Good news for outdoor fans with knee problems: the new Bauerfeind Sports Outdoor Knee Support stabilizes and relieves the knee as well as the patellar tendon, due to an innovative combination of Merino Compression Knit, Omega Pad, and an individually adjustable strap. People with knee problems often reach their limits when hiking in the mountains, especially when going downhill as the strain on the knee is greatest. The new knee brace supports outdoor enthusiasts on more vigorous hikes.
Bauerfeind Sports, the sports line of Bauerfeind, designed this knee support for the outdoor sports market based on its many years of expertise in the development and production of medical braces.
The Outdoor Knee Support is an innovative outdoor support ‘Made in Germany’. For the first time, it combines the benefits of merino wool and a flat knit support with functional elements. The knee support stabilizes the knee and relieves the patellar tendon, thanks to a combination of Merino Compression Knit, Omega Pad, and a strap, also known as the Downhill Relief System. The individually adjustable Downhill Relief System allows the exertion of additional relief on the knee and the patellar tendon when subjected to increased strain. In this way, athletes can adjust the effectiveness of the support individually to their needs and sporting activity. The anatomically contoured Omega Pad encloses the kneecap and, together with the compression knit, ensures efficient pressure distribution. Integrated lateral stays guarantee the support’s perfect fit and make donning and doffing easier.
Thanks to the anatomical fit and high level of elasticity, the Outdoor Knee Support’s Merino Compression Knit perfectly adapts to the joint and remains securely in position during dynamic movements.
Bauerfeind Sports relies on the Core Yarn Technology for the construction of the knitted fabric: the core of the yarn consists of merino wool, which is wrapped in durable polyamide 6.6. Polyamide 6.6 is particularly abrasion-resistant and guarantees the longevity of the product. On the one hand, merino wool offers excellent heat and moisture regulation by actively absorbing moisture from the body and wicking it away. On the other hand, its special surface structure ensures a high level of wearing comfort for the whole day, with an antibacterial effect.
Bauerfeind Sports used its extensive expertise in the area of medical compression to develop the Outdoor Knee Support. As a medical product, the Outdoor Knee Support is subject to comprehensive quality management for development and production. This includes regular testing of the compression levels as well as wearing tests to confirm the effectiveness, comfort and perfect fit of the knitted fabric in length and circumference.
The unisex brace is manufactured in Germany in sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL. The undyed merino wool is mulesing-free.
The new Barryvox® S2 is one of the most compact and intuitive avalanche transceivers on the market, providing precise search assistance to quickly locate avalanche victims. Mammut's avalanche transceiver received the ISPO Award for its innovative technology and features that enable faster and more accurate location of buried victims.
A reliable and powerful avalanche transceiver is essential for off-piste safety. With its intuitive operation, intelligent fine search, voice guidance and a range of 70 meters, the Barryvox® S2 offers very powerful search functions with reliable support even in complex scenarios and for beginners.
Alexander Weijnman, Head of Avalanche Safety at Mammut, explains: "With the second generation of Barryvox® transceivers, we are setting new standards in terms of technology and intuitive usability. Despite its 70-meter search strip width, the new Barryvox® S2 is lighter and smaller than its predecessor. With its unique new MIP Technology display, Mammut's patented intelligent guided fine search, acoustic and voice search cues, and the Interference Guard (IG) function, which constantly monitors the transmitted signal, it is the ideal device for beginners.
The new display of the Barryvox® S2 offers exceptional clarity and good readability even in strong sunlight. MIP technology is an innovation in the avalanche transceiver market. Thanks to MIP technology, important search instructions are always clearly visible on the display in all weather conditions. Even with polarized sunglasses, the symbols and numbers on the display are clearly visible. The high-resolution display also makes it possible to create an animated user interface that provides more accurate information at all stages of the search.
The Barryvox® S2 is the only beacon with intelligent fine search on the market. This technology helps searchers locate buried victims as quickly and accurately as possible. With direct guidance on the display, the Barryvox® S2 provides optimal support during this most critical and stressful phase of rescue operations. The patented technology provides full interactive visual and audible guidance during the detailed search. A systematic cross search, where mistakes are often made, is greatly simplified by the visual guidance. The unit interactively guides the user to the target, shortening the search path. Once the minimum burial depth is reached, the probe display provides visual and audible guidance, seamlessly transitioning the user from precision search to point search. In an emergency situation, the Barryvox® S2's instructions ensure that the rescue succeeds faster, the correct action is positively confirmed under stress, and the error rate is minimized.
The voice and acoustic search instructions of the Barryvox® S2 support the rescuer in all phases of the search with additional instructions. Acoustic cues allow rescuers to keep their visual focus on the snow surface, allowing them to concentrate on locating buried subjects quickly and accurately. With the Barryvox® S2, this feature goes beyond the visual cues typically found in avalanche transceivers. With supporting audio instructions and audible feedback, the device guides the user through each step of the search process. This added assistance is especially critical during the initial signal search and after the fine-search phase, when a standard transceiver provides no guidance. During these critical moments, the voice prompts and additional guidance on search speed, search pattern, and acoustic signals are a valuable aid.
The Barryvox® S2 has a Bluetooth interface that allows it to be connected to the new Barryvox® App. Firmware updates are performed via the app and device settings can be configured individually. The app also provides an expanded user manual and additional avalanche safety information. In addition, the app includes the new Barryvox® Pocket Training Park, a mobile avalanche training park that allows users to practice and improve their avalanche search skills with the new Barryvox® S2.
Here, sustainability and functionality go hand in hand: this highly functional and super-light jacket from Spanish outdoor supplier OS2O - FAST&LIGHT is made of 95 percent recycled materials. It was specially designed for fast and intense outdoor activities in winter, such as ski mountaineering and fast alpinism. It is the last project of the recently deceased OS2O designer Oswaldo Rivera, to whom this jacket is a memorial.
Weighing just 330 grams, the Oswald Thermore Ecodown (Fast&Light) jacket is designed for fast-paced alpine outdoor activities. Both the construction and material selection focus on weight reduction, high breathability and thermal performance, combining these functional requirements with increasingly important sustainability aspects.
The jacket is made from two innovative Gelanots fabrics developed specifically for this project, as well as two different Thermore Ecodown synthetic insulation materials. Using body mapping and thermography techniques, all materials are strategically placed on the body where their specific properties are needed.
Thus, the jacket is equipped with a puffier, down-feel, and warmer padding in the chest area, upper arms and back, while a lighter and more robust material was chosen for the underarms and hood. On the shoulders and forearms, OS2O uses a nylon ripstop fabric that has been reinforced with a Zxion fiber. Zxion is a polyarylate fiber with excellent tensile strength and elasticity.
The synthetic Thermore Ecodown filling feels like real down, is just as ultralight, but unlike down, retains its excellent loft even when wet. The combination of all selected components results in an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio of the jacket.
Other details have also been carefully placed to create a highly functional garment for fast alpinism: for example, the jacket is equipped with internal pockets for essentials, a pocket for a 500 ml water flask and a pocket for energy bars and a second pair of gloves. Thanks to a YKK double pull zipper, the jacket guarantees instant access to the essentials when moving fast without having to stop.
In addition, the jacket is compatible with climbing harness and helmet and has all the necessary adjustments for a perfect fit.
The jacket contains 95 percent recycled material. This includes the Thermore Ecodown filling, which is made from 100 percent recycled PTE bottles and is therefore animal-free. All other fabrics and ingredients are made from 90 percent recycled PFC-free material, including the YKK zippers. Only the Zxion reinforcement fibers are expected to be made of recyclate in future versions.
OS2O offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. To extend product life, OS2O places a lot of emphasis on proper care. For this purpose, the team prepares detailed care instructions for each product. In addition, the company offers a repair service.
The jacket also honors the memory of OS2O designer Oswaldo Rivera, who sadly passed away last July in an accident in the Spanish mountains. This jacket was his last project whose vision was to create an animal-free down jacket made from fully recycled material, while keeping the essence of FAST&LIGHT: highly functional and extremely lightweight.
The latest advancements in backcountry sleeping pad technology are on display with the NEMO Tensor Extreme Conditions Air Pad, a 2023 winner of the prestigious ISPO Award for innovative products in the sport industry. This exceptional sleeping pad sets new standards in warmth, weight efficiency, and comfort, positioning it as the ideal choice for backcountry adventurers seeking high-performance solutions for challenging conditions.
Tensor Extreme Conditions provides the highest warmth-to-weight ratio ever achieved in an insulated air pad by using NEMO's groundbreaking Apex™ baffle internal structure. With four layers of insulation, this pad boasts an impressive 8.5 R-value while weighing only 472 grams for the Mummy size. It is the first air pad ever to achieve an 8+ R-value, making it the warmest, most insulating ultralight pad available – all while maintaining its reputation as the quietest pad in its class.
The patent-pending Apex™ baffle construction eliminates the need for adhesives by using tapered vertical baffles to interlock and evenly space layers of insulation. This innovative, efficient design ensures better performance, reduces the risk of material stiffening, and minimizes noise disturbance during your night's sleep.
Premium materials: Tensor Extreme Conditions features premium nylon fabrics for their superior strength-to-weight ratio, increasing durability without adding bulk.
Mylar insulation: Four layers of Thermal Mirror™ metallized film are suspended inside to provide exceptional insulation. The mylar layers block radiant heat loss and reduce convective heat loss.
"In developing Tensor Extreme Conditions, we were also able to improve our zero-profile, micro-adjustable Laylow™ valve. Our design and engineering teams optimized it for easier operation over a wider temperature range by adjusting the valve's internal geometry and durometer (hardness). We also replaced the fabric cord with an integrated TPU cord. The result is an improved inflation system that's more reliable and satisfying to use," says Gabriel Rosenbrien, Product Development Director.
NEMO has a strong focus on sustainability and the Tensor Extreme Conditions reflects this commitment:
The use of bluesign® approved materials ensures compliance with strict ecological and toxicological requirements, minimizing environmental impact.
Recycled fabrics, including a 20D nylon upper and 40D nylon bottom, enhance the product's durability and environmental friendliness.
Tensor is not shipped in poly bags, reducing the shipping footprint, and paper packaging are used, further minimizing waste.
For peace of mind, all NEMO products, including the Tensor Extreme Conditions Air Pad, are backed by a lifetime warranty against defects in workmanship and materials, ensuring long-lasting performance. NEMO's mission is to keep products in use for as long as possible, whether through warranty, reasonable repair fees, or resale assistance.
Smartwool Second Cut Hike Socks are created using recycled yarn made from old socks. Yet, they offer the performance of a brand-new sock made from virgin material and set an example against waste and landfill in the outdoor fashion industry.
In 1994 Smartwool invented their first-ever Merino wool performance sock, the Classic Hike. Now, that sock comes full circle with The Second Cut™ Hike sock. It combines the iconic fit and feel of the original sock with a circular yarn utilized from the brand’s sock take-back program. In surveying their customers, the brand found, that there is a need for a recycling program for socks. Hence, the brand invested in finding a solution, rather than downcycling collected textiles at the end of their lifecycle. While the brand started out by creating a dog cushion from the material they collected and kept out of the landfill, Smartwool has now managed to create new socks out of old socks.
The Second Cut™ Hike Socks are the manufacturer’s first circular socks, made with repurposed yarn from Smartwool's Second Cut™ sock take-back program. Here, the brand cooperates with the circularity manufacturing facility, Material Return.
An attempt at closing the loop and keeping material from old socks in the production cycle is not only a push to not waste resources but also to address the fashion industry’s waste problem. With only 12% of clothing materials recycled globally, socks are one of the most thrown-away pieces of apparel. The Second Cut project highlights not only a really innovative concept but also Smartwool's shift toward a circular business model, which involves collecting and repurposing materials for deconstruction and reuse. »With the relaunch of our Second Cut Project, we are one step closer towards achieving our 100% circularity pledge by 2030,« said Alicia Chin, Sustainability & Social Impact Director, Smartwool.
"We are committed to finding innovative ways of manufacturing to limit our impact on the environment, and the Second Cut Project allows consumers to aid in our progress by visiting our retail partners to recycle their socks," Alicia Chin explains.
The project includes customers in the take-back program and caters to their need for involvement as well as a more eco-friendly option when buying new outdoor socks. In addressing textile waste and educating customers, consumers also end up empowered and engaged to be part of the solution. The Second Cut Project and socks show that brands and consumers can – and should – work together to reduce environmental impact.
The wool used in the socks is responsibly sourced, ZQ-certified merino wool. The rest of the fiber comes from 2nd cut material/sock waste. For this, worn-through socks that would usually end up in landfill, are collected and then ground up into shoddy. From there, shoddy is blended with merino wool and spun into yarn. Designed with an elastic arch and a seamless toe for more comfort, the same performance as using virgin materials is achieved.
The take-back program involves both consumers as well as participating retail partners: Kicked off in retail, consumers can give back their worn socks there. Participants can also send in old socks for recycling by selecting a free mail-in bag on Smartwool.com. All brands, sizes, colours, and materials of unwanted socks are welcome. They should be single socks, so not rolled up or paired. Smartwool has collected over 1 million socks and counting to keep good materials out of landfills and give old products new life.
