Each season the top outdoor lifestyle publications— Outside , Backpacker and Men's Journal — review hundreds of products for coveted honors in their seasonal buyers guides. The Spring-Summer 2014 guides hit stands this month and Turner PR's lifestyle clients earned top nods in a dozen categories across publications. We rounded up our full list of award-winning products and took a closer look at outdoor gear and apparel trends for the season.
Spring-Summer 2014 Buyer's Guide Trends
Urban Outdoor
There is a growing number of active consumers who seek performance wear with a fashionable aesthetic and urban functionality. From events such as Struktur, an upcoming creative conference for the active outdoor industry, to the launch of Scramble, a zine curated specifically for the Outdoor Retailer trade show by Jeanine Pesce of RANGE and Emily Anderson and Yasha Wallin of The Usual, many brands and industry leaders are embracing this new modern outdoor consumer. This growing audience, now more than ever, has more sources for highly designed apparel, accessories and gear. The major outdoor buyer guides for this season featured significant coverage that caters to this trend with pages specific to commuter cycling and urban travel. Turner PR clients Fjällräven and Nau received recognition in these categories — the Abisko Hybrid Jacket from Fjällräven was named by Men's Journal as the "Best Jacket for Urban Adventures" and Nau's Compleat Dress Stripe was called out by Outside as a top travel essential for women.
Sleek & Compact
Flipping through issues , we took note of the sleekness of gear for the season. Minimalistic tents, compact cooking systems and clean accessory silhouettes covered pages. Turner PR had several brands fit in this sleek and compact category, including: Brunton as seen in Outside with its integrated cable portable power device, the Heavy Metal; Primus included in Backpacker and Outside with its compact & integrated stove systems, the Eta Spider and Eta Lite; and OTZ featured on the pages of Outside with its 300GMS, a lightweight and modern take on a slip-on. The Classics Tried and true designs never lose popularity within the outdoor community. While there may be a rise of a modern consumer, many active individuals remain traditionalists. Fjällräven and Brunton were named among the best for its classic takes on the day pack, soft-shell jacket and compass. The Abisko Jacket from Fjällräven was listed as a top soft-shell jacket by Outside, while the brand's Friluft 55 pack earned the mark of "Top Multi-Day Pack with Best Ventilation" from Backpacker. Backpacker also gave Brunton a spot at the top, featuring the brand's O.S.S. 10B Compass as a "Top 10 Essential for Navigation."
