Last week, the world鈥檚 top outdoor brands launched next season鈥檚聽gear at the聽Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over three jam-packed days,聽I saw聽hundreds of products, much of which was聽eye-wateringly expensive. But there were also plenty of downright affordable聽options. Here are聽six of my聽favorite new pieces of gear, all priced at $40 or less.聽
Snow Peak Mini Flame ($40)

The five-ounce Mini Flame attaches to the top of a fuel canister (it鈥檚 compatible with those聽from聽Snow Peak and聽Jetboil)聽to聽add聽some softly lit steampunk flair to an聽outdoor table setting. It requires聽very little gas, so recommends using it on聽old canisters that are too low to cook with聽but not yet empty.
Darn Tough Vertex Running Sock (From $15 to聽$18)

Through-hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail love Darn Tough聽because its socks聽live up to their name: one PCT hiker told me you can count on them for more than 1,000 miles. Like the hiking socks, the company鈥檚聽new, lightweight, no-show running offerings are supposed to last approximately forever. Darn Tough builds in durability by creating socks with聽1,441 stitches per square inch. If聽the socks fail, the company will take聽them back, no questions asked.
Stanley Vacuum Switchback Mug ($30)

厂迟补苍濒别测鈥檚 insulated mugs always score聽at the top of our tests. The only gripe we鈥檝e had is that they鈥檙e聽big and heavy. Enter聽the Switchback, which has been聽slimmed down to 16 ounces鈥攁 perfect size to聽throw into a聽snow-safety pack. Like its bigger brothers, the Switchback聽insulates well and has an easy-to-use, no-spill lid.
Good To-Go Pad Thai (From $6.75)

I was so busy at OR that聽I skipped lunch, but thankfully聽I聽was able to grab two tasting聽samples of new dehydrated Pad Thai. It鈥檚 almost聽restaurant-quality good, thanks to high-quality noodles and natural ingredients responsibly sourced by four-star chef Jennifer Scism.
Platypus Meta Bottle ($20)

Collapsible water bottles are nothing new, but we like the聽聽Meta because it鈥檚 made from food-grade silicone that keeps its structure聽even when聽not completely full, making it easier to stand upright on a picnic table. When聽not in use, the bottle collapses to the size of a hockey puck.
Yeti Rambler Water Bottle 18-Ounce ($40)

Yeti keeps growing its line, and this time it聽had three聽聽to show off, including a nicely聽sized 18-ounce offering. These stout tubes,聽like everything else Yeti makes, are highly insulated and look like they鈥檇聽bounce a sledgehammer and be more at home on a logging site than a backpacking trip.聽We鈥檙e excited to beat these聽things to hell during durability tests.