The 2009 Outdoor Retailer show is officially underway — which means all the outdoorsy gadget blogs are going to have tons of great post ideas in the next few days, as manufacturers stumble over each other to show us newer and more expensive ways to do the things we can already do for free with knives, logs, and bits of twine.

Backpacker.com set up shop on the show floor and quickly discovered a new Platypus bladder designed specifically for carrying wine, which I guess could come in handy if you were throwing yourself a little wilderness bacchanalia and didn’t want to lug those glass bottles in and out.

The Gear Junkie got his first round of reviews in, which include toed-socks, a blindingly bright LED lamp, and an in-camp coffee maker that’s about as close to a plug-in kitchen top model as you’ll ever see in the woods.

Be sure to stay tuned — they’ll be plenty more new shiny things to lust after in the next few days.

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by Casey Schreiner

Founder and Editor of Modern Hiker, Author of "Day Hiking Los Angeles." "Discovering Griffith Park," and "Cloud Spotting." Walking Meditator, Native Plant Enthusiast.