Outdoor Market Alliance — better known as “OMA” — has quickly become a staple outdoor sports gear tradeshow. Tucked in an unassuming building on the outskirts of Denver, OMA houses many just-released and soon-to-launch products for media eyes only.
It’s not a comprehensive list of every outdoor brand, but it includes several heavy hitters like Mountain Hardwear, Cascade Designs, Osprey, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Arc’teryx, and many more. This week, four GearJunkie editors took 2 days of back-to-back meetings to get a peek at the hottest new gear coming to market this fall and into next spring.
We awarded five Best in Show products but also saw a handful of honorable mentions that you don’t want to miss. Take a look!
Outdoor Market Alliance: Best in Show
Therm-a-Rest ‘Boost’ Sleeping Bag
Therm-a-Rest had a lot to show us this summer (see the sleeping pad below), but the Boost sleeping bag stood out for its innovative design and clever approach to giving more to the most frequent backpackers and campers.
The Boost sleeping bag effectively provides two temperature ratings in a single bag, thanks to a center panel that, when zipped closed, changes a 20-degree bag into a 10-degree bag. We’ve seen plenty of approaches to regulating sleeping bag temps — NEMO’s Thermo Gills and Exped’s flippable MegaSleep sleeping bags — but Therm-a-Rest gave its own spin with something extra.
Unzip the WarmZip center panel, and the sleeping bag looks nearly like a rectangle bag, and its temp rating is high (20 degrees). This is because the expanded center chamber disperses down more broadly, allowing heat to escape more readily. Zip it closed, and two things happen: the insulation thickens in the middle, and the bag snugs into a true mummy. This results in a bag with a 10-degree warmer EN rating.
The Boost uses 650-fill, RDS-certified hydrophobic down, a 100% recycled nylon shell, and PFAS-free DWR. It will be available in short, wide, regular, and long sizes.
The Boost also sports zippable arm holes and a zippered footbox, so you can vent the bag or add more range of motion. The Boost 650 Sleeping Bag will launch in January 2025 in 32F/0C and 20F/-6C options.
Osprey PhotoLid
Osprey admits that it has received requests for photography gear for years — and now it’s got something to show! The new line, which Osprey announced in July, encompasses a Chest Rig and other accessories, but the standout winner was the PhotoLid.
If you have a backpack with a removable lid (brain), you can attach the PhotoLid in its place. Osprey notes this will work with any model Osprey backpack and maybe others with removable lids, depending on the attachment points.
The PhotoLid has protected, modular compartments for your camera body, lenses, and accessories. When you remove it from the pack, it also converts to a hip pack. It’s made with 100% PFAS-free recycled polyester and nylon and is Bluesign-certified.
We love the concept because it allows photographers to carry their camera equipment in a relatively easy-to-access compartment with a minor modification to their packs. Unlike most cubes, there’s no need to open the pack body to access the camera. Plus, it works with many of the backpacks that folks already own.
This system does mean that whatever you usually cache in the lid will have to find a new home, but the functionality and design of the PhotoLid are super impressive. So far, the PhotoLid will come in one 5L size and one color (black). The fall 2024 Photo line is available now online.
Thule Revert Vertical Bike Rack
We’ve seen vertical bike racks with assisted lowering dampers, and we’ve seen bike racks with assisted lifting struts, but we’ve never seen a vertical bike rack that does both.
The Thule Revert is the Swedish brand’s first vertical hitch-mounted bike rack, and it can hold four or six bikes. But the real magic is the big lever in the middle. When the rack is upright and locked, press the lever, and the rack (and bikes) slowly tilt back. Press the lever again when the rack is down, and the rack slowly lifts itself back up into the upright, locked position.
Easier access and loading, especially with up to 6 bikes, means less time finagling in the parking lot, and more time riding trails.
Vasque Venture GTX
“The only shoe you’ll need to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail.” Bold words caught our attention when Vasque shared its most exciting product. The Vasque Venture GTX packs a bunch of shoe tech into a modern, sharp-looking design. While some tech elements and components can be found in other shoes (even select other shoes we saw at OMA), Vasque packs them all into one.
They all contribute to a single shoe that the brand claims should be able to hold up to the entirety of the PCT. That’s a big claim, as the 2,653-mile trail tends to destroy footwear along the way. Vasque representatives admitted the shoe has yet to complete the route, but the hiking shoes look incredibly durable, and we hope to see how they hold up soon.
The shoe’s components include Vasque’s own Vbound supercritical nitrogen-injected foam in the midsole, with 30% TPEE and 10% sugarcane. The upper is a custom TPU-coated mesh, a spandex sock-like collar, a 100% recycled lining, and GORE-TEX Invisible Fit Waterproofing.
The Litebase Megagrip outsole also caught our eye: it’s a new tread from Vibram with super-angular and different-sized lugs to provide grip and traction in all directions. Though it’s a close cousin of the Megagrip, it looks nothing like it. There’s also some adjustability in the lacing system, as well as a heel counter and padding on the back of the shoe.
The final weight for the men’s pair is 12.9 ounces, and the women’s pair will weigh 11.7 ounces. The Vasque Venture launches in spring 2025 (TBD) and will retail for $220 MSRP.
This shoe’s greatest claim is durability, and it seems like it should hold up better than most. Look for a GearJunkie review soon.
Mountain Hardwear Storm Whisperer
The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer is a benchmark-setting lightweight puffy jacket. But it’s never been available as a waterproof insulated jacket, until now.
Coming in early September 2024 and weighing just 1 pound, 2.5 ounces, the Storm Whisperer uses 800-fill RDS-certified down protected by a lightweight Pertex Shield waterproof shell to provide a super-light, packable jacket that aims to do it all.
Highly breathable yet insulating, the Storm Whisperer is loaded with details like pit zips and zippered hand pockets. This is one do-it-all layer that aims to disappear in your pack until you need it. Then, it should keep you warm, dry, and protected from both rain and cold.
Honorable Mentions: A Look at More Future Gear
Therm-a-Rest Loft Sleeping Pad
Therm-a-Rest designed the NeoLoft sleeping pad to be the most comfortable backpacking air pad ever. At first, some of our editors were skeptical — but in the end, comfort paired with an impressive packed size and R-value is exactly what this pad achieves.
The pad has a lightweight and efficient internal structure, a whopping 4.7-inch pad height, and a stretch knit surface to help distribute weight comfortably. It weighs 25 ounces (regular size) and has an R-value of 4.7.
Black Diamond Solution Hoody
Few jackets in the outdoor industry can pull off the perfect, highly sought-after balance of lightweight, packability, and warmth.
Black Diamond’s latest jacket might achieve that. It has sheeted PrimaLoft Active Insulation (as opposed to blown-in, like down fill). Sheeting makes the insulation less likely to clump or shift when stuffed down small.
Speaking of, the jacket (which will also come in a vest and hoody version) packs down into its hand pocket and weighs just 330 g. The Solution is meant to be a practical, performance layer that’s fully synthetic, light, and durable. It’s topped off with a PVC-free DWR finish for extra weatherproofing and stretchy elastic cuffs.
While technically a spring 2025 product, the Solution will start to be released this August.
La Sportiva Prodigio Pro
This might be the craziest spring 2025 trail running shoe I saw at OMA that I wasn’t expecting. The La Sportiva Prodigio Pro is the most cushioned and responsive trail running shoe the brand has made. It packs the Italian brand’s design ethos, a nitrogen-infused TPU foam, and a healthy amount of rocker to respond to uneven terrain into a very light package.
La Sportiva even calls it a “supershoe for the mountains.” In addition to the springy and wicked light Prodigio Pro, a Prodigio Hike mid-rise shoe version will also be added to the line. The Prodigio Pro has an MSRP of $195 and weighs 8.9 ounces for the men’s model.
Other notable shoes we saw at La Sportiva were the Aequilibrium Hike and Aequilibrium Trek — less chunky and stiff than the OG Aequilibrium mountaineering boot while still retaining technical chops — that will also hit the market in spring 2025.
