ܳٲ’s gear team is in Denver atthe Outdoor Retailer trade show this week, scouring the booths for lust-worthy products for next fall and winter. Here’s what caught our attentionon day one.
Duer Weatherproof Denim Jeans ($199)
Most of the ϳԹ staff owns at least one pair of Duer jeans. Some of us have had them for years, while others are just coming into their first pair. We’re all particularly excited about the company’s new Weatherproof Denim, which is launching in January and combines a stretchy performance fabric with a waterproof-windproof membrane. Essentially, they look and feel like our favorite jeansbut won’t leave us soaking on the rare rainy-day commute to our Santa Fe office.
Altra Tushar Hiking Boots ($199)
Black Diamond Vision Parka ($499)
Down jackets are winter staples, given their unparalleled warmth-to-weight ratio. But many of the superlight versions come with paper-thin face fabrics that tear if an errant branch so much as grazes them. Black Diamond has worked out a solution with itsVision parka, wrapping the 800-fill down clusters in a face fabric that has “liquid-crystal polymer” woven in for reinforcement. It’s the same stuff that makes the company’s Vision climbing harness so burly. And yet the jacketstill only tips the scales at 1.3 pounds. The result: adown parka with that light weight and warmth we all know and love, in a package that you don’t have to baby. The Vision goes on sale in fall 2019.
Fjällräven Vardag 16 Pack ($65)
Fjällräven’s Kanken pack is iconic, so much so that we named it one of the top five gear items of all time. Itsstreamlined square design holds just enough for a day in town or on the trail, anda zipperaround three sides provideseasy access.In 2019, Fjällrävenis updating the Kanken lineby going vintage. The Vardag 16-liter backpack features the tough waxed-canvas fabric the brand is known for, in a rounded silhouette, with the old company logo–an ode to the brand’s roots.