At the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show in Denver, our team sees hundreds of awesome upcoming products. We award our favorites, but along the way, we get a preview of where things are headed next year. One of the highlights this year was (wait for it) the return of the dad style. From chunky sandals to fanny packs to bucket hats, father-friendly staples have been recreated with highly technical fabric, new use cases and good looks, too. Here are a few that caught our eyes.
Dad Sandals
Dad sandals are back in full force. While Teva and Chaco have owned the market with fresh, hip interpretations of these styles, brands like Merrell and Ecco are getting in on the trend. Fans of the open toe will very much appreciate the Merrell Chronicles (above) and its throwback 90s vibe. Meanwhile, Ecco’s X-Trinsic Flat Sandal will work on hikes or all over the city, thanks to an anatomical footbed, sporty look and three-point connection so they won’t get loose.
Fanny Packs
While hip packs have come back in style, they’ve found new purpose in the mountain biking world. Often dubbing them “lumbar packs,” brands like Dakine, Osprey and Evoc have all released hydration hip packs of late. Spring 2020 products confirm that the trend isn’t going anywhere — if anything, brands are investing more R&D into bright and bolder packs. Mystery Ranch is just one example: the Hip Monkey is already in the line but come spring 2020, you’ll find super colorful Full Moon bags. Each pack is built to store an extra layer, phone, wallet, sunscreen and more, all conveniently stored in a 500 Cordura fabric-protected bag. Look for those iterations next spring.
