Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2013 Preview From The Gear Junkie

The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market gets underway today in Salt Lake City, unveiling all of the new gear that will hit store shelves later this year. As the name implies, most of that gear will be aimed at cold weather activities such as skiing, snowboarding, winter camping and high altitude mountaineering.  A good portion of what will be on display there won't be available for purchase until later this fall, but for those of us who just can't wait to see what is in the works, the Gear Junkie has us covered with an excellent preview of the upcoming products.

The GJ preview has all manner of items on the list, ranging from various jackets, to skies and even retro sunglasses. But a few of the items that caught my attention include the new gear vest from Dakine that lets you carry most of your equipment in a lightweight, cleverly designed vest that minimalists are going to love. Speaking of minimal, Klymit is unveiling a new lightweight inflatable raft that weighs just 32 ounces (.9 kg) while Patagonia is offering a one-piece baselayer for covering winter adventurers pretty much from head to toe. Other highlights include a new waterproof puffy jacket from Outdoor Research and a new four-season tent from Easton Mountain Products.

Over the next few days we'll probably be inundated with press releases and previews of new gear. If you're someone who is always on the outlook for something new to add to your gear closet, it is a great time. But if your bank account is still recovering from the holidays it can be kind of rough too. Fortunately, we'll have a few months to save!

I'll post more gear previews a they pop up.