid and not flimsy like some of the yard toys available these days. Plus, there is no better sound than a solid wood Croquet mallet strikes the ball!
Grand Trunk – Comfort
I am one of those people who love the outdoors but also love to be comfortable. I don’t even mind the occasional nap in the woods. So for me, comfort is an important step to camping and one that Grand Trunk takes very seriously! Grand Trunk focuses on hammocks, camp chairs, sun shades and more.
Grand Trunk has a variety of hammocks to choose from including the TrunkTech Hammock. The TrunkTech is lightweight, weather resistant and quick drying and can even hold up to to 500 pounds making it a great choice for any situation. But they also have down sleeping bag hammocks for those looking for a little longer rest than a quick nap.
I also really liked the lightweight camp chairs that came in some amazing colors and designs. The Compass 360 chair is a small stool style chair that can rotate 360 degrees and holds up to 330 pounds. As a hefty hiker it is hard to find chairs that fit my body and can hold my weight but Grand Trunk has several with wider bases and hold weights up to 250 pounds so it is easier to stay comfortable in confidence.
Warden Outdoors – Cooking
One of my favorite things to do when camping is to eat. There is nothing better than cooking over an open fire or a grill and eating outdoors. But, if you are anything like me, you probably forget half of the stuff you were supposed to bring on a camping trip. Warden Outdoors is trying to fix that by making the whole kit, just short of the kitchen sink, easily manageable and organized for that trip to the outdoors.
The Warden Kitchen full set comes with a 1.4L kettle, 10″ Fry pan with folding handle, 12″ stainless still grill grate, 4 10″ stainless steel plates, a picnic blanket, cutting sheet, 4 stainless steel forks, knives and spoons. Plus, a stainless steel spatula, soup spoon, tong, can opener, knife chef, and 4 stainless cups, bowls, and opener.
All of these outdoor cooking essentials fit perfectly in the Warden tote bag that has special pockets all over to fit every bit of the kit and allow to keep unused items in the bag. The Warden Outdoor full set makes it easy to have every item that you need for a perfect camp cooking experience and allows you keep it all organized both outdoors and in storage.
Brightz – Lighting
Finally we come to the Brightz lights. Brightz is known more for their line of bike wheel lights. They have a cool set of LED lights that go along the inside of bike tires that help them stand out in the dark and allow cool customization. Brightz also has a focus on outdoor lighting as well with canopy, tent, hammock, and kayak lights available.
My favorite item that I saw at the show was the Tentbrightz. The tentbrightz are a small LED lights that easy clip to the guy-lines to give a low level glow that helps to identify the lines in the dark so you don’t have to worry about tripping in the dark. The small lights last over 4 days of glow and come in packs of 4 to keep you from stumbling on your next camping trip.
More from the Fatman
For a list of other products that I have reviewed you can check my Product Review page here. If you have any products you would like me to review or any comments you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!
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