Good times at Outdoor Retailer

I spent a few days last week roaming the Salt Palace convention center in Salt Lake for the 2008 winter Outdoor Retailer tradeshow. While there, we witnessed the building across the street from the convention center, formerly DV8 nightclub, burn to the ground--quite a spectacle. When I first noticed the plume of black smoke, I thought someone had left a bagel in the toaster over at the Mormon Temple -- no such luck.
Anyhow, it was great to be at the show, see all of the new and innovative gear for 2008, and to catch up with friends. I've been attending this tradeshow for 10 years now, and after awhile the "Wow" factor slows down a bit. However, there's always something there that excites me enough that I can't leave the show without one in my possession. This year, I came home with two new items, and I'm excited to use both on our upcoming trip.

1. Steripen Adventure: If you've ever experienced the joy of Giardia or amoebic dysentery, then you'll want to own a Steripen. This gadget, about the size of a good Cuban pyramide, purifies questionable drinking water in a few minutes using ultraviolet radiation. Just hit the switch, dip it in your Nalgene, wait a few minutes and the green light will indicate when it's safe to gulp. The technology has been available for a few years now, but the new Adventurer and Traveler models are smaller and lighter.

2. Next up is the Chockstone Primaloft jacket from Sierra Designs. A great all around, compressible, insulated jacket with a sweet, hood. It's got thumb thongs, packs into its own pocket, the hood cinches down so it wraps your head like a do-rag. AND it's even waterproof breathable, thanks to the Drizone membrane. I'm really excited to wear this jacket for penguin hunting in rainy Tierra del Fuego next week :)I think we're good to go on equipment for the trip--maybe we're even over the top--but that's how we roll. It's hard not to overdo it when you've worked for an outdoor gear retailer for nine years. We're counting the hours to departure at this point, starving ourselves in anticipation of Buenos Aires meals, and watching the weather forecasts from BA to Ushuaia!!!