Australian Hiker

155-Industry Interviews July 2020 Part 1

Show Notes

Over the past three years Australian Hiker has attended the annual Outdoor Retailer Australia Show. This show is a chance for Australia’s outdoor wholesalers and manufacturers to showcase their new and existing products to Australia’s outdoor retailers and allied media. Due to the pandemic the show was cancelled for 2020 but rather than let the opportunity pass us by we managed to catch up with a number of suppliers for an update.

In this, the first of two episodes in this series, we bring you two interviews.

In our next episode, episode 156, to be released next week, we will bring you our remaining interviews.

As a follow up to our discussions with the various suppliers, in the coming year we will be undertaking a number of gear reviews that will be of interest to you.

Podcast Overview

Introduction

Leki/Deuter/Clif (time index 4:12)

Products
- Leki Trekking poles
  - Some new lighter weight trekking poles coming onto the market
  - Trail running trekking poles have seen a big uptake over the past few years
    - What‘s the difference between hiking and running poles?
- Deuter
  - Packs
    - The big change in the outdoor industry is towards environmental sustainability
      - Reduction in harmful chemicals ‘PFC Free’
      - Use of recycled material
      - Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
    - Updates to some of their more popular packs
      - Due out in the first quarter 2021
      - New rolling luggage due in late 2020
    - Did you know that Deuter also do sleeping bags? We just don’t see them in Australia
- Clif
  - The Clif Nut Butter Bars are selling strongly, an Australian Hiker favourite
  - New ‘Builders’ Protein Bars due out later this year
    - 20 grams of protein per bar, great for the end of the day
  - Shot Bloks – worth considering for longer hikes, not just for runners

Tim and Gill’s comments

Sea to Summit (time index 37:11)

A well known Australian company that provides lots of accessories but is becoming well known for their sleep range

30 years young!
Over the past few years Sea to Summit has revamped its sleeping system range
The company has built the range as a ‘sleep system’
- Initial discussion on what makes up a sleep system
  - Sea to Summits philosophy on building sleep systems – flexibility
  - Getting the sleep system right
  - Everyone is different
  - Sleeping mat rating system: R-value
  - Did you now that snow is an insulator?
- New sleeping mats
  - Ether Light Extreme – inflatable mat
  - Camp Plus – self inflating mat; not so light but cheaper and great for car camping
- Sleeping Bags/quilts
  - Looking at versatility
  - Down loft
  - Quilts versus sleeping bags
    - What are the advantages?
    - Choosing the balance between the sleeping bag and the sleeping mat
  - Integrating sleeping bags with quilts to boost the warmth (stacking/layering)
- New Quilts
  - A revamped Ember range to allow it to be layered
  - A new Cinder Quilt Range
    - A more durable range with heavier grade material
  - The Glow Quilt
    - A synthetic quilt
      - Lower price
      - Works really well in wet conditions
- New product should be in store by around March 2021
The outdoor industry at the moment
- Many suppliers are taking themselves virtual in talking to their retailers and their suppliers
- Getting new product to the market is a multi year process
- Support the Australian outdoor stores as they are feeling the impact
- A challenging year

Tim and Gill’s comments

Podcast Close

Episode 156 which contains the remainder of our interviews will be released on 5 August 2020

Leki Cross Trail Poles. These poles are designed to bridge the gap between running poles and trekking poles. I am really keen to test these out!

Mesh pole straps-Leki. I do like the look of these ‘straps’ – they just make sense to me

Leki Micro Vario Trekking poles – these poles are currently available through many shops as one of Leki’s high-end trekking poles

Deuter doing it’s bit for the environment by reducing nasty chemicals in their range of packs

Deuter Futura Packs. Deuter packs are one of the world’s best known packs and will now contain recycled fabrics

Clif Nut Butter bars – already on the market and one of our personal favourites

Clif Builders Bars. A great source of protein (29 grams) which is a big consideration on long distance hikes to allow the body to repair itself at the end of the day and overnight

Clif Shot Bloks opened. Again another part of my hiking menu for multi-week week hikes or those big days when you need that quick hit of energy

Sea to Summit Ether Light Extreme sleeping mat. This mat has an R rating of 6.2 (and 6.3 for the female mat) which will help keep even the coldest hiker toasty warm

Sea to Summit Glow Quilt. This quilt uses synthetic insulation rather than down which helps to reduce the price and keep you warm even if it gets wet. The new models of Sea to Summit sleeping bags and quilts are designed to work together as a system and will essentially allow you to layer your sleeping system

Sea to Summit Cinder Quilt. The new models of Sea to Summit sleeping bags and quilts are designed to work together as a system and will allow you to layer your sleeping system

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