This is the latest news from outdoor brands with sustainability initiatives, and trail organization news. Check back, as we’ll be updating this frequently.
Oru’s Pink Edition Kayak Supports Breast Cancer Research
Oru Kayak is donating 5% of its sales from a special pink edition kayak to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
By launching the Pink Edition Inlet Foldable Kayak for October–the month designated to promote breast cancer awareness and raise money for a cure–Oru Kayak offers paddling enthusiasts an opportunity to support the foundation’s work.
“The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is an integral resource to finding a cure for the world’s most prevalent cancer,” Oru Kayak President Ardy Sobhani says. “With our campaign, we want to support the organization and their impact on advancing research and saving lives.”
The Pink Edition Inlet Foldable Kayak is a version of Oru’s Inlet kayak, and has pink accents and pink buckles. The Inlet kayak is 9 feet, 8 inches long, weighs 20 pounds, and folds down to the size of a suitcase.
More information on the Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Edition Inlet Kayak is available here.
Goldwin Launches New Collection of Sustainable Clothing
Outdoor clothing brand Goldwin has launched a new global collection of sustainable lifestyle apparel that uses plant-derived textiles.
The collection was created in collaboration with Spiber Inc., a biotechnology venture that develops new textiles using plant-derived products and microbial fermentation technology in an effort to reduce reliance on environmentally harmful products and practices.
Goldwin has been collaborating with Spiber since 2015, and together they have released a variety of limited knitwear and fleece collections. This is their first full collection together, and the first time winter outerwear has been included in a collection.
The partnership with Spiber is a major step in Goldwin’s goal to have 10% of new apparel by 2030 use Brewed Protein material produced through a fermentation process using sugars and microbes, rather than petrochemical or animal-derived raw materials.
Solo Stove, Brant & Cochran Partner to Produce Limited Edition Axe
Solo Stove has partnered with Brant & Cochran to create a limited edition camp axe.
The Solo Stove x Brant & Cochran Collaboration is an Allagash Cruiser axe forged in South Portland, Maine, from American-made 1050 carbon steel.
Although few backpackers carry an axe into the woods, the Allagash Cruiser would meet the needs of trail maintainers who travel deep into the backcountry. Or maybe it would be handy for a backyard campfire while taking a break from mountain trails.
Solo, a maker of wood stoves from backpacking to tailgating, is a good fit to partner with Brant & Cochran, which makes its axes in Maine.
The limited edition Allagash Cruiser sells for $349.99 and is available here.
Only 250 of the limited edition cruisers have been made, and they come with a Maine-made leather sheath, a leather-bound log to record fireside memories, three matchbooks with artwork from Solo Stove, Brant & Cochran, and Solo Stove x Brant & Cochran, and wax and hickory fire starters embedded with hickory handle shavings from the floor of Brant & Cochran’s workshop.
Tifosi Brings Back Pink Sunglasses Collection for Breast Cancer Month
Think pink, see pink in October with Tifosi Optics’ pink sunglasses collection, and help promote breast cancer research and education.
Tifosi is bringing back its Breast Cancer Awareness Collection of pink sunglasses for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and will donate part of the proceeds from each sale to the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation, founded in 1985 in Lynn’s memory. Last year Tifosi raised more than $3,000 for the foundation selling Sizzle, Swank, Swank XL, and Svago sunglasses, and this year is adding pink Smirth and Shwae sunglasses.
The Sept. 15 kickoff for Tifosi’s Breast Cancer Awareness Collection gives people time to purchase pink sunglasses to wear at events such as breast cancer runs, rides, and fundraisers during Breast Cancer Awareness Month from Oct. 1 to 31. Last year the pink sunglasses sold out by mid-October.
Natural Atlas Goes Beyond the Trail with Custom Field Guide
Don’t just plot the miles and trails on your next hike. Observe the world around you with Natural Atlas, a GPS mapping and trails app that doubles as a field guide.
Natural Atlas uses GPS to adjust the app’s field guide to your location, giving you custom weather forecasts and information on the landscape, trees, animals and plants around you.
With Natural Atlas you can snap a photo of a bird, categorize it, tag where you saw it on the trail map, and share it with friends.
Natural Atlas Plus is free for a seven-day trial, and after that $5 a month or $39.99 for an annual subscription. Natural Atlas can be downloaded at the App Store or Google Play.
Smartwool Giving Old Socks a New Purpose
Smartwool is making old socks new again with its Second Cut hiking sock, a blend of old sock yarn and new merino wool.
Smartwool, based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, began accepting old socks in 2021, and with North Carolina-based Material Return began developing a way to blend yarn from old socks with new, responsibly sourced merino wool.
The result is Smartwool’s Second Cut sock.
“Smartwool’s partnership with Material Return has ultimately led to a closed-loop model that goes beyond recycling,” says John Ramsey, Director of Product Development at Smartwool. “We were able to accomplish this through new and innovative technology, team collaboration, and consumer participation. Investing in this process has enabled Smartwool to take leaps forward toward our goal of shifting towards a more circular business model.”
Only 14% of textiles are recycled, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and socks are one of the most discarded pieces of apparel.
Through the Second Cut program, consumers can recycle any sock brand, color, size, and material, but only material from donated Smartwool socks was used to create the Second Cut sock.
The first product featuring consumer donations was Smartwool’s Second Cut K9 Camp Cushion dog bed, which uses donated socks for bed filling.
Since the Second Cut program launched, Smartwool has collected more than 725,000 socks and diverted more than 54,200 pounds of socks from landfills. To participate in the take-back program, consumers can add a pre-paid, mail-in bag to their cart at checkout to send in used socks for recycling.
The Smartwool Second Cut sock is available for purchase at smartwool.com.
To learn more about Smartwool’s Second Cut program, the brand’s sustainability
journey, and its use of regenerative materials, visit smartwool.com/second-cut.
Oboz Will Plant Trees in Hiker Challenge
Take a hike, plant a tree.
From May 1 to 10 Montana boot company Oboz will plant a tree for every hike of at least 1 mile that participants take in the Oboz Fast Trail Challenge.
“To date, we have planted over 5 million trees and we are on a mission to plant 5 million more,” said Amy Beck, president of Oboz, based in Bozeman, Montana. “May is a great time to get outside, and we hope that the Fast Trail Challenge will inspire people to get out and get moving while helping kickstart our goal of planting 5 million more trees.”
Registration for the challenge is free and open now at hikeanywhere.obozfasttrail.com. The challenge is open to walker, hikers, runners, and people using mobility devices.
Challenge participants will track their hikes on a GPS-enabled device such as a Garmin or Suunto watch, or through a mobile phone app such as Strava, MapMyFitness, or Sports Tracker. Entrants will be eligible for prizes from Oboz as well as Fast Trail Challenge partners Osprey, All-Trails, DripDrop, and Dometic.
Participants can complete as many hikes as they wish on any day from May 1 to May 10 as long as each hike exceeds 1 mile. Oboz will plant up to 4 bonus trees on behalf of any participant who completes more than 10 hikes. Additionally, participants will receive a virtual badge in their Fast Trail Challenge trophy case for each trail they complete, signifying how many trees they helped to plant.
Oboz will host parties at the end of the Fast Trail Challenge that will include food, beverages, films, and giveaways at locations across the country. Participants will be informed of the after-party location nearest them midway through the challenge.
More information on the Oboz Fast Trail Challenge can be found at hikeanywhere.obozfasttrail.com.
Sea-to-Summit Releases New Ikos Tent
Adventure gear maker Sea-to-Summit has expanded its tent offerings with the Ikos, the company’s most sustainable tent to date.
The Ikos, available in 2- and 3-person sizes, uses DAC MX poles made with a greener anodization process to lessen environmental impact; a chemical-free, flame-resistant fabric; and a non-PFC water-repellent finish.
The Ikos also has a “Hangout Mode” for turning the tent into an open-air shelter to protect against bad weather or blazing heat. Additionally, the tent’s interior livable space has a wider floor volume to accommodate rectangular sleeping mats. The Ikos targets car campers, leisure adventurers, and mid-mountain backpackers seeking greater comfort in tents.
Sea to Summit also launched the Big River Dry Pack and eVac Compression Dry Bag HD, and enhanced its legacy lightweight dry bags and stuff sacks by incorporating decades of market-leading design solutions and consumer feedback to offer intuitive features.
The dry bags and stuff sacks have easy-repair field buckles, optional Sling carry solutions for cumbersome loads, ultralight dry storage solutions for weight-conscious adventurers, and robust 420-Denier ripstop nylon bags for the most rugged pursuits.
“For more than 30 years, Sea to Summit has focused on creating some of the most innovative equipment solutions on the market, offering unparalleled durability,” Sea to Summit North America General Manager Josh Simpson says. “The recent product launches highlight the future of our design, the meticulous and thoughtful features we work to incorporate, and the potential in which we can integrate sustainable materials and solutions into our core offering.”
Sawyer Marks 15 Years of Bringing Clean Water Worldwide
Since Sawyer started its Clean Water for All initiative with one partner 15 years ago the nonprofit has provided clean water for more than 27 million people in over 100 countries.
Clean Water for All now has 140 partners working to bring Sawyer’s filters and clean water to people and countries worldwide where waterborne diseases are the number one killer. An estimated 4,100 children under the age of 5 die from waterborne illnesses each day globally.
Sawyer’s water filters have long been popular with hikers and backpackers, and through Clean Water for All they are being used in more than 90 developing countries.
Clean Water for All began in 2008 when Florida-based Sawyer partnered with the nonprofit Water with Blessings to put Sawyer water filters into the hands of mothers in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They were trained to provide clean water, not just for their own families, but also for others in the community.
“In developing countries, collecting water is a task that falls largely to women and girls as part of keeping house,” says Darrel Larson, Sawyer’s International Director. “The time spent on this chore often means girls miss school and women miss out on the chance to earn a decent living. The trickle-down effect of Sister Larraine (Lauter) and the entire Water with Blessings work of bringing clean water is so much more and is breaking the cycle of women in poverty globally.”
In 2021, with the help of Sawyer filters, Liberia became the first developing country with clean water, border to border. Sawyer is on track to do the same in the Marshall Islands in July 2023, in Fiji in 2024, and in Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands, in 2025.
All of Sawyer’s Clean Water for All projects use the company’s 0.1-micron absolute hollow fiber membrane filter that removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E. coli; 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as Giardia and cryptosporidium; and 100% of microplastics.
8/20: Six Moon Designs Celebrates 20 Years of Lightweight, Innovative Gear
Ron Moak had a vision when he started Six Moon Designs in 2002: Create revolutionary hiking and backpacking gear that’s light, durable, and affordable.
And as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, the focus is still on customers and lightweight, affordable gear.
“At Six Moon Designs we make gear, but our primary focus is on our customers’ backcountry experience,” says Ron, President of Six Moon Designs, based in Beaverton, Oregon. “We make our gear lighter so the walking becomes more pleasurable. We make our gear durable so you don’t need to be concerned about failure far from home. We make our gear affordable so you can devote more of your hard-earned money on making memories, not buying gear.”
Ron’s path to founding Six Moon Designs followed a familiar refrain among outdoor gear makers: crafting their own lightweight equipment because the major brands didn’t offer it. He and his wife, Linda, hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1977, carrying packs weighing about 35 pounds while fellow hikers lugged packs topping out at 50 to 60 pounds. In 2000 he made most of his gear to reduce his pack weight for a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike.
In 2002, while considering a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, he started Six Moon Designs with its first product: The Europa Tent, a 33-ounce, single wall sil-nylon shelter that set a standard for lightweight shelters. He followed up with the Starlite Pack, a frameless pack with a large carrying capacity that again broke ground for lightweight packs.
Over the years Six Moon Designs has received numerous awards for its ultralight gear, including the 2019 Outstanding Outdoor Award from OutDoor by ISPO for the Gatewood Cape and Lunar Solo and the 2019 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award for the Lunar Solo.
Now, at 20 years old, Six Moon Designs continually strives to stay ahead of the curve for gear design and innovative materials.
“Six Moon Designs has been able to grow our multiple channels of sales in the past few years thanks to our strong marketing efforts and by providing a high-value proposition to retailers and consumers,” says Whitney LaRuffa, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We strive to provide high quality, lightweight products at affordable prices, helping everyone access the outdoors.”
8/16: Talon Earth is Osprey’s First Sustainably Produced Pack
The new, sustainably produced Talon Earth daypack kicks off Osprey’s goal of having 90% bluesign-approved material in all its packs by 2023.
The entire main body and liner fabrics of the Talon Earth 22 are made from 100% recycled materials. EVA foam in the pack contains 50% recycled materials.
The injection molded Airscape framesheet is made from 100% recycled material, and the pack’s zippers are made from recycled plastic.
The materials may have changed, but it’s the same Talon for fit, durability and function.
Osprey has been a bluesign partner since 2021, working with Bluesign Technologies to ensure safe and sustainable workplace practices.
8/12: Endurance Athlete Nik Toocheck Begins New Fundraising Quest
Nik Toocheck ran a marathon on seven continents by age 11. At 14 he finished running marathons in 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Now at age 19 Nik’s climbing the world’s Volcanic Seven Summits, the highest volcanoes on each continent.
It’s Nik’s third fundraising campaign to help children, and his goal is to raise $50,000 for Operation Warm, a nonprofit group that his grandfather founded in 1998. The organization has provided new winter coats and shoes for more 4.5 million children.
Through Nik’s own charitable group, Running the World For Children, his seven continents marathon raised $42,000 for Operation Warm. His 50 states marathon raised money for the Seva Foundation and its work preserving children’s eyesight.
Nik began his summit quest the week of August 8th, when he summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. He expects to summit Pico de Orizaba in Mexico in March.
“I realized at a young age that you don’t have to be big to make a positive difference in the world. I carry that with me today,” Nik says. “I’m grateful to have the opportunities I do to help children in underserved communities – and it’s such a great feeling to help others while doing something I love.”
Read more about Nik here.
8/10: Astral Celebrates Women’s Paddlesports with Sales of Layla LE Life Vest
Born in the headwaters of North Carolina’s Rocky Broad River in 2002, Astral led the whitewater industry by eliminating PVC from its life jackets and designing the first PFD for female kayakers.
Now the company based outside Asheville is celebrating the accomplishments, craftsmanship, and dedication of its athletes and employees with the Layla LE, a women’s life vest decorated with a vibrant representation of whitewater rivers.
Ten percent of proceeds from each sale of the $185 Layla LE, a limited edition of the company’s Layla PDF, go to Lulu Love Tour and Columbia Gorge Junior Kayak Club to give back to women in paddlesports.
Nicole Mansfield, a kayaker and mountain athlete; Kate Shea, a whitewater enthusiast and artist; and Ollie Smithers, a kayaker and Astral’s Sourcing Manager, joined to create the Layla LE and choose the two charities that will benefit from sales.
“The Layla PFD is an optimal choice for all levels of watersports enthusiasts,” Ollie says. “The craftsmanship, fit, and versatility of this PFD is phenomenal, making it the ideal canvas to work from.”
Kate, an illustrative, graffiti-style artist commissioned to bring to life how water connects Astral to its community, took inspiration from her own journey to create the design.
“The artwork represents the peace and inspiration I get from being amongst the Ottawa River and everything and everyone that comes with it,” she says. “Nature, the community, love, and the loss. I think this project is important and will be well-received by the river community because it is something for the everyday paddler and not just aimed toward the class V boater.”
Astral’s Lola was the first PFD designed for female kayakers. The company updated the Lola with hinged seams, sculpted chest support, and a side entry zipper, and renamed it Layla.
Since its founding Astral has leveraged years of experience to reduce toxic PVC foam in the PFD industry, develop breathable life jackets, and design paradigm-changing footwear.
7/28: Appalachian Trail Visitor Center Opening August 27th in Damascus, Virginia
The new Damascus Trail Center, built through a joint effort of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the town of Damascus, Virginia, will open on Saturday, August 27th.
Damascus, also known as Trail Town USA, already is a hub for Appalachian Trail activity, attracting AT hikers and others for the annual Trail Days celebration in May. The 2,194.3-mile trail passes feet from the new center at 209 West Laurel Ave. in Damascus.
“Damascus has always been an iconic part of the Appalachian Trail experience, so it’s hard to imagine a more appropriate place for the new trail center to call home,” said Sandra Marra, president and CEO of the ATC. “We are excited to work with the town to ensure the Damascus Trail Center provides opportunities for hikers, bikers, and adventurers of all ages and experience levels to better enjoy and care for our irreplaceable great outdoors.”
The trail center will provide information to visitors, along with exhibits and programming that highlight the surrounding landscape. It will also serve as a center for environmental conservation and trail stewardship throughout the region, providing a location for volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts to take part in workshops and trail maintenance training.
The following events are planned for the weekend of the center’s opening:
Friday, August 26th, at 6 p.m.: Run Damascus Fun Run 5K.
Friday, August 26th, at 7 p.m.: Beaverdam Friday Jams featuring the Beth Snapp Band.
Saturday, August 27th, 9 a.m. to noon: Farmers market.
Saturday, August 27th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Partner expo, nature walks, and giveaways from Allyn “Fix It Man” Morton at the trail center.
Starting Saturday, August 27th, the trail center will be open Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The ATC also has visitor centers in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Monson, Maine.
7/27: Women’s Clothing Brand Wild Rye Launches Resale Program
Wild Rye, a women-focused and women-founded outdoor lifestyle brand, has started an online resale site for used clothing.
Wild Rye, Redux provides a space to sell used Wild Rye gear, while people can search for clothing to buy. Transactions are handled through Treet, an e-commerce site that promotes sustainability through used gear sales.
Wild Rye will give sellers on Treet up to 110% of sold value when redeemed as a brand credit, or up to 80% when redeemed as cash.
“Our customers are almost entirely women-identifying, which comes with many body changes throughout our lives—pregnancy, weight gain, weight loss, and so much more–meanwhile, our product is built to last a lifetime,” says Cassie Abel, who founded Wild Rye, based in Sun Valley, Idaho. “Discovering Treet, a platform that makes it possible for smaller brands to offer a peer-to-peer resale platform while still giving people the Wild Rye customer experience, was the answer to many of our challenges.”
More information on how to sell and buy on Wild Rye, Redux is available here.
6/15: Swiftwick BUGS Socks Connect Kids, Nature
Buy some socks, help a child explore and discover nature.
Swiftwick’s new Vision Impression BUGS socks feature hand-drawn bug designs by students in the Friends of Warner Park Nature Program in Nashville, Tennessee, and proceeds from sales will go to the nature program.
“We knew almost immediately that having the kids get involved with a sock design was a goal of ours for 2022,” said Racheal Hubarth, Brand Marketing Manager at Swiftwick. “The goal of the Urban Nature Program is to connect urban Middle Tennessee youth with the outdoors, and together we worked with that team to come up with the best way to help achieve their goal while also allowing the kids to be part of a sock design that we could share with our customers.”
Forty students in the nature program drew one bug each, and Swiftwick digitized the drawings to imprint them on the BUGS socks.
“This sock project perfectly captures the thoughtful wildlife observation, insect discovery, and arts and crafts that this program is built on,” said Betty Krogman, Urban Naturalist at Warner Park Nature Center.
Swiftwick’s partnership with the Friends of Warner Parks began in April 2021 in an effort to encourage youth and underserved communities to explore outside.
The Friends of Warner Parks is a nonprofit organization that connects underserved youth with nature through activities like hiking, kayaking, and birding.
The BUGS socks launched June 13 and will be available for purchase with the other VISION socks on Swiftwick’s website: www.swiftwick.com/collections/vision
2/15: Gear Brands Will Boycott Outdoor Retailer if it Moves to Utah
The Conservation Alliance and 24 of its outdoor industry members will not support the annual Outdoor Retailer trade show if the sponsor moves it to Utah, where protection of public lands is threatened.
The move reprises a 2017 battle to move Outdoor Retailer from Salt Lake City to Denver, Colorado, because of Utah’s efforts to reduce the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. The show had been in Salt Lake City for 20 years.
“In 2017, REI Co-op strongly supported the decision to move the outdoor industry trade show out of Utah when the state’s leadership refused to protect duly designated national monuments and natural treasures,” Ben Steele, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer, REI Co-op, said in a statement released by the Conservation Alliance. “Although those protections have since been restored by President Biden, Utah’s leaders are again aiming to undermine those monuments and their protections. As a result, REI will not participate in any OR trade show in the state—nor will we send members of our merchandising or other co-op teams—so long as Utah persists in attacking our public lands and the laws that protect them.”
The summer 2022 Outdoor Retailer show is the last one under contract with Denver. It’s the coming decision by Outdoor Retailer owner Emerald Holding where to hold the summer and winter shows after this year that concerns the Conservation Alliance and the outdoor companies. Colorado and Utah are considered to be the main contenders for the show.
The Conservation Alliance and the Outdoor Alliance, which represent more than 270 businesses and 10 national outdoor advocacy organizations, sent a letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in January calling on him to end efforts that threaten public lands. “Launching an assault on our industry’s most closely held values while concurrently lobbying to bring our tradeshow back to Utah is illogical and counterproductive,” the letter said..
The Conservation Alliance, made up of outdoor industry companies that include Patagonia, REI, and The North Face, says it supports the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its efforts to protect ancestral and cultural Bears Ears lands in southern Utah.
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were reduced in size by former President Donald Trump, and restored to their original designation by President Joe Biden shorty after he took office in 2021.
The annual Outdoor Retailer shows are a gathering of industry brands, retailers, brand reps, designers, suppliers, and outdoor writers.
Companies calling on Emerald to support tribes and public lands are REI Co-op, Patagonia, The North Face, Public Lands, KEEN Footwear, Oboz Footwear, Kelty, Sierra Designs, Peak Design, Toad&Co, SCARPA, MiiR, NEMO Equipment, Backpacker’s Pantry, Smartwool, Therm-a-Rest, MSR, Timberland, Helinox USA, GU Energy Labs, La Sportiva, Alpacka Raft, Icebreaker, Arc’teryx, Nomadix, LifeStraw, Backbone Media, GRAYL, TripOutside, and Bergreen Photography.
10/19: FarOut is the New Name for Guthook Guides
Guthook, the app that launched thousands of thru-hikes, is taking on a new name—FarOut.
“Now that we’re expanding our community to our other favorite activities like bikepacking and paddling, we decided it was time to change the app’s trail name,” says FarOut co-founder Ryan “Guthook” Linn, whose Pacific Crest Trail trail name became the company’s original name. “The app, though, that will stay the same. So don’t worry, new name, same team behind the app.”
Since 2012, when Guthook’s Guide to the PCT was launched, hikers have relied on the phone app for trail directions, mileage, camping and water along trails, and towns to find resupplies. The company has guides for more than 100 hiking, biking, and paddling routes worldwide, all of which will now be under the FarOut brand.
“We are excited about this transition, and I’m proud of our talented and hard-working team who made it happen,” says Paul Bodnar, CEO and co-founder of FarOut, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. “And stay tuned, because we are working on some new features that we think our customers will love.”
FarOut apps will be available for iOS and Android, and trail guides also can be accessed from computers and tablets at app.faroutguides.com.
For more information, visit faroutguides.com or email [email protected].
8/29: Jack Wolfskin Makes Push in North American Market
Jack Wolfskin, a global leader in sustainable outdoor gear, is doubling down on its efforts to become a player in North America.
The 40-year-old German-based company has made several efforts at establishing itself in the North American market over the past 10 years, but “It hasn’t been done with a thoughtfulness,” says Diana Seung, a former Backcountry.com executive who two years ago became Jack Wolfskin’s general manager for North America.
Now, with the backing of new owner Callaway Golf Company, Jack Wolfskin is making a strong run at the United States and Canada market with products in a price range comparable to The North Face and Patagonia.
Diana helped launch that effort just before the Covid pandemic hit, which she acknowledges “put a couple of hurdles in the way.”
Nevertheless, the company forged ahead with online sales and a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods new Public Lands stores that will sell outdoor adventure gear. The company also partnered with Sporting Life in Canada and opened a showcase store in Park City, Utah, its corporate base for North America. Jack Wolfskin has connected with other retail outlets, and company stores across the US and Canada could follow in 2022.
Jack Wolfskin is already established in Europe and China, and under Callaway’s guidance is expanding in Asia.
All the company’s products are sustainably manufactured, and in 2019 Jack Wolfskin achieved its goal of becoming PFC-free.
Clothing such as the Go Hike jacket, part of Jack Wolfskin’s Texapore-Ecosphere collection, use a breathable, water-resistant fabric made of 100% recycled polyester. PET bottles are primarily used to make the clothing fabric, and the membrane is manufactured from reconditioned remnants that are left over from production. Jack Wolfskin calls this a zero-waste concept: turning waste into a raw material.
Nanuk Ecosphere 100% recycled fleece is used in clothing such as the Midnight Moon jacket.
The company’s next target is to produce small parts like buttons and zippers as well as polybags from recycled materials.
Jack Wolfskin also uses certified organic cotton, down sourced solely from ethical sources, leather that comes only as a natural byproduct of the food industry, and Merino wool only from humanely treated animals.
Diana and Jack Wolfskin are also involved in Camber Outdoors, a collection of more than 200 outdoor recreation businesses and nonprofits committed to creating inclusive cultures and equitable systems that attract and retain a diversity of talent in workplaces. Diane is a Camber board member, and served briefly as interim executive director.
Although Diana is pleased with the company’s North American growth, she’s wary of the struggle all outdoor brands are going through during Covid. Overseas factory shutdowns, shipping container shortages, and shipping issues all make it difficult to count on when gear will arrive.
“We’re all going through the same thing,” she says. “It’s very frustrating.”
8/3: Big Agnes Enters Backpack Market with New Line in Spring 2022
Big Agnes continues its exploration of innovative gear with a line of technical backpacks made from 100% recycled nylon.
The company’s first backpacks, expected to go on sale in spring 2022, also have an attachable bag for hauling trash out of the backcountry.
“Our new pack line leverages over two decades of product design and development experience,” says Bill Gamber, co-founder and president of Big Agnes, based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. “The market is full of some impressive products but we’re bringing fresh new ideas and a commitment to recycled fabrics to the category. As a brand we’re excited to finally have backpacks to complement and carry all our award-winning gear.”
The backpacks join a line of Big Agnes sustainable gear, from water- and energy-saving solution-dyed tents to sleeping pads made from sugarcane sourced from a supplier that grows and harvests in a net carbon-negative process.
The Big Agnes pack collection features:
- The Parkview 63 liter and women’s Garnet 60 liter, lightweight packs for extended treks, with custom-injection molded frame sheets anatomically engineered to fit the body and maximize torsional stability.
- The Prospector 50 liter and women’s Sun Dog 45 liter, ultralight packs for shorter overnight hikes.
- The 32-liter Ditch Rider, a minimalist, roll-top daypack with an internal laptop/hydration sleeve, designed for versatility on and off the trail.
- The Impassable 20 liter top-loading day pack with an internal laptop/hydration sleeve and compartmentalized storage.
The 45- to 63-liter backpacks have been created by Big Agnes’ women designers.
All packs are constructed with 100% recycled Mipan regen robic high-tenacity nylon containing a solution-dyed ripstop grid. Essential to the pack design is the proprietary Load Wrangler and Load Wrangler+ suspension systems that provide an easy to set, precise fit for a balanced load.
The packs use a hoist compression system and open range hip belt, and have hydration bladder sleeves, accessible pockets, and daisy chain webbing.
The 7-liter Big Agnes Trash Can will be included with the 45- to 63-liter packs, and sold separately as an accessory for smaller packs. The Trash Can uses the same material as the packs.
“Our Trash Can has one purpose—to clean up our public lands and give back to a global organization that’s working to help make it happen,” Gamber says. “We wanted to provide an easy way to collect the large and small garbage that’s littered along trails, rivers, and in campgrounds. … Our employees determined that the Trash Can holds at least 36 crushed aluminum cans.
For the backpack launch, Big Agnes will partner with Leave No Trace by donating a portion of sales from every pack and Trash Can to assist in global efforts to sustain healthy public lands. All Trash Cans will include an informational card to help drive awareness of Leave No Trace’s mission and to help educate consumers on backcountry best practices.
“Big Agnes has been a longtime partner of Leave No Trace and we’re excited to collaborate with them on their upcoming pack launch,” says Dana Watts, Leave No Trace executive director. “We love the energy and commitment they have put into reducing trail and campground litter and we’re excited to be a partner in their education campaign.”
7/2: Hikerkind Launches Hiking Clothing for Women
Hikerkind, a New York-based women’s hiking gear company, has launched a new collection of clothing that challenges the “hiker” archetype.
“We were tired of the outdated ‘shrink it and pink it’ approach to women’s hiking gear, and we wanted to enter into the outdoor industry with a new perspective,” Hikerkind co-founder Chelsea Rizzo says. “We all perform better when we feel like the most authentic versions of ourselves.”
Hikerkind’s new products are a midlayer pullover fleece, a 100% Pakucho organic cotton bandana, and a 32-ounce Nalgene water bottle printed with the “You Are Here” graphic and Hikerkind logo.
Hikerkind is also hosting a women-led hike club every other weekend in New York on Munsee Lenape, Wappinger, Mohican, and Haudenosaunee lands.
Chelsea and co-founder Allison Levy became friends while working in the fashion industry. Allison has hiked all over the world. Chelsea, who was new to hiking until she thru-hiked the Colorado Trail in 2018, was set to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2020 before the pandemic hit.
During quarantine, Allison approached Chelsea to take an idea they had been kicking around since they met to the next level, and in October 2020 they started Hikerkind.
6/9: Big Agnes Celebrates 20 Years of Outdoor Gear
Big Agnes is celebrating 20 years of making innovative, sustainable outdoor gear.
From tents with a solid reputation to sleep systems that integrate pads and bags, the company continually breaks new ground.
This year Big Agnes introduced sleeping pads made of sugarcane extract and began using solution-dyed fabrics for their most popular tents.
The tent fabric resists UV fade and during manufacturing reduces energy consumption by 80 percent and water use by 50 percent compared to traditional fabric dyeing methods.
The TwisterCane Pad BioFoam pad and hiking seat use sugarcane sourced from a supplier that grows and harvests in a net carbon-negative process.
Beyond gear, Big Agnes is donating a portion of their new Nature Print Chair Collection sales to the Yampa River Fund—which runs through the company’s hometown of Steamboat Spring, Colorado—and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. And in 2018 BA adopted 75 miles of the nearby Continental Divide Trail.
Big Agnes also partners with groups such as SheJumps, Outdoor Afro, and the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
6/1: Get a Deal on onX Backcountry, Help LNT
Looking for a digital navigation device to guide you on some epic hikes this summer?
During June onX is offering a $10 ($29.99 value), one-year membership for its newest navigation app, onX Backcountry, as part of its “All In For Outdoors” program. The discounted price for new memberships is available only on the onX website, and all proceeds during June will go to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
The new onX Backcountry has tens of thousands of guidebook and expert-curated adventures, as well as 650,000 miles of trails for hikers, backpackers, trail runners, and backcountry skiers
“At onX, our mission is to awaken the adventurer in everyone. We believe that the more people who experience the outdoors, the more likely they are to join us in protecting these special places for the future,” onX VP of Marketing Chris Bate said. “As a company that encourages public land exploration, we recognize our obligation to advocate for and protect these shared resources, especially as our trails and parks see unprecedented attention. By partnering with Leave No Trace, we aim to educate our growing audience–millions of returning and new recreationists–on how they can reduce the impact they have while exploring our outdoor playgrounds.”
Founded in 2009, onX also offers onX Hunt and onX Offroad navigation apps.
6/1: Ibex Certified as Climate Neutral
Ibex has long been known for its merino wool clothing, and now the company is drawing attention for its efforts to become climate neutral.
The company is Climate Neutral Certified, and works with manufacturing partners to reduce and offset their carbon footprint. Ibex continuously works to reduce electricity, gas, and water usage.
And Ibex is also trying to reduce manufacturing waste through direct-to-consumer small-batch production, ensuring that “every garment is built to the highest standards and finds a home.”
And when your 100% merino shirt wears out after years of use, it’s good to know that it’s backyard compostable.
After 20-some years based in Vermont, Ibex closed in 2018 and its assets were sold to Flour Fund, a New York-based investment group.
Ibex relaunched in 2019 with new designs and some old favorites, like the Shak jacket, and expanded its product line in 2021.
4/22: More Than 230 Brands Certified Climate Neutral
More than 230 retail brands—20% of them from the outdoor industry—have measured, offset, and reduced their 2020 “cradle-to-customer” greenhouse gas emissions in a rigorous certification process overseen by Climate Neutral.
“Two years into building our community, we’re thrilled to be welcoming a huge new collection of certified brands from a dozen product categories,” Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral, announced on Earth Day. “We are eager to continue helping these companies and hundreds of others as they invest in eliminating their carbon emissions, and engaging consumers in this critical drive toward a net-zero world.”
The Climate Neutral Certified label gives consumers a recognizable way to support and shop brands that are working to reduce their carbon footprint.
Since Climate Neutral was launched in 2019, the organization has certified more than 235 brands representing 12 business categories, with an offset of more than 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
More than 125 additional brands have committed to becoming certified later in 2021.
A list of the companies that have been certified is here.
4/20: Help Protect America’s Wild Places
Fourteen outdoor brands are supporting The Conservation Alliance by donating 5% of their online sales April 21-27 as part of the alliance’s WeKeepItWild campaign.
Backpacker’s Pantry, Dometic, Grayl, Gregory Packs, GU Energy Labs, Helly Hansen, MiiR, Mountain Safety Research (MSR), Nomadix, Royal Robbins, Ruffwear, Therm-a-Rest, Toad&Co, and Topo Athletic are participating in the weeklong campaign.
Money raised online will help the alliance protect wild lands and waters across North America, supporting a vision of a planet where wild places, wildlife, and people thrive together.
Find out more about The Conservation Alliance here.
4/20: Stylish and Sustainable
Royal Robbins has made sustainability part of its clothing line since the company’s inception in 1968, and this year it takes a big leap forward.
Ten shirts in the men’s and women’s Expedition lines will be made from 100% recycled materials. Each shirt upcycles about 9 plastic bottles, and manufacturing energy use is reduced by 51% and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by 56%.
Sixty-six clothing styles made primarily of natural fabrics—preferred cotton, recycled content, or responsibly sourced forest materials—account for 46% of the spring clothing line.
4/20: Bottles with a View
Buy a Hydro Flask steel bottle with an image of your favorite Triple Crown trail and the company will donate $1 per bottle up to $65,000 to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition.
Use the 20-ounce bottle with a sip lid for hot coffee, or grab the 32-ounce wide mouth for cold drinks. Both sizes have a bottle boot for a sure grip. The double wall vacuum insulation keeps liquids cold for 24 hours or hot for up to 12.
Since 2017 Hydro Flash has contributed $1.9 million to its Parks for All initiative, which supports nonprofit organizations focused on building, maintaining, restoring, and providing better access to parks.
4/20: Hilleberg Celebrates 50th
Hilleberg is marking its 50th year of making tents for outdoor adventures on every continent, in all types of weather and terrain.
Since its founding in 1971 by Bo and Renate Hilleberg, the company has focused exclusively on tents and shelters.
“Even when many outdoor companies began diversifying their product lines, we felt that specializing in one product category, and really doing that to the best of our abilities, was the best way for us,” says Bo.
Hilleberg continues to be family-run, with daughter Petra serving as CEO of the Hilleberg Group and president of European and US operations. Son Rolf was managing director of the European operation and continues to serve on the board.
