UKC

The Outdoor Trade Show has just wrapped up, and after a few quiet years post-Covid, 2025 saw a strong showing for new ideas and interesting products. Here are our highlights of the show - the items our review team are going to be fighting over next year...

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I'd really appreciate if UKC stopped just regurgitating the marketroids' PR materials as in:

Nope, Polygiene™ doesn't really help that much after a few days, it might be a plus for a day or so, but it certainly doesn't "bust the smell" (WTF is even this expresion from?).

Are you seriously saying that at almost the same size and weight as the Bindi, it packs in a lot more light output at a longer running time? Physics and battery chemistries disagree...

The only difference that would explain that would be a differently tuned curve, where the torch starts at 380 lumens for the first thirty seconds, than rapidly goes down to 100 or even less.

Ahem, copypasta right from the PR...

Ahem, cringe, ahem...

Stop fecking regurgitating marketroid PR points from the press releases. I don't care that dyneema-like UHMWPE has "15 times the tensile strength of steel" or some other unrelated PR shite like that (without even telling us how much of UHMWPE is in there and in which textile configuration, as actually, some dyneema sail or tent composites are extremely weak to abrasion, no matter their tensile strength), I want to know how the pack feels, loaded.

The actual information in this article is very, very low quality. Almost negative. Get better, your show reports used to be quite better!

TL;DR: Do some proper gear journalism, please. The whole article is just full of regurgitated PR phrases from the companies' materials. How much of it have you actually written yourself? I'd bet not that much. I still quite appreciate the UKC covering it and like it, but it could have been a lot better.

We wrote all of it from conversations with brand reps on the stands, not a single word copy/pasted. If reps use buzz words that's hardly a surprise. Trade show reports are not gear reviews. What a product is like in use is not what these things are about - how could it be?

Hi Dan, again, I do actually really appreciate your trade shows coverage (and I had enjoyed plenty of the past ones on the UKC). My main gripe was with the article reusing all the buzzwords that sounded right out of mouths of the reps. I just felt you had done better previously, but I have no idea of the time or editorial constrainsts here.

Perhaps just try to phrase it more in your words than just reusing the same phrases that the reps said? That would have certainly helped.

Nobody expects a full gear review from just a trade show (especially on the UKC review level, where you often use the gear for months or more, for which I am quite thankful).

It's just that I'd have been more interested in your actual thoughts on it than just the buzzwords. And don't take me wrong, there was enough of thoughts, but still the buzzwords irked me there.

I'd just like it known I have never used the word Fankle.

Grumpy to day I see

For SWIFT LT compared to BINDI, the increase in capacity of the battery pack accounts for much of the increase in performance, also ever increasing LED efficiency along with a few other factors.
BINDI uses a 680mAh battery, SWIFT LT uses 880mAh battery so approx a 29% increase in battery capacity.

SWIFT LT is 8g heavier than BINDI, in part due to the increase in battery capacity.

Lighting curves are super interesting Our headlamps all try and offer as much useable light as possible rather than a very steep drop off after the first few seconds, the curve for SWIFT LT being similar to BINDI.
Happy to chat headlamps !

Mentioning the weight of the new Friends and comparing it to Dragons and C4s but not the Ultra-Light Camalots is not very useful, because the latter are the reference in this field. Maybe you can add this info. Thanks

Why? These updated Friends seem to be Wild Country's new standard cam rather than a special lightweight edition. Why wouldn't the standard offering from other companies be a relevant comparison?

I don't think I know anyone with the ultralight camalots, but from reports I've read online they do seem to be regarded as a bit compromised on durability to achieve the low weight. Which is fair enough, there's a place for that tradeoff for some people, but unless there are indications of Wild Country making similar compromises, comparing like with like seems fairest.

Just as an FYI.

New Friend 3 = 175g, Old Friend 3 = 192g, BD Camelot Ultralight is 167g.

So ye, WC have shaved weight but not enough for it to compete in the UL market!

I have! But only to abbreviate the result of spraining my ankle. Fat ankle = Fankle

I use the same process for when I've stepped into a deep puddle. Wet Ankle = ...

Just don't ask urban dictionary what its definition of Fankle is 😬😭

Yes, OK. But As UKC are reliant on advertising to provide a brilliant free resource the use of  marketing-speak is hardly surprising.

Still an impressive weight drop; with greater versatility having the extendable sling than the BDUL, and the headline for me is the webbing material having a stated 14 year lifespan. The BD ultralights having non-replaceable dyneema in the thumbloop isn't ideal as I don't think it's replaceable.

Would be great to see DMM taking notes and lightening up the Dragons a touch. I'm surprised more manufacturers haven't gone down the line of lighter sling materials like the Trango Atomic which we can't seem to get over here.

It's funny Trango as we used to distribute the brand through Beta but absolutely nobody wanted to buy it. Unsure why as they made some great stuff.

Having played with the new Friends they are a joy to extend especially when you feel like crying in the middle of a pitch 😂

I will address the elephant in the room regarding re slinging as I know I've promised it a few times over the years but with new Friends coming out I believe it's essential. It is happening (very, very slowly) I've tried many options in the UK with not a huge amount of success and am looking at other avenues. I can't promise anything right now but everything crossed by the time SS26 roles round we may have a service up and running.

Because you'd still like to get the full picture. The UL are no different from any other cam apart from the durability (still many years) and they are what everyone has, in my bubble where approaches and climbs are long and backs and knees are tired

Anyway, they do seem close in weight, which is very impressive given they don't have dyneema inside afaik.

So just 7g difference, so depending on your selection of karabiner, they may well end up being the same.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some of these new Friends.

Grab yourself some of those snazzy Edelrid Nineteen G biners and you'll practically float up a route!

Funnily enough I saw one of my old Finnish friends when be both just randomly happened to be in Hong Kong at the same time at Easter. He now lives in the US and has been working for Trango and BCA doing some of design engineering. I remember their helmet, that Toni had designed IIRC, that came out maybe 5 years ago looked good and you saw them a bit here but it never took off and I know Toni is proud of his ice tool designs but those don't seem to sell here either despite competitive prices. I guess people just like what they know! 

Any idea on release date on the Swift LT?