Ross Worthington reports on some of the hot product launches from day 1 of the ISPO trade show…
A busy but exciting first day at ISPO Munich saw us meeting with a number of brands and learning more about their new product ranges for this coming autumn/winter. We kicked the day with Lowe Alpine who are launching a completely new clothing range this autumn. Consisting a of a number of shells, insulation pieces and signature fleece tops, the top-of-the-range Triple Point Ceramic 3 caught our eye, a quite minamalist mountain jacket that makes use of eVent membrane. Also of note is the great-looking Storm Weave softshell and innovative hybrid Chimera jacket combining Primaloft One insulation with Aleutian fleece. Lowe Alpine will also be working with Cocona in their synthetic DryFlo base layers.
The Berghaus stand was all about the recent success of Leo Houlding and his team on Ullvetanna in Antarctica. The expedition has spawned a number of products, including the Ulvetanna outer shell in new Goretex Pro, with clever venting pockets and reinforced wear areas, as well as a nifty removable snow skirt. Berghaus will also now be offering an expedition sleeping bag, as used by the Ullvetanna team, and this – like all Berghaus down products – makes use of their hydrophobic down, Hydrodown. We also got to see the new styled Arête rucsac range and their brand new, tested-to-destruction expedition pack which is quite simply called the Expedition!
From Petzl we were introduced to the little brother and sister of the Nao headtorch in the guise of the Tikka R+ and RXP. Both sport the reactive lighting technology with 135 and 180 lumens respectively. Both use rechargeable and programmable battery packs as well standard batteries if needed. The great thing about these two is that they now come with guaranteed burn times. Petzl have also revamped their Laser ice screw range, with massive weight savings across all three as well as a design change to the teeth that allows a constant angle maintained when sharpened and colour-coded handles..
There’s great things to come over the coming months from Rab as well. Working closely with Polartec to make the most of their groundbreaking new Alpha insulation (more on this later) they have also chosen to work with Nikwax on their new hydrophobic down range including the very desirable Continium jacket (pictured) which is super lightweight, durable and damn good looking! Rab have also developed the ever-popular Vapourise (VR) product range, improving durability, colours and fit across the board, as well as introducing a woman specific Guide (winter) version.
Scarpa have reworked the classic winter walking and mountaineering boot the Manta, introducing the all-new Manta Pro (pictured). A great looking boot packed full of features that look set to make this a worthy successor, but don’t panic, the current Manta won’t be vanishing overnight. The all new Pro features a Goretex lining and sports a more up-to-date sole and last, as well as PU-injected areas in the sole. Its 5% lighter than the original Manta and uses a combination of modern fabrics on the upper and a slick lacing system for a super snug and accurate fit. Scarpa have also further developed their funky approach shoe range with the Vitamin, and we all know how important it is to have your vitamins every day!
Elsewhere we got to play with the new Outdoor Research Speedstar jacket, a slightly less warm version of the awesome Lodestar Hybrid jacket, as well as their updated leading outshell Maximus with well thought out features such as reach-through chest pockets, full side zips and using the super breathable Goretex Pro.
Polartec’s big news is the hyper breathable Alpha, which is being used by RAB, Mountain Equipment and Marmot, to name a few. This is lighter than Primaloft One but more importantly it is very breathable, unlike like its cousin. This makes it a natural choice for use in products designed for high energy activity where both warmth and breathability are essential. Expect to see this as commonplace in many peoples’ must- have list.
We even got the chance to play with the very James Bond Snowpulse technology Mammut rucsacs. A brilliant safety device and must-have for any off piste or ski mountaineering fans out there. Mammut were also showing their new Meron top flight outershell in new Goretex Pro, along with the Broad Peak 850 fill ethical down, pertex Quantum-faced jacket.
We had a quick preview of Swedish brand Tierra’s range that will be coming to the UK later this year, and their high-quality garments include GoreTex Pro mountain jackets and pants, and some nice insulation pieces. Finally, but by no means least, Nikwax have launched their new Polar Proof which with the use of only a mere 50ml of water-based, fluorocarbon-free treatment adds a remarkable DWR coating to any fleece. Not only does it make your fleeces water-resistant but it also reduces piling, reduces weight gain in wet weather and adds to durability. Clever stuff!
So that’s it for our first day at the show – check our next update tomorrow for more on the hottest products and launches at ISPO on day 2.