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Photo courtesy of Ram Mountaineering |
The Sports Trader team recently attended the Ram
Mountaineering Gear 2013 Expo, which displayed their offering for next year.
Lehan Bornman introduced their newest products.
The company recently signed a new brand, JR Gear, that
replaces Pacific Outdoor Equipment in their arsenal. The range includes a
variety of dry bags that come in various sizes for different applications and
self inflatabling mattresses. Their Primaloft filled blow up mattress created a
great deal of interest. The range also includes inflatable bags for use in
water and dry bag duffels.
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Black Diamond products at Ram, courtesy of Ram Mountaineering |
Black Diamond is for the first time introducing a range of
technical clothing that will be available in South Africa from the first
quarter of next year. The range will include, among others, top quality down
jackets, fleeces and waterproof pants.
Keep an eye out for their new headlamps arriving from
October this year. They will feature the new Power Tap system that offers the
wearer an easier touch-sensitive solution to quickly change the lamp’s
brightness settings.
Jetboil has introduced a brand new system – the Joule – that
will be available in South Africa in March. The bigger system boasts that it
will boil water in 2min 40seconds – faster than a kettle! It is unique, because
it uses the gas canister upside down to turn the gas canister into a liquid
system to offer a more consistent performance – no tapering off of the gas. The
liquid also means that the system is great for use in extreme conditions – no
loss of performance down to -12 degrees C.
The GSI brand now also offers a wider range of coffee
accessories, such as collapsible drips, espresso makers and pressers. The new
commuter Java press has been a hit
In their Baladéo knife range they introduced an interesting
new pocket utensil set that consists of a spork and knife that can fold away
just like a pocket knife. This has already been a hit among the retailers who
have seen it, says Bornman. The brand also offers other useful outdoor accessories
such as a compass and a distance meter.
The Zamberlan and Boreal footwear brands, distributed by Ram
Mountaineering affiliate Traverse Outdoor Gear (TOG), are gaining recognition.
Although they have been distributing the Zamberlan brand for less than a year,
they have already found that the speed hiking shoes are doing very well in
South Africa, due to the diverse range of activities for which they can be
used.
For climbers, Black Diamond has introduced a new safety
system, the Magnetron technology, that keeps the carabiner closed. Unlike the
previous design that used a 3-step spring and screw method, this system keeps
the carabiner’s clip closed by means of two magnets (one on either side) and
thereby offers more security.
In addition, their patented Grid Lock karabiner design
prevents the harness and rope from sliding and pulling on the wrong parts of
the carabiner, which can a handle less load than when pulling on it lengthwise.
Black Diamond has also added to their range of cams. The X4
Camalots provide a solution for very small, narrow placements. Equipped with a
very flexible stem protected by a unique beaded armour, the X4’s also have an
off-centred axel design which enhaces the camming range of these tiny units.
In addition to the above brands Ram Mountaineering also
distributes Beal Ropes, e3 Gear, Gidgitz, Nikwax, Princeton Tec, Saltic,
Singing Rock and SteriPEN to the South African market. The brands cover a wide
variety of products for various activities including backpacks, climbing gear, hiking
and camping.
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www.sportstrader.co.zaLabels: Black Diamond, Boreal, GSI, Jet Boil, JR Gear, Ram Mountaineering, Zamberlan