Thoughts On the Final Day at OR

Lots to process after four of five very eventful days ... almost too much to mention and far too much to recall right here. But we'll bring you plenty of the best news, new companies and show highlights in the coming issues of Inside Outdoor and on http://www.insideoutdoor.com/.

A few cool, new or sorta new things we saw, as well as emerging product categories include:

Water intake monitoring devices, which either come installed on a hydration product or can be spliced into an existing tube. See: http://www.n2kh2o.com/

Flat and foldable tableware seems to be popping up in lots of places. Super light and compact for backpacking and travel, but even better, they replace the need for paper plates at the family picnic of campground. Check out http://www.fozzils.com/.

Although very little marketing push currently is behind it, keep an eye on Apexa, a biodegradeable/compostable polymer that can be used to make fabrics, trims, buckles, etc. The end result could be fully compostable garments. Contact ASF Group (http://www.asfgroup.com/) for more information.

And while we are a long way from seeing it widely used in mainstream applications, aerogels, brought to the show by Aspen Aerogels, have the potential to revolutionize lots of product categories in the outdoor market and beyond. See http://www.aerogel.com/

Lastly, our team spotted a mountain bike spinning around the convention center grounds that's built with a carbon fiber and Kevlar spider web-like open lattice tube design. Yes, you can see through the frame. Surely expensive but super cool. http://www.delta7sports.com/