There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I won't comment too much about the new products coming out, as the blogs linked to below are great. I will say quickly that I was impressed by Fjallraven's new lightweight pants and even their kevlar-reinforced trekking tights (pictured below). I love the fit of their pants but find that most of their previous models are too heavy and have too many pockets for my need. I think Montane makes some of the best hiking pants but they're not widely available in the US, and I hope to have them on Massdrop later this year.
For more detailed reviews of light and ultralight gear, check out the following posts:
Ultralight Insights http://ultralightinsights.blogspot.com/2016/08/summer-2016-outdoor-retailer-trade-show_24.html
Bedrock and Paradox https://bedrockandparadox.com/2016/08/04/tidbits-from-outdoor-retailer/
Section Hiker http://sectionhiker.com/outdoor-retailer-2016-new-backpacking-and-hiking-gear-roundup/