So it's tradeshow season. This is the time when the outdoor industry jettisons about splashing the market with glimpses of the latest and greatest. It's an exciting time of year. After I attended ICAST, our GM, Tom went on family vacation and then hit the OR show. I in turn did family vacation and then hit the EORA show. It's been show-time madness.

Pre-EORA, I had a very pleasant family vacation down on the Crystal Coast in North Carolina. I slipped out for two early evening fishing missions, neither of which provided a lot of action, but I did catch a pretty speck and a spectacular sunset.

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I love these paddling missions, because they inform my tradeshow missions. They remind me that past the glitz and the hype is the real world application of these products. Most of us aren't out for a photo shoot or a tv show, we're just paddling or kayak fishing in these little windows of time between other obligations. So the products we value are the ones that truly add to our outdoor experience on these quick missions.

That's not to say that I don't get caught up in the excitement, because as my wife and father-in-law are quick to point out, I'm an addicted gear head. I like stuff, especially shiny stuff. If it enhances my time outdoors, I really like it!

Here's what I saw at EORA, in Greenville, SC, that caught my eye.

The Perception Kayaks Hi Life 11.0. It looks like the perfect Sunday afternoon paddle craft. It paddles like a kayak and a super stable SUP. It's perfect for taking out the pup or your child. Plus there is a soft bag cooler under the seat! This looks like the new grab and go cruiser for everyone's family or solo fun.

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The Wilderness Systems team had the Radar 115 that we saw at ICAST, but I got another chance to see the power box and solar panel accessories. The 15ah battery is re-chargable with the solar panel. I really like this set-up.

I'm known to rock a bluetooth speaker on the water, either bumping rowdy hip hop, or even catching up on the latest Fantasy Football news. *Shoutout to Matthew Berry, Field Yates and Stephania Bell at ESPN's Fantasy Focus Football Show, where I get the 411 from the 06010.

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Back to the paddlesports program.

These products looked good and had me intrigued. Wildy has a full line-up of gadgets coming out soon.

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Plus the new Wilderness System ATAK 120 is being finalized as well. Boat designer and good dude, Hans Nutz, keeps mentioning coming up to Farmville and doing some fishing soon, so maybe we'll see that ATAK 120 up here at Briery Creek Lake before long. Bring it buddy! :)

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Another reason I headed to EORA was to peek at the new Jackson Kayak Coosa FD, which is Jackson's first foray into the pedal market. It's still a very early prototype and it's not scheduled to be available for some time now, but the shallow draft adjustment of the Flex Drive looks promising. The prop has a one-hand control that raises and lowers the prop to adjust for shallow water. It looks good, but time will tell, as it gets closer to production, how big a splash it makes.

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Jackson Kayak also had the Prototype of their new whitewater kayak, the Antix, in their booth. It's being pitched as a playable creeker/ river runner, and comes with a lot of playable features packed in to a kayak designed for your local runs.

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Next up was the Native Watercraft Titan Propel 13.5. If you're coming from a bass boat and you're unsure about downsizing to a kayak, but you still want to save money on gas, the Titan has arrived. It's 42" wide and has quite a spacious tankwell.

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The crew at Yak Attack debuted a new cup holder that can mount onto a paddleboard, a kayak or the new Command Stand bar. This looks to once again be a very versatile product from our neighbors down in Burkeville, VA.

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NRS did some PFD overhaul and revamped the Ninja PFD which was looking good combined with the full face WSRI helmet. The W's Siren looked sharp as well.

Oh, and Robert Field was there again. He's been talking about visiting Farmville as well, but all I keep seeing is this Godzilla version. :)

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In the Pryanha Kayaks / Venture booth the hype was Core Lite. It was represented in the long boat Scorpio style and in some fresh canoes, which we'll have on our website soon. So check back on that action. Venture Canoes

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Feelfree Kayaks had their new Aventura kayak, a light touring offering that looked good. Plus the new Pistol Grip cooler, which fits into the tankwell of your kayak.

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Accent Paddles have debuted their Trophy Angler paddle and part of the proceeds go to Heroes On The Water. That is a cool thing! Stuart Lee, owner of Accent Paddles, kept insisting he was going to come down and hang out at ARC for a couple days. We're looking forward to it Stuart!

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Pelican International has released some new colors for the Sound series and they look good!

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I also spied some sexy new SUP sticks from Aqua Bound Paddles in the line-up as well. The blade shape looked good and the weight was right.

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And lastly, the Immersion Research galaxy print will be available across their line-up, The Archrival, the Nano, the short Rival and the long-sleeve Rival. It looks cool!

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Once again, as these products become available we will revisit them in more detail. Trade-shows are a great time for everyone to celebrate the industry and the direction it's going. But it's still mostly a visual thing. The true test will come with regular use, by all of us, the paddlers. That is when a product goes from the drawing board, to the real world, and it's usefulness becomes more important than it's style.

I'm betting most of these are going to be received well.

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Oh, and if you ever find yourself in Greenville, SC, look up Mike and Jeff's BBQ Catering shack . It's legit. The pork bbq was hickory smoked good! *I've been known to drive 1.5hrs out of my way on a 13hr road trip, just for good 'Que.