Travel & Outdoor Gear
Schoeller wins Swiss Innovation Award for iLoad
November 14, 2011
On 3 November, iLoad®, the latest development from the Sevelen based textile and technology specialists, Schoeller Textil AG, was distinguished with the Swiss Technology Award in the segment “Maturity Stage” at the Innovation Forum, held at the Novartis Campus in Basel. In a two-phase adjudication process, a high profile jury of experts carefully selected the three winners from among 96 applicants and awarded them Switzerland’s leading technology and innovation prize. The Swiss Technology Award specifically promotes Swiss innovations distinguishing the most innovative and best companies and institutions in Switzerland each year. Partners from the world of business as well as educational and promotional institutions support the awards. The Swiss Innovation Forum is organized primarily by The Swiss Economic Forum GmbH. “The award winning iLoad® technology recently took a prize in Germany as well,” say a delighted Hans-Jürgen Hübner (left) and Theo Gaupp from Schoeller. iLoad®... Read More →
Member Press Releases Travel & Outdoor Gear
Columbia’s Innovative Omni-Heat® Electric Brings Home Two Awards
November 14, 2011
We are excited and blushing a bit at the recent awards we received from National Geographic Adventure and Outside Magazine. Check it out. The Bugaglove Max Electric™ was honored with National Geographic Adventure’s “Gear of the Year” Award. This is the first time Columbia has made their list, and their crew enjoyed the steady heat from the gloves in subfreezing temperatures. They also noted that the Omni-Heat reflective lining kept them extremely warm even when the power was turned off. The Circuit Breaker™ Softshell was awarded Outside Magazine’s Radical Design Award, which we think is pretty radical. Appearing in the upcoming Winter Buyer’s Guide, Outside’s editors were impressed with the soft flexibility of the heated coat that kept their reviewers “toasty” for hours. Thank you Outside and stay toasty. Yes, these awards boost our ego, but more importantly, they boost our passion for trying stuff. Read More →
ATTA "In the News" Travel & Outdoor Gear
Eight Ways for Retailers to Tap into the Adventure Travel Trend
September 16, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: This piece was written by the Outdoor Industry Association, in cooperation with ATTA, and is now part of their Resource Library. It is posted here with their permission. Adventure travel is already a multi-billion dollar business. But according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association, it may just be hitting its stride. “Tourism bureaus only now are pouring money into adventure travel,” notes ATTA President Shannon Stowell. “For outdoor brands right now, it’s still largely unexplored territory.” Larger adventure travel promotion budgets mean millions of new consumers will be introduced to outdoor recreation in coming years, providing a huge source of growth for outdoor brands. ATTA describes the three pillar attractions of adventure travel as physical activity, interaction with the environment and cultural exchange. Eight of ten adventure travel operators surveyed offer hiking and walking, while 54 percent offer wildlife viewing and 53 percent offer... Read More →
Travel & Outdoor Gear
Adventure Travel Partnerships Driving Down Marketing Costs
September 16, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: This article, by Charlie Lunan, was originally published in the Outdoor Industry Association WebNews, and is posted here with their permission. Outdoor brands looking to stretch their marketing budgets are making great progress by collaborating with the adventure travel industry. The increasing collaboration was in full view at the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s (ATTA) Adventure Hub at Outdoor Retailer earlier this month. ATTA highlighted marketing partnerships between Belize and Ex-Officio, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Eagle Creek, Mexico and Outdoor Retailer and Fjord Norway and Hummingbird, the first luggage line designed by Cascade Designs specifically for the adventure travel market. The brands offered raffle tickets for a free trip to their partner destination to dealers who visited their booths and celebrated the winners at an end-of-day drawing party. Behind the scenes, more than 70 outfitters, tour agencies and other ATTA members conducted more... Read More →
Travel & Outdoor Gear
Outdoor Industry Association Releases Benchmarking Reports
August 3, 2011
Boulder — Two benchmarking reports released today by Outdoor Industry Association indicate that the outdoor industry has emerged from the recession leaner and more profitable. The Manufacturer Benchmarking Report and the Retailer Benchmarking Report are based on 2010 financial data provided by 61 manufacturing companies and 59 retailers. These studies are among the most important tools that OIA offers its members to help improve their profit and financial performance. The reports analyze industry-wide operating norms and performance metrics which outdoor companies can use to compare against their own results. “The [manufacturer] benchmarking report shows us detailed comparisons in compensation and sourcing trends that we find valuable,” said Audrey Hicks, CFO for Outdoor Research, which was among this year’s respondents. “It’s important to see how the shifts and challenges are trending and where we fall within those trends.” The report confirms what many small, independent... Read More →
Member Press Releases Travel & Outdoor Gear
Platypus® Origin™ 9 Hydration Pack Wins Outdoor Enthusiast Editor’s Choice
June 30, 2011
Seattle, U.S.A. – Cascade Designs, Inc., the Seattle-based industry leader in the design and manufacture of premier outdoor equipment, is proud to announce the company’s Platypus® Origin™ 9 hydration pack has been honored with an Editor’s Choice award from the UK magazine Outdoor Enthusiast. The hydration pack was recognized for its comfort, utility and weatherproof-ness in wet climates. Outdoor Enthusiast Editor Alf Alderson tested ten hydration systems, ultimately selecting the Platypus Origin 9 as his number one choice for its “top quality and design.” Alderson called it “an excellent hydration pack.” The Platypus Origin 9 pack is one model in a line of five Platypus Origin hydration packs that feature superior gear protection in any weather, with precisely integrated hydration and a refined contoured fit designed for a variety of day and overnight activities. A premium, taste-free Platypus Big Zip™ SL reservoir is the foundation of every pack in the... Read More →
Travel & Outdoor Gear
Outdoor Apparel, Footwear Post Solid Gains on Robust Inventories and Spring-like Weather
March 22, 2011
Boulder, CO — The new retail fiscal year kicked off optimistically, with sales of outdoor products up 5.2 percent to $655.6 million in the four-week period ending February 26, 2011. Outdoor Apparel and Outdoor Footwear both showed gains in early February that moderated by month’s end as consumers started to make the switch to spring/summer merchandise in many parts of the country, according to retail point-of-sale data compiled by SportScanInfo for OIA VantagePoint™. OIA VantagePoint tracks product sales identified with specific outdoor activities, such as hiking, climbing, camping, trail running or other active outdoor lifestyle pursuits. Out of the nine channels tracked by OIA VantagePoint for outdoor-related product sales, the strongest February growth came out of Department Stores, driven by strong year‐over‐year Apparel sales, and the Internet, which again posted near‐20 percent growth. Though February traditionally represents just a small portion of total annual outdoor... Read More →
Travel & Outdoor Gear
Briggs & Riley BRX Exchange Duffle Receives National Geographic Gear of the Year 2010 Award
November 15, 2010
HAUPPAUGE, NY – Briggs & Riley Travelware‘s BRX Exchange 26 Duffle has received National Geographic Adventure’s top honor of ‘Gear of the Year 2010.’ This dynamic duffle bag from Briggs & Riley’s new BRX collection converts into a backpack using a quick-convert backpack suspension system. A back panel easily zips away to reveal a padded backpack harness with sternum straps. Steve Casimiro, contributing editor of National Geographic Adventure and founder of Adventure Journal writes, ‘For a simple product, the duffle can be remarkably sophisticated, and it’s the details that make the difference. High-end luggage maker Briggs & Riley brings the finishing of its most blue-blooded models to a new line of more rugged pieces: The BRX Exchange 26 duffle has a huge U-shaped opening to make packing or unpacking effortless, there are hidden backpack straps, and an expansion sleeve adds three inches of depth to the 4,000-cubic-inch carryall.... Read More →
Member Press Releases Travel & Outdoor GearPremiere Vision Innovation Prize 2010 for Schoeller Textil AG
October 18, 2010
Fabric with energear™ technology wins major textile prize Paris/Sevelen: The second annual PV Awards were presented in Paris. From 113 nominees, the international jury found a winner for each of five categories. Schoeller Textil AG won the “Innovation Prize 2010” with the new technology called energear ™. The fabric presented is from the schoeller-shape group and was recognized as “the most innovative, the most intelligent, the most technological and creative”. Apparent contradictions between tradition and technology merge in this authentic wool quality from Schoeller Textil AG. The winner of the Innovation Prize 2010 combines refined elegance with exceptional performance underscoring the concept of wellness in the textile with energear™. The schoeller-shape fabric features a transversely elastic bonded wool/polyester blend quality interior and exterior in an exciting interplay. The pleasant, smooth jersey inside is tone on tone with the soft outside. Maximum protection... Read More →
ATTA Press Releases Travel & Outdoor Gear
Eddie Bauer Renews, Deepens Connection to Adventure Tourism Sector
September 17, 2010
SEATTLE – The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) today announced that Eddie Bauer, a specialty retailer of sportswear, outerwear, gear and accessories for the active outdoor lifestyle, is now the Official Outfitter of the ATTA and will be the sole apparel Sponsor of the ATTA’s consumer-facing adventure directory website. Eddie Bauer First Ascent will also be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2010 Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) Day of Adventure. As a Major Sponsor, Eddie Bauer joins Visit Scotland and Cairngorms National Park as the ATTA’s only Major Sponsors. Eddie Bauer’s increased level of support of the ATTA illustrates the brand’s interest in more deeply re-connecting with its respected adventure and mountaineering heritage. Additionally, its decision to support the ATTA dovetails strategically with First Ascent, Eddie Bauer’s line of world-class expedition gear created with some of the best mountain guides in the world. “Since Eddie Bauer first founded his sport... Read More →
