Last week I spent six hours skiing in the Vermont rain, and it actually didn’t suck–largely because I was swaddled in invisible toxic chemicals, known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” I’m speaking of the key ingredient found on and in nearly every piece of outerwear with any kind of water repellency: the chemicals that keep us dry through any weather.

But PFAS are not just in our Gore-Tex shells. They’re in countless consumer products, providing heat, oil, stain, and grease resistance. These chemicals are hugely effective–and they also pose serious human health concerns. So much so that��a flood of new bans are coming across the country in a wide range of categories.

In 2024, , says , a national alliance of environmental health organizations and coalitions. Many are already in effect for categories like food packaging, carpets, and ski wax, which have been outlined by state in the chart below.��These looming ��bans have sent industries around the world scrambling to find alternative solutions. It also means that we will soon have to adjust our expectations on how we need to care for things like rain jackets, if we want them to perform, says sustainability consultant Ammi Borenstein, founder of , an agency specializing in sustainability strategy and management.

What Are Forever Chemicals?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. It’s a mouthful, which is why PFAS are colloquially called “forever chemicals.” The nickname refers to the fact that these tenacious chemicals survive essentially forever. They won’t break down��in the environment for a thousand years or more, which is precisely why they’re so effective at what they do: at creating��a leak-proof barrier against all things liquidy.

PFAS, a family of more than 13,000 unique chemicals, were invented in the 1930s by DuPont de Nemours, Inc., as the company��was working to develop a non-stick frying pan. The world soon discovered the magic of these forever chemicals. Their Herculean bonding power means that they can render humble fabrics impenetrable to weather. They prevent red wine from staining your sofa and puppy poop from ruining your carpet. They keep grease from seeping through paper plates and take-out containers. They make mascara waterproof and are found in things like butter wrappers, lotions and sunscreens, (), and menstrual products. PFAS are��on your , and have been found in both tap and well water. A estimates that an alarming 45 percent of our country’s tap water contains PFAS.

Forever chemicals are basically everywhere and many Americans on a daily basis.��So it should come as no surprise that, according to compiled by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the damn things are also floating inside the veins of every one of us.

So, just how freaked out should we be?

Why Are Forever Chemicals Dangerous?

Studies have linked PFAS exposure to a host of serious health problems: a�� published in ������Dzѱ�徱�����Ա���found associations between PFAS exposure and thyroid cancer, and studies have linked exposure to kidney cancer as well.

Two of the most notorious forever chemicals��are PFOA and PFOS, which have historically been used in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, and many waterproof textiles. Both have been and were phased out of manufacturing in the U.S. in the mid 2000s. But thousands of other PFAS are still in production, and we are only now starting to understand where they show up. Which, at the risk of being redundant, is everywhere.

PFAS exposure from everyday items varies significantly. “If we’re talking about eating food off paper plates that contain PFAS, for instance, your exposure risks are pretty high because PFAS can absorb into food from plates,” says Borenstein, who points to a 2022 published on Science Direct.

But what about wearing a jacket?

Dr. Stuart Harrad, professor of environmental chemistry at University of Birmingham in the U.K., studies PFAS exposure through skin. In a����(Environmental Research) he and his collaborators found that “PFAS can indeed transfer from environmental media (like indoor dust) into skin fluids (like sweat and oils) and become available for absorption through the skin into the bloodstream.”

“I would be concerned about the potential dermal exposure if PFAS in clothing comes in direct contact with the skin,” he told me. “However, as we don’t know what PFAS are present in such clothing, we cannot say with any certainty what the health effects might be and whether these might occur at the dermal exposure levels that might arise from wearing such clothing.”

In other words, PFAS in your yoga pants or long johns—or any fabric that directly touches your skin—could absorb directly into your bloodstream. But Harrad sees less of an exposure risk with clothing that is not next-to-skin, like jackets. He says that because of the unknowns, as well as the environmental implications of creating waste, he is “loathe to advise people to throw away existing wearable items” but contends that PFAS use in “any new products should be prohibited.”

We do know, however, that forever chemicals have profound impacts on the people who work in and live near the factories that make and handle them in their raw, unfinished state. Take, for instance the community of Parkersburg, West Virginia, where the DuPont factory (now called Chemours) first created PFOA and remains one of the area’s largest employers.

In the C8 Project, one of the , with nearly 70,000 participants in the area surrounding the plant, researchers found that PFOA was associated with six diseases: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, pre-eclampsia, and ulcerative colitis. While the chemical companies make obscene amounts of money, factory workers throughout the supply chain touch and inhale PFAS every day and thousands of families living downstream from the facilities drink contaminated water and breathe poisonous air.

After a decades-long quest for justice (chronicled in the excellent 2019 film ), attorney Robert Bilott won a $670 million settlement against DuPont for more than 3,500 personal injury cases.

Widespread PFAS Bans Are Coming Soon

While PFAS are not yet regulated at a federal level, state lawmakers across the country have put them in their crosshairs. “States are transforming the marketplace by adopting policies that mandate the phase out of dangerous�� forever chemicals in products,” says Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States.

Starting in 2025, California will forbid the sale of most textiles with PFAS; New York will restrict them in apparel; and Colorado will ban them in upholstered furniture and ski wax. Similar laws are pending or approved in many other states.

Outdoor Brands at the Forefront of the PFAS-Free Movement

Much of the outdoor industry has been seeking safe alternatives to PFAS for years, as we reported on back in 2015, but it’s been a long process. Early iterations of PFAS-free outerwear were plagued by lackluster performance. But the brands who stayed the course have now landed on new chemistries that they claim perform well, such as footwear maker, KEEN, which has been PFAS-free since 2018. “PFAS are for recreating outside,” contends Kirsten Blackburn, director of KEEN Effect, the company’s sustainability and impact team.

But there is a caveat: everyone agrees that PFAS-free outdoor gear will require more regular care and maintenance to keep it performing at its best.

“With diligent aftercare like washing and re-treating, these alternatives do not compromise on performance,” says Corey Simpson, Patagonia’s communications manager. Patagonia, which started tackling the complex PFAS problem in 2006, has already eliminated PFAS from its fabrics, laminates, and coatings, and by 2025 all apparel (including zippers, buttons, patches, and threads) will be completely PFAS-free. ��“During our research and development of these alternatives we found that the cleaner these fabrics are, the better the PFAS-free��alternatives perform. So, easy-peasy, just wash and dry your gear more frequently.”��

����ä������ä����� did away with PFAS in all its textiles back in 2015. “The important question consumers need to ask, is what level of water repellency does one need?” says Kaytlin Moeller, regional sustainability director at Fenix Outdoor, parent company to ����ä������ä�����. “We know that DWR with PFAS provides better waterproofing on gear than DWR made without PFAS, but is waterproof really necessary for the intended use? Actions like proper garment care, following washing guidelines, and using alternative waterproofing, like waxing when the fabric allows, can provide the necessary level of water repellency without introducing hazardous chemicals into the environment.”

Care and Maintenance of PFAS-Free Outdoor Gear

For those of us who have come to expect our rain gear to keep us dry year after year with no maintenance, this new PFAS-free reality might be a hard pill to swallow. But Hannah North, manager of , a Bend, Oregon retailer specializing in repairing and consigning outdoor gear, says that the only place you’ll feel the difference is in the laundry room. PFAS-free outerwear will require more hands-on care, she says, but if treated properly, most people won’t notice a performance difference.

“Most people don’t wash their outerwear enough, period,” says North. “And with these new PFAS-free chemistries, it will become even more important. We tell customers to wash their outerwear, regardless of whether it has PFAS or not, after every three to five significant uses and to every three to five washes.” (A “significant use” is roughly a full day of use outdoors.) It’s an easy, at-home process.

“We recommend products, which are water-based, PFAS-free, and very effective for re-waterproofing,”��says North. “Waterproof clothing should never be washed with normal detergent, which will leave a residue on the fabric that hinders water repellency.”

How to Avoid Forever Chemicals in Everyday Life

While it’s almost impossible to avoid PFAS altogether, there are some concrete steps you can take to minimize your exposure to them.

1. Be skeptical when you see “PFOA-free” on something like a nonstick pan. It probably means that they just use a different kind of PFAS. Remember that PFAS is a massive family of chemicals. PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) is just one specific chemical in this family. Instead look for “PFAS-free” or “certified nontoxic.”
2. Ditch old Teflon cookware. Opt for ceramic instead.
3. Avoid fast food. The packaging wrapping that Big Mac is full of PFAS rubbing up against—and . Same with microwave popcorn and paper plates. When you do get takeout, transfer it out of the container as soon as possible because heat and time increase the likelihood of food absorption.
4. Store leftovers in glass containers, .
5. Avoid bottled water which and nanoplastics. Opt for filtered tap water instead.
6. Check your dental floss. This by Mamavation, a consumer health and wellness watchdog website, found that floss products have the “highest levels of organic fluorine we have ever seen in any consumer study.” (Organic fluorine is a chemical marker for the PFAS family of chemicals.) In the lab tests, 33 percent of the tested flosses (ranging from slippery filament and waxed versions to silk and bamboo ones) came back positive for the PFAS marker.

Most importantly, take heart. The omnipresence of PFAS can make the problem feel overwhelming.��But researchers��are learning more each day, the media is investigating, big brands across industries are shifting away from forever chemicals, and governments are starting to act.

“A few years ago we were looking at a massive, never-ending flow of these chemicals,” Borenstein says. “Now outdoor brands, companies all over the world, and importantly, lawmakers have woken up to their harmful effects. The widespread bans will start to turn off the tap. Then we’ll need to look at mitigation of the PFAS that already exist and reducing the toxic load on our bodies and in our environment.”

In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just recently around PFAS. It is investing in new research, and now requires companies to disclose the presence of certain chemicals in products. It is also developing new methods to measure PFAS in the environment and policies to hold polluters accountable.��“, increased engagement from the EPA, increased consumer awareness, effective PFAS free advocates—all of these things suggest we could see national legislation banning PFAS in the near future,” says Blackburn.

To that, I say: Bring it on.

Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and—yes—wealthier. ���ϳԹ���’s head of sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Write to her at climateneutral-ish@outsideinc.com.

The post The Best Rain Jackets in the World Will Soon Be Illegal—with Good Reason appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

All weather is good weather for outdoor adventures. If you have the right gear, that is. And when it comes to picking out gear for someone else, you can’t go wrong with high-quality apparel that’s made to withstand the worst conditions. Here’s a list of cold-weather gift ideas that will quickly become winter wardrobe favorites—and will last for years to come.��

Versatile Warmth

The only thing worse than being too cold? Overheating. Which is why there’s always gifting value in versatile layers like the synthetically insulated . An extended cut and fleece-lined hood provide full-body warmth when needed, while the breathable fabrics and two-way zipper make it easy to regulate temperature. Bonus: eight pockets easily swallow up all your bits and bobs.

The Cold-Weather Staple

A modern and sustainable twist on a classic style, ����ä������ä�����’s is warmer and more adventure-ready than it looks. Insulated with 800-proof down that packs a heat-boosting punch, its rugged outer layer is both wind- and water-resistant, thanks to a coating of the company’s trademark Greenland wax.

���ϳԹ���-Ready Trousers

Sturdy, weatherproof pants are a staple for any cold-weather kit. The are an all-around favorite for any frigid activities. Their durable soft-shell fabric utilizes a blend of recycled nylon, polyester, and elastane to keep you warm while moving without restriction. Plus, the pants are wind- and water-resistant and made without the use of PFCs.

The Go-Anywhere Top

Even when cold-weather adventurers aren’t braving the elements, layers that double as everyday attire remain must-have items. Take the ����ä������ä����� . Made from 100% organic cotton, the flannel button-down works as a shirt or a jacket over a sweater. It’s durable enough to wear with trekking pants and an outer shell for an impromptu romp in the woods yet can be easily dressed up for a night in town.

Ultra-Cozy Layering

Staying warm is all about quality layers. The is a go-to midlayer that’s both insulating and moisture-wicking. Its blend of recycled polyester and traceable wool combines the best of both worlds—synthetic and natural fibers—for reliable warmth even in wet conditions. Plus, it’s odor-resistant, making transitions easy from on-the-snow to �����è�� adventure.

Cold-Weather Extras

In cold temperatures, accessories are as much about functionality as they are about fashion. For a gift that serves both purposes, try the ����ä������ä����� . This beanie is crafted with a robust knitted lambswool that wicks moisture and insulates well in rain and snow. Paired with a hooded outer layer, it’s the ultimate defense against heat loss. Plus, who doesn’t love repping a logo that says quality?

In 1960, Åke Nordin founded in his basement in the town of Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden. Today the company’s timeless, functional, and durable outdoor equipment enjoys a global presence and can be found in more than 70 countries. ����ä������ä�����’s product range comprises outdoor clothing and accessories for men and women, as well as backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags. ����ä������ä����� prioritizes acting responsibly toward people, animals, and nature and encourages and sustains public interest in the outdoors. The company is the initiator of two popular outdoor events, ����ä������ä����� Classic and ����ä������ä����� Polar, which attract thousands of participants every year.

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If you love biking along backcountry roads and trails, why not just keep going? Why not indeed. Simply pack camping gear and ride as far and as long as you want. That’s the beauty of bikepacking, and why has launched a new line of gear designed specifically to support the growing sport. We spoke with , a ����ä������ä����� Friend and adventure cyclist and advocate based in Durango, Colorado, about bikepacking, the new S/F gear, and her top advice for beginners.����������

���ϳԹ���: What’s special about bikepacking?

Sarah Swallow: Bikepacking offers a unique opportunity to explore and immerse myself in experiences and natural landscapes often inaccessible by other means of transportation. Every trip is an eye-opening journey that takes me away from everyday life while bringing me closer to myself and my surroundings. The sport provides perspective on life and an understanding of my physical and mental capabilities. I gain inspiration from the natural environments I travel through, and I’m always humbled by lessons from the adventure. Bikepacking is not an escape but an embracing of reality that always leads me to a newfound appreciation of my life and the world around me.

What are your favorite bikepacking adventures?����

My favorite bikepacking trips include a combination of land and water adventures. For example, I love bikepacking in Baja California, Mexico. One minute I’m sweating it out pedaling a technical dirt road through date palms or otherworldly cacti characteristic of the diverse Sonoran Desert. The next minute, I’m boogie boarding in the Pacific Ocean or snorkeling and exploring life beneath the surface of the Gulf of California. Because I am traveling by bicycle, I can often get to remote beaches that most folks can’t reach—a little private slice of paradise for the night. It’s nice to mix up the routine of a bike tour with some extracurricular activities. While cycling is my primary love, swimming and water activities are a close second!

How and where did you test the new ������������� bikepacking gear?

I’ve tested the ����ä������ä����� bikepacking gear on all types of trips: monthlong expeditions in South America; the Tour Divide; scouting and developing new cycling routes in Sonora, Mexico; on my favorite bikepacking loops in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and the Sky Islands in southern Arizona; and just commuting around town in Durango Colorado, and Tucson Arizona. The gear is versatile for everything from big expeditions to commuting around a city.

What makes S/F bikepacking gear different? What are your favorite products?��

The ����ä������ä����� bikepacking gear is different because each product is a creative and multipurpose solution to bikepacking equipment. Some unique offerings from the product line: a waterproof seat pack, a tote for the cool cave pannier, and a that doubles as a wearable down poncho. In addition, the gear is fashionable and designed with high-quality, durable, and environmentally conscious material that will withstand the use and abuse of years of bikepacking in all weather and terrain. My favorite product is the , which is much more than just a hip pack—it also converts into a lightweight backpack. I use the Expandable Hip Pack in backpack mode as my carry-on when traveling to bikepacking trips, in hip pack mode while I am riding, and in backpack mode again while resupplying in town. I also use the hip pack on my daily mountain bike rides to carry snacks and an extra water bottle, and then I swap it into backpack mode to pick up a few items at the grocery store on my way home after the ride.

What are the ������������� Ride Outs?

The ����ä������ä����� Ride Outs are opportunities to go on a beginner-friendly bikepacking overnight trip with a community of like-minded individuals. The Ride Outs are a great time to try your first bikepacking trip in the company of others, meet fellow bikepackers, talk gear, and get inspiration for future trips. Three Ride Outs are scheduled this year: Boulder, Colorado, on August 26-27; Asheville, North Carolina, on September 16-17; and Costa Mesa, California, on September 30-October 1. I’m excited to attend the Ride Outs in Boulder and Costa Mesa.

What’s your top advice for people just getting into bikepacking?

Getting into bikepacking can be overwhelming initially, so try not to get bogged down in the details and nuance. Use what you have or borrow some bags, throw in whatever gear you currently own, and get out for your first tour! You’ll quickly figure out what works for you and what you like and don’t like. Then you can gradually acquire gear and refine your setup as time and budget allow. Here are my top tips for new bikepackers:

Plan ahead, but not too much. Have a route and note its distance, elevation, and food and water resupply points.��

Embrace the unexpected. We live such rigid, goal-oriented lives that it can be challenging to be flexible and adaptable and to embrace the unexpected changes that can happen during an adventure. Bikepacking can be less stressful and much more fun if we let loose a little.��

Don’t rush it. Take a lot of breaks, go for mid-ride hikes and swims, explore, and take pictures! Ditch those gel packs, and bring real food for a picnic, such as hard salami, cheese, crackers, and olives.��

Get out there, no matter your gear. My friend carried a backpack full of her stuff and strapped a full-size pillow to her bike on her first bikepacking trip. She had a blast! You don’t need fancy gear to start. Work up to it and use what you have. has tons of general information about bikepacking, gear, routes, events, and stories.��

Start small. A 50-mile route one a bike fully loaded with bikepacking gear will take much longer than an unloaded ride. Plan more time than you think you need for your first few trips. My favorite average daily distance is 25 to 30 miles, depending on terrain (dirt road vs. singletrack), conditions, and elevation.

In 1960, Åke Nordin founded in his basement in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik. Since then, the brand has stayed true to its mission of developing timeless, functional, and durable outdoor equipment; acting responsibly toward people, animals, and the environment; and inspiring more people to discover outdoor life.

The post Two-Wheeled ���ϳԹ����� appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

At the start of the 21st century, Swedish entrepreneur and ����ä������ä����� founder Åke Nordin had a vision for helping others explore the breathtaking landscapes of Scandinavia that he loved—like the glacier-carved fjords and valleys, sawtoothed granite peaks, and sapphire blue lakes of the Scandes Mountains. Enter the ����ä������ä����� Classic, an organized group trek celebrating community in the outdoors along a long-distance path. It wouldn’t be a competition; in fact it would be the opposite, just a chance to walk with others and connect in the wild.

During the Classic’s inaugural year in 2005, more than 150 hikers completed more than 68 miles of the iconic Dag Hammarskjöld trail from Nikkaluokta to Abisko in Sweden. Ten years later, more than 2,100 hikers finished the same route, and it’s still the path the Classic follows today. Even as the ����ä������ä����� Classic has grown, it remains true to the spirit Nordin established, welcoming eager trekkers of all skill levels, from first-time backpackers to seasoned outdoorists.

The emphasis on enjoying nature, not conquering it, makes for a trekking culture that’s all about slowing down, enjoying the sights and sounds, and sharing the experience with others. But that doesn’t mean you should expect a walk in the park. Nordin created ����ä������ä����� gear to support people exploring the world’s roughest terrain and being prepared for all kinds of weather, which is exactly what you should be prepared for when heading into the wild.����

“Being self-sufficient in the outdoors is not unique to the Swedish way of trekking, but I think it is a cornerstone of our events,” says Carl Hård af Segerstad, ����ä������ä�����’s global event manager. “You carry all you need, and you are completely independent. No sherpas, no porters, and no huts or cabins like in the Alps. It’s more like an exploration expedition in that sense. But what you really explore is your own capacity and learning.”

The Classic became so popular that ����ä������ä����� decided to spread the love. This year, the Classic is happening in five locations around the world. The original and longest trek is in Sweden, where there’s the potential to see reindeer in the wild. The trek in Denmark passes through charming villages and farmlands. Germany’s hike drops participants into the Allgäu Alps, and Korea’s route enters Mt. Hallasan National Park. And lastly, the Classic in the United States travels deep into the Colorado backcountry. Each location offers unique scenery, experiences, and challenges. Trekkers carry all their gear on their backs and ����ä������ä����� takes care of the rest, from transport to route planning, plus the company provides a few surprises and delights along the way.

Copy to a new draft

To help minimize the impact of the Classic, ������������� teams up with partners like Leave No Trace in the U.S. and Patron Plasticfree Peaks in Germany. The goal everywhere is to educate and inspire participants to tread gently and carefully on the trail.��

“Thanks to public land being open and accessible to everyone, it is everyone’s right to make use of it and share the responsibility,” says Hård af Segerstad. “But it is also our responsibility to make it open and accessible to all people.”

You don’t need a ticket to spend time in nature or along the same routes. You can explore the routes through the —and mark your calendar for the 2024 season.

“Time in nature is always special,” says Hård af Segerstad. He calls out benefits like reduced stress levels, improved attention and concentration, greater strength and balance, and increased hopes for the future and belief in one’s own capabilities.��

“I have seen these positive effects happen over and over again with different people participating at the ����ä������ä����� Classic and that is truly special.”

In 1960, Åke Nordin founded in his basement in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik. Since then the brand has stayed true to its mission of developing timeless, functional, and durable outdoor equipment, acting responsibly toward people, animals, and the environment, and inspiring more people to discover outdoor life.

The post The Art of Swedish Trekking appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

The world is less formal these days. Almost anywhere in public—from the gym to the the store to the classroom—you’re likely to see folks leaning into the athleisure trend, which focuses on comfort and performance ahead of all else. Luckily, gone is the era of schlubby sweatsuits. Now you can look good and feel good all day long. These are some of our favorite picks from the booming category.

Adsum Classic Logo Sweatshirt ($165)

Your athleisure drawer would be understocked without a durable cotton sweatshirt. This heavy crew is beautifully simple, and the brushed-cotton interior made it cozy enough to keep on for an entire three-day weekend. (S–XL)

������������� Abisko Tights ($175)

These don’t look out of place in any hip coffee shop, but they’re decidedly high-tech. A polyamide blend, plus reinforcements in the knees and rear, make the Abisko the only casual wear testers will be using for ski mountaineering come spring. (�´dz����’s XXS–XXL, men’s XS–XXXL)

Rabbit �ѱ��’s EZ Tee Shirt ($45)

The EZ Tee was the plushest and highest-performing shirt we tested, thanks to its ridiculously supple and stretchy polyester-spandex fabric. Although it looks like a casual cotton tee, it kicked butt on runs over ten miles. (S–XXL)

Prana �´dz����’s Electa Shorts ($59)

Deemed the best Lycra shorts reviewers tried this year, the Electa impressed with several features: an extra-wide waistband, a midthigh length, a pair of cleverly designed two-compartment pockets to stash various valuables, and a triangle gusset that facilitates deep yoga poses. (XS–XL)

Vuori �´dz����’s Halo Performance Hoodie ($89)

As soft as a week-old puppy, the Halo delivers all the positives of a classic hoodie, minus the schlub factor. Testers loved how breathable and stretchy the polyester-elastane blend was beneath a shell. (XXS–XXL)

AllBirds R&R Sweatpants ($98)

AllBirds’ shoes are known for comfort, and these joggers follow suit. A magical amalgam of cotton, hemp, and Tencel moves like a synthetic but still has the feel and durability of natural materials. (XS–XXXL)

Coal Provo Hat ($32)

We had a hard time taking off this airy cap. Made with synthetic materials and a simple elastic adjustment system, it fits a variety of different head shapes.

Bömbas Black Hive Collection Quarter Socks ($12.50)

Thanks to elastic arch support, these socks didn’t slip during our longest runs, and the weight was just right: warm on cold mornings without feeling bulky. (S–XL)

Bn3th �ѱ��’s Entourage Underwear ($35)

Details like the wide waistband and chafe-free seam placement made the Entourage so comfortable that testers wore them to sleep, as well as for hours after their toughest workouts. (XXS–XXL)

NoBull Quilted Pullover ($98)

This sweater is the most aesthetic use of synthetic insulation we’ve seen in ages. The bumps of loft generate incredible warmth under a shell but are still breathable enough for kettlebell sessions. (�ѱ��’s S–XL, women’s XS–XL)

The post Look Good, Feel Good: Our Top Athleisure Picks for 2022 appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

The data is in from the Retail Polybag Recycling Pilot Project, a partnership between Eco-Cycle and the Plastic Impact Alliance. In just three months, the pilot collected almost 75,000 plastic polybags from 11 outdoor businesses on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.��

Working within a hyperlocal space, using a bicycle powered collection cart that replaced the typical fossil fuel powered trucking model, Eco-Cycle staff and students from Boulder High School went door-to-door each Thursday from October through December collecting polybags that employees at each store collected from their shipments. Participating brands were Artilect, Backcountry, Black Diamond, ����ä������ä�����, Helly Hansen, Himali, Norrona, ���ϳԹ��� Inc., Patagonia, Sherpani, and Stio.

“The data we collected in the polybag pilot program is immensely useful,” said Kate Christian, corporate sustainability manager at Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit in Boulder Colorado that specializes in capturing and recycling hard-to-recycle materials. “By extrapolating this data, we can begin��to get a sense of how massive this problem is. Our pilot looked at 11 storefronts on a single street in Boulder. But globally, those 11 brands represent roughly 95 of storefronts nationwide. If we were to capture and recycle the polybags from all those locations, we’d be looking at more than 55,000 pounds and over and more than 4.5 million polybags.”��

“It’s important to note that even that number is only the tip of the iceberg because that’s only from 11 brands and doesn’t include all the other outdoor brand stores and the 1,000+ independent specialty retailers in the outdoor industry,” said Kristin Hostetter, co-founder of the Plastic Impact Alliance. “When we extrapolate that number even further to look at the entire industry, we’re talking about billions of polybags that have nowhere to go. This should serve as a wake up call for the outdoor industry.”

Each company involved in the pilot program was provided with a detailed report of their polybag usage, broken down by weight and number of bags. Brands were also given details on how their store’s polybag numbers compared with the others in the pilot. (Numbers ranged from about one pound per week to about 17 pounds.)

Additionally, each brand in the pilot was invited to continue recycling through the program at a cost of less than $20 per pickup. As a nonprofit, Eco-Cycle aims to make this a sustainable program that covers its own costs which include paying the student volunteer collectors. To date, eight of the original partners have committed to continuing the recycling efforts: ����ä������ä�����, Patagonia, Stio, Norrona, Helly Hansen, Artilect, Backcountry, Black Diamond, and ���ϳԹ���, Inc. (OBJ’s parent company). “We are still actively talking with our original partners and many others in the area in hopes of bringing in more stores,” said Christian. “It’s important for companies to understand that recycling is a service—just like cleaning or garbage pickup. Companies are not entitled to free polybag recycling; they have a responsibility to pay for it.”

�������������: A Case Study on What Brands Can Do

����ä������ä�����, which has a 3,380 square-foot store on Pearl Street, was eager to join the pilot program from the word “go” and has already signed up for continued polybag collection. “There is genuine excitement at ����ä������ä����� from both folks at corporate and retail staff around solving waste,” said Christian. “The staff isn’t just recycling the bags because somebody told them to. They’re doing it because they care. This is evident every Thursday when we pick up their polybags. Not only is the staff diligent about managing their polybag contamination, but they’re constantly asking unrelated recycling questions around things like textiles and silica packets.” Contamination, by the way, is a real issue when it comes to polybag recycling. Often tissue paper, stickers, and desiccant packets are mixed in with the plastic. These items can cause jams in the balers and contaminate whole batches of plastic.��

Daniel Higbee, the Pearl Street store manager is a big fan of the program. “My staff loved that the polybag pilot program used high school students to pick up on bikes, bringing the next generation in. And we appreciated having an end result that brings more visibility to other downtown retail outlets.”

“The Retail Polybag Recycling Project provided a unique opportunity to responsibly upcycle our polybags without transportation emissions,” said Kaytlin Moeller, sustainability manager at ����ä������ä�����. “Knowing that our bags are being made into a long-lasting, durable material [Trex decking] was another feature that drew us to the program. Based on our learnings and the success of the pilot, we are looking forward to the possibility of similar programs in other locations.” Moeller went on to say that ����ä������ä����� is actively looking to eliminate plastic polybags altogether. “We recognize that product packed in individual polybags is problem and we are working on solutions to address it. We have tested shipping without polybags and are using those learnings to determine how to adapt our operations for polybag-free product.”

What Can the Outdoor Industry Do About the Polybag Problem?

Polybags are so ubiquitous, so affordable, and so good at what they do, which is protect goods for shipping in a lightweight manner. That’s why tackling the problem can feel so daunting. But there are tangible ways your brand can make a difference.

Find Alternative Solutions

PrAna has been a leader in the packaging movement for some time and pioneered a roll-packing technique that is getting noticed. Roll-packing entails tying rolled garments with recyclable twine or raffia and shipping them in master cartons. Employing that technique got the company to 80 percent plastic-free, but there were certain garments in the line that didn’t lend themselves to roll-packing, so prAna went in search of a polybag alternative. They found the answer in glassine, a durable paper bag that is curbside recyclable.

Other brands have followed suit, like Livsn Designs, which not only adopted roll-packing, but also revamped their entire hang tag program, replacing plastic-coated tags and plastic fasteners with recyclable paper and twine.��

Jewelry and belt brand Lilo Collections developed its own variation on roll-packing which it calls “burrito packing.” Burrito packing involves wrapping the item in paper like a burrito. The company also includes a hand-written note on each burrito like “Please recycle this paper” or “Thank you for being plastic-free with us.”����

Keep Polybags Inside the B2B Environment

Matt Gowar, owner of Rab and Lowe Alpine, believes that outdoor brands need to be accountable for their polybag waste. Gowar recently completed an exhaustive 18-month pilot program of his own in partnership with the European Outdoor Group.��

“The outdoor industry needs to keep the plastic polybags we use for shipping inside the B2B environment and not put it out there into the consumer world [or the retail landscape], where the recycling wheels fall off the truck,” he recently told ���ϳԹ��� Business Journal. “Distribution centers need to remove plastic packaging and sell it to local recyclers. When a big retailer like REI imposes a plastic tax on brands, it’s backwards. Polybags are a valuable commodity that need to be respected and repurposed.”

Decking company Trex firmly agrees. Trex buys soft film (#2 and #4 clear, color, or print polyethylene films) by the pound and uses it to make decking material. The average 500-square foot composite Trex deck contains 140,000 recycled plastic bags, making Trex one of the largest plastic bag recyclers in the U.S.

“By recycling with Trex, groups like Eco-Cycle can be confident they are making a difference by helping divert thousands of pounds of polyethene plastic waste from landfills so it can be repurposed into eco-friendly composite decking made from 95 percent recycled materials,” said Jeremy Bouley, regional recycling account representative for Trex. “One plastic bag or newspaper sleeve at a time, we are teaching communities how to protect and preserve their environment and build a more sustainable future for generations to come.”

Switch to Smaller, Lighter, Recycled Polybags

All polybags are not created equal: they range in thickness, size, and recycled content. “Brands should be examining the type of polybags they’re using,” said Christian. “Best practices entail opting for bags that are made with 100 percent recycled plastic, that are as small in size as they can be to get the job done, and that are as thin as possible.”

Retailers Take Action

Independent retailers bear a huge brunt of our industry’s polybag problem. With every shipment of new product they receive, they have to unbag each individual item and dispose of the plastic. Most retailers do not have the means to recycle them locally, as soft film plastic is not typically handled by municipal recycling facilities.

Nate Porter, owner of Salida Mountain Sports, couldn’t take it any more so he went in search of a solution. “I went to the local Walmart because they collect “shopping bags’ and asked if I could add my polybags to their collection bins,” said Porter. The manager agreed to let�� Porter bring in clean #1 and #2 polybags, which he does each week. The problem is, Porter has no visibility as to what actually happens to those bags. It’s a leap of faith, and Porter hopes that the bags do actually get recycled. “It’s the best I can do at this time,” said Porter. “But it’s my fervent hope that our vendors stop sending polybag shipments and capture and recycle the bags at their own distribution centers. They should be responsible for recycling them, not us retailers.”

Call to Action

The Plastic Impact Alliance and Eco-Cycle are searching for at least ten independent outdoor specialty retailers who are willing to help us keep collecting data over a period of three months. Retailers are subjected to mountains of polybags, often with no local means of recycling them. The ask is this: tally (either by weight or quantity) the amount of polybags you receive from each brand you work with. The project will provide virtual training to help retailers understand the process and make it as easy as possible.��

The Plastic Impact Alliance will use this data to generate awareness in the outdoor industry and build relationships with recycling partners around the country. To get involved, contact Kate Christian at katec@ecocycle.org.

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In the back rooms of retail shops all over the country, mountains of plastic polybags are piling up every day. Whenever a new shipment arrives from a vendor, there’s always a sense of excitement at unboxing time: cool, new stuff has been delivered and the employees are eager to get it out onto the floor.

Then a grim reality sets in: nearly every item—from apparel to accessories to hard goods—comes encased in a polybag. And that polybag needs to be disposed of.��

Polybags are not easy to recycle, which is why most towns don’t. Yet so many polybags come printed with the recycling symbol, which is deceptive and counterproductive. When consumers see that symbol, they assume the bag is safe to toss into their single-stream recycling bin. This “wishcycling” results in clogged machinery at the sorting facilities.

The outdoor industry is well aware of its polybag problem and many companies have made steps to move away from them. PrAna has nixed them altogether and pioneered a new roll-packing method. Grunden’s has sourced a home-compostable paper bag that it now uses for its apparel. NEMO has done away with plastic tent pole bags.��

Cutting ties with polybags is not easy. The thin film is very effective at protecting items from liquid and dirt during transit. Polybags are cheap and widely available throughout virtually all supply chains.

The Plastic Impact Alliance, a coalition of more than 430 outdoor companies intent on eliminating single-use plastic from their businesses, and Eco-Cycle, one of the largest non-profit recyclers and Zero Waste organizations in the U.S., have just launched a three-month pilot program in Boulder, Colorado, to collect, recycle, and quantify the polybags accumulated from 11 outdoor businesses along the Pearl Street Mall.��

“Eco-Cycle is excited to support the commitment of our partners in the outdoor industry to develop an effective and efficient model of recovering polybags from retail settings,” said Kate Christian, corporate sustainability manager at Eco-Cycle. “This pilot will explore a novel bicycle-based collection system which minimizes environmental impacts and costs in hopes of establishing a replicable example of zero-emission collections.”

How the Pearl St. Polybag Pilot Works

Once a week, two (paid) students from Boulder High School will pedal a custom trailer from store to store and collect the polybags. The students will deliver them to ���ϳԹ��� Inc.’s new Pearl St. headquarters for storage. Once a month, Eco-Cycle trucks will collect the bags and take them to the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM). There, Eco-Cycle will catalog data about polybag generation rates, bale them, and send them to Trex. Trex uses polybags as the primary feedstock in producing their line of composite decking, a long-lasting product that does not require treatment with toxic chemicals, and simultaneously decreases the burden on hardwood trees like redwoods and cedars that are typically used to construct decks and piers.

“We will use the data we gather from the pilot to guide the development of polybag recycling efforts across retail brands’ operating footprints,” said Christian.��

The businesses committed to the pilot are all members of the Plastic Impact Alliance: Artilect, Backcountry, Black Diamond, ����ä������ä�����, Helly Hansen, Himali, Norrona, ���ϳԹ��� Inc., Patagonia, Sherpani, and Stio.

“Every single Plastic Impact Alliance member I speak with has ambitions to find polybag alternatives in the long term,” said PIA co-founder Kristin Hostetter. “Some companies are already there, some have just barely started the journey, and we’ve got everything in between. In the meantime, though, the polybags are piling up at retail shops across the country. With this pilot program, we hope to put some numbers on the problem, and as a result encourage brands to step on the gas and work together to find solutions. And of course, we will also divert a whole lot of plastic from the landfill during the three month period.”

Some large national retailers (like REI, Patagonia, and The North Face) already collect and properly recycle polybags at their retail locations. But the many hundreds of independent specialty outdoor retailers around the country simply don’t have the resources to do so.

“It’s a massive problem,” said Nate Porter, founder of Salida Mountain Sports in Colorado. “Sometimes the mountain of plastic waste we have to deal with after a shipment is received takes up more space than the shipment itself. And we are not equipped to properly recycle the stuff. As an industry we need to find more sustainable alternatives to polybags.”

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Last March, we all got really comfortable living life online. Even my three-year-old added “Zoom” to his vocabulary—and not in reference to trucks. As for all the online shopping we’d already been doing? We did a whole lot more of it. In fact, 2020 online spending was up 44 percent year over year, according to research organization Digital Commerce 360.

And yet, this summer, many brands that have long succeeded in online, direct-to-consumer and partner-retailer sales (e.g., REI) are opening up new brick-and-mortar locations. Their reasoning: having a physical location will increase brand awareness among new customers and garner further trust with current customers. Oh, and they hope the stores will do better than break even.

Case in point: this summer, online giant Backcountry is putting its money where the customer is and opening two new retail locations in Park City, Utah, and Boulder, Colorado. The brand will rely on lessons from its 2019 pop-up presence in New York City—namely, that a store needs to offer more than just “one-and-done transactions,” said Chris Purkey, senior VP of customer experience and head of retail for Backcountry. To do that, the brick-and-mortar locations will have experts (dubbed Gearheads) on site to help customers plan trips, host events like film screenings, and organize volunteer service days with local nonprofits. Ultimately, retail locations will allow the brand to take a page from the indie gear shop playbook and add value in a way that a stand-alone website can’t.

It’s about meeting customers where they are—and that’s omnichannel, Purkey explained. “In recent years, there’s been a convergence of retail models,” he said. “You’ve got pure-play, e-commerce retailers like us now launching into brick and mortar, and traditional retailers investing heavily in digital capabilities.”

Black Diamond, which has historically sold either direct to consumers or through partner retailers, is also slowly expanding its own retail presence. Since 2019, the brand has opened flagship locations in its hometown of Salt Lake City and nearby Park City, as well as in Big Sky, Montana. Black Diamond will open a store in Boulder, Colorado, this July, and has three others in the works.

All of Black Diamond’s stores take an aesthetic approach to community integration: the Big Sky site features local tie-ins like Montana barnwood, and the Park City shop has a memorial to a hometown athlete. Said Devin Gillette, Black Diamond’s director of retail, “It’s not the quick, plug-and-play retail store where you’ll walk in and it will be like, ‘Oh, it’s a Black Diamond store.’ It’s going to be like, ‘Wow, I really want to go see another store because they’re all so different and unique and match the community.’”

While brands seem sincere in their desire to be a part of the surrounding communities, there’s considerable business strategy behind branded retail, too. Having a physical presence in an outdoor hub like Park City, Big Sky, or Boulder puts a brand front and center with outdoor-minded consumers. And custom retail shops allow brands to “tell their story from A to Z,” said Steve Stout, vice president of retail for brick-and-mortar veteran ����ä������ä�����. Since 2010, ����ä������ä����� has opened 33 North American retail locations.

The sites serve as a vital, in-person touchpoint with the consumer, one that has allowed the Swedish brand to explain its origins, mission, and premium price point, Stout said. “Those questions have to be answered along the way, and you have a much better chance of doing that in your own brand store.”

Brick and mortar has been part of Stio’s strategy from day one. The apparel brand opened its first retail location in 2012 in its hometown of Jackson, Wyoming, to coincide with its website launch and first catalog mailing. “I was a little nervous [that we would be perceived as] just another catalog company out there,” said Stio founder and CEO Steve Sullivan. After all, anyone can set up a website. Opening the retail store was a strategic move to establish legitimacy. “I think it added a lot of weight for a new, direct-to-consumer brand to have that,” Sullivan said.

That proof of legitimacy is a vital step in building trust with consumers—especially when a brand is selling gear that lives literally depend on, Gillette said, referring to the climbing safety equipment Black Diamond is known for. “This really strong trust relationship comes naturally with having human interaction and connection. And what better way to do that than having a brick-and-mortar store that provides community engagement?”

Community members welcome those efforts. “We’ve had such an explosion of interest in the outdoors and so many people going out who are totally new,” said Katie Massey, a Black Diamond fan, avid rock climber, and ten-year Boulder resident who frequently attends local retail events. She’s concerned about overuse of local trails and appreciates the kind of community that builds around retail shops—even branded ones. “It helps spread the word about the right ethics outside,” she said. “[These stores] help people get into the outdoors in a responsible way.”

Some local shops hope for a symbiotic relationship with their branded neighbors. Sally Gilman, owner of Boulder specialty climbing retailer Rock and Resole, says increased awareness of brands like Black Diamond just makes it more likely that her customers will recognize the brand in her store. She also points out that her shop may be better suited to serve local customers compared to the new stores on the tourist hub of Pearl Street. “We have different niches that serve the climbing community,” she said. “Truly, I want to have a spirit of collaboration.”

Shelley Dunbar, owner of the iconic Boulder store Neptune Mountaineering, agreed that retailers on Pearl will cater more to out-of-towners. She added, though, that the brands she carries could have provided her a courtesy heads-up that they’re moving to her neighborhood to allow her to adjust her orders. “It’s better for brands to be up-front and transparent ahead of time so that we can adapt,” Dunbar said.

Cohabitating and, in some cases, collaborating with local shops offer additional�� benefits to brick-and-mortar branded stores. But the drawback? It’s expensive. Personnel and real estate cost a pretty penny, especially in prime locations like Pearl Street where lease rates can be so high that stores become more about marketing than moneymaking. In these cases, “if you break even, you’re stoked,” Sullivan said, though he was quick to note Stio’s stores have always ended up in the black.

As for the timing? The pandemic had some impact on Backcountry’s retail strategy,�� Purkey said, but it never left higher-ups hesitant. “If anything, because of quarantine, there’s pent-up desire to create epic memories outside, to create human connection,” Purkey said. “We’re probably better positioned to do this, and do it in a way that will be received by our consumer positively, now more than ever.”

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Fresh off the heels of a standout first quarter, Hoka One One racked up an impressive honor from one of its biggest retail partners when Seattle-based REI Co-op on Thursday named the footwear brand its 2020 Vendor Partner of the Year.

Hoka, the Goleta, California-based subsidiary of Deckers Corp., was a step ahead of other brands last year in several critical areas, according to Chris Speyer, REI vice president of product.

“Our vendors and their offerings play a vital role in keeping REI relevant to the consumer and our members,” Speyer said. “It’s always a challenge to select one partner as our vendor of the year, but for 2020, Hoka stood out as a truly exceptional partner. Its ongoing commitment to progressive products, compelling collaborations, and innovation truly resonated with our running customer. Most importantly, we’re excited by Hoka brand’s commitment to its impact agenda and particularly its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Hoka’s win at REI comes a few weeks after the brand delivered 74.2 percent growth for its parent company in the fiscal fourth quarter. Hoka, part of Deckers’ performance lifestyle group along with footwear brands Teva and Sanuk, posted sales of $177.5 million in the period. That provided a nice lift for Deckers, which reported companywide Q4 sales grew 49.7 percent to $561.2 million.

But Deckers announced even bigger plans for the brand, as CEO Dave Powers laid out an ambitious and aggressive top-line goal for Hoka.

“Over the long-term, we’re investing in major drivers of our business, including building Hoka to a $1 billion-plus global performance brand that represents a significant portion of total company revenue, driving our direct-to-consumer business towards 50 percent of our global revenues, scaling international markets across brands and seeding opportunities beyond footwear,” he said.

REI’s Other Vendor Partner Winners

Hoka wasn’t the only brand REI recognized in its Vendor Partner of the Year awards. The co-op bestowed 2020 divisional honors on the following companies:

• Action sports: Cannondale. REI said the Wilton, Connecticut, bike maker “responded to pandemic market conditions with quick, confident leadership and decision making.”
• Camp: NEMO Equipment. This was the second straight win in the camp division for NEMO. The Dover, New Hampshire-based gear brand won “for its ongoing commitment to product innovation, and work to complement REI’s broader sustainability impact goals,” the co-op said.
• Apparel: ����ä������ä�����. REI said the Swedish apparel and gear brand “exceeded partnership goals by designing a customized, brand experience allowing customers to get to know ����ä������ä�����’s brand in a new way.”
• Footwear and basics: Darn Tough Vermont. The Northfield, Vermont-based sock brand “wins again this year not only because of the superior quality of its socks but also for its exceptional handling of volatile supply needs in 2020,” according to REI.

REI’s Vendor Partner of the Year awards program dates to 1993. The co-op’s four merchandising divisions—action sports, camp, apparel, and footwear and basics—nominate brands based on how well they partner with REI “to meet customer needs, raise the bar for product quality, and drive sustainable business practices.”

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The past 14 months have been a dark season of disconnect for many in the business of outdoor. As much as anything else, we’re all likely to remember 2020 as the Year Without Trade Shows—the year we couldn’t hug, shake hands, or do business the way many of us prefer: in person. For an industry that prides itself on connection and compassion, the sting has been vivid.

The good news is, it’s almost over. The Outdoor Retailer (OR) Summer Market is coming back to Denver, Colorado, on August 10-12, and registration is currently open. The Big Gear Show (BGS), which delayed its inaugural event last year, is set to stage just a week earlier, August 3-5, in Park City, Utah. After a year of red Xs on the calendar—cancelled events, dashed plans—folks are once again buying plane tickets and dusting off booth hardware, getting ready to see each other. There’s more than a modest buzz of anticipation in the air.

The time away has changed things, however. We’re not fully out of the pandemic yet, and in the months we’ve spent apart, most of us have adapted to new ways of doing business. Budgets have already been set for the year. Some people are eager to meet face-to-face as soon as possible, while others are still wary of crowds, or restricted by company travel bans. This year, a big question on everyone’s mind is who, exactly, will be at the trade shows?

In a typical year, almost no one would question whether the big industry players like Patagonia, The North Face, or Black Diamond would show up to our national shows. Those booths have been the anchors of such events for decades.��

We’re living through the shoulder season of the most disruptive global crisis in a century, though, and the August shows are by no means a return to “normal,” as we hoped for so long they might be. At this point, it seems the only way to get a sense of who’s going—and who’s not—is to pick up the phone and start calling brand leaders, asking directly whether they plan to attend, yes or no.

Which is exactly what we did.

A Quick Disclaimer

First things first: ten weeks is a long time. Trying to pin down a comprehensive, definitive list of who’s attending the shows, nearly three months before they stage, is impossible. Over the course of the summer, as the situation develops, brands can and will change their minds about attending or skipping one show or the other. It’s just too soon to tell.

But we have to start somewhere. To begin piecing together a picture of the attendee lists, we reached out to dozens of key industry players to ask about their plans. Some dodged our calls and emails (no hard feelings). Others outlined their thoughts in lengthy manifestos. Some wanted to talk, but felt they couldn’t, as in the case of a notable hardgoods brand that refused to go on the record for fear of upsetting its specialty retailers. Response, in other words. was all over the place.

As of today, our list of exhibitors attending or skipping the shows—subject to change at any moment—is more comprehensive than what OR and BGS directors have published, but it’s still miles from complete. Everything we know so far is outlined below.

Which Brands Are Exhibiting at the Shows?

Outdoor Retailer’s latest exhibitor list, released today, includes about 150 brands, though show director Marisa Nicholson told us previously that more than 300 brands are registered with “more contracts coming in daily.”

Brands exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer (confirmed by OR leadership): 4ocean, ���ϳԹ��� Medical Kits, Aetrex, Airhead Sports Group, Aloe Up Suncare, American, Alpine Club, American Backcountry, Amundsen, Avalanche, Backpacker’s Pantry, Bertucci Watch, Big City Mountaineers, Bison Designs, Body Glide, Bridgford Foods Corporation, Brightz Ltd., Brookwood Companies Inc., brrr, Buck Knives, Inc., Bula, Camp Chef, Carson Optical, Centric Software, Chaos / CTR, Chums, Coala, Cougar Shoes, CRKT, CWR Wholesale Distribution, Dakine Equipment, Dakota Grizzly, Dansko, Disc-O-Bed Retail, Inc., Dometic, Downlite, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, drirelease, Duraflex, Earth Shoes, Ecovessel, U-Konserve, Equip, Everest Textile Co., Falcon Guides, Farm to Feet, Flexfit, Flylow Gear, Fox 40 USA, Frost River, GCI Outdoor, Geckobrands, Glacier Glove, Goal Zero, Gore-Tex, Grabber Inc. / Heatmax, Groove Life, G-Shock, GSI Outdoors, Hans Global / Pacific Fly, Hurley, Igloo, Ignik, UCO, Morakniv, Esbit, Pedco, ITW Nexus, Jambu & Co., Jetty, JTreeLife, Kavu, Inc., Kijaro, Killtec NA, Klean Kanteen, Klymit, Kokatat, Kokopelli, Komperdell Sportartikel GmbH, Korea Outdoor & Sports Industry Association, Labtex Co., Lamo Footwear, Ledlenser, Liberty Mountain, Lifeline First Aid & Fifty Fifty Bottles, Lorpen North America, Lowa Boots, Masterfit Enterprises Inc., Milliken & Company, Minus33 Merino Wool Clothing, Mountain and Isles, Mountaineers Books, Xtratuf, Mustang Survival, Nanga / Tomoyuki Yokota, Natural Tribute, Nomadix SPC, Ocun NA, Optic Nerve Eyewear, Osprey Packs, Otis Eyewear, Otte Gear, Outdoor Products, Outdoor Sports Insurance, Outerknown, Peak Refuel, Pendleton, Poler, Princeton Tec, Propet USA, Purnell, Qalo, QuietKat, Rab, Reusch USA/TruSox, Rome Industries, Salty Crew, Santero, Sawyer Products, Scully, Shwood Eyewear, Skratch Labs, SMC PMI, Solstice Watersports, Sperry, Sport Hansa, Spyderco, Stansport, Sterling Rope Co., Storm Care Solutions Ltd., Storm Creek, Sun Company, SureFire, Sustainable Down Source, tasc Performance, The Landmark Project, The NPD Group, Thermore, Tilley Endurables, Tincup Mountain Whisky, Trango / eGrips, Turbo Tent., Tweave, ust gear, Vandoit, Wallaroo Hat Company, Water Sports, Watershed, Western Mountaineering. Westfield Outdoors, Wild Tribute. Wolverine Footwear and Apparel, wow watersports / Big Mouth, Zippo Manufacturing.

The Big Gear Show confirmed that more than 100 brands have registered out of a possible 250 on the show’s invite-only list. We were able to get our hands on an abbreviated roster, which event co-founder Sutton Bacon said is merely a snapshot of the show’s full makeup.

Brands exhibiting at The Big Gear Show (confirmed by BGS leadership): Aire, Aqua-Bound, AquaGlide, Astral, Barebones Living, Bending Branches, Bike Exchange, Black Diamond, CamelBak, Camp Chef, Diamondback, Eddyline Kayaks, Eldorado Walls, Esquif Canoe, Eureka, Fat Chance Bicycles, Five Ten, Giro, Goal Zero, Grand Trunk, Hydrapak, Jack Wolfskin, Jetboil, Kleen Kanteen, Klymit, La Sportiva, Liberty Mountain, Malone Auto Racks, Miir, Ocean Kayak, Old Town Canoe, Osprey, Outdoor Research, Oru Kayak, Petzl, Pinarello, POC Sports, Primus, Princeton Tec, Rumpl, Scarpa, Seattle Sports, SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Stan’s NoTubes, Sterling Rope, Suspenz, Swarovski Optik, Tahe Outdoors / SIC, Tern Bicycles, Troy Lee Designs, Wahoo Fitness, Wenonah Canoe, Yakima.

Several of the industry’s largest brands have confirmed they’re skipping both shows, including Big Agnes, Marmot, Merrell, Mystery Ranch, Nemo, Outdoor Research, and Patagonia. And two companies we spoke with—����ä������ä����� and Lifestraw—are still undecided, though Lifestraw says it would likely attend only one.

Several brands did not respond to repeated requests for comment, including Smartwool, Mountain Hardwear, and Keen, among others.

One major player—The North Face—presented a curious puzzle in our reporting. A company representative last week said that the brand is “not participating in any major trade shows, including the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show, in the near term.” Yet OR’s partial exhibitor list, released today, named the company as one of the confirmed players.

When asked for clarification, Nicholson said, “We’re in ongoing conversations with a lot of brands around creative ways they can participate in the show and what that looks like this year. The North Face is one of those brands, and we’re excited they are going to take advantage of opportunities provided at Outdoor Retailer to support specialty retailers and to engage with the community on important, relevant initiatives that help the industry move forward.”

At press time, multiple executives at The North Face had not responded to repeated requests for clarification.

Directors for both shows have stressed that comprehensive exhibitor information, including show floor plans, will be released soon. The Outdoor Retailer list is coming in mid-June, according to Nicholson, while The Big Gear Show’s list will be published in the next month or so, said Bacon.

Why Some Brands Are Dead-Set on Showing Up

In speaking with more than a dozen of the industry’s largest brands about their reasons for prioritizing the trade shows this year, no explanation came up more frequently than the issue of community support.

“There’s an awful lot of relationship value and passion that can’t necessarily be measured, but that will have long-term benefits,” said Lowa general manager Peter Sachs in reference to Outdoor Retailer, which the footwear brand plans to attend. “From a purely commercial perspective, it’s late in the [buying] cycle. For us, our deadline [for Spring ’22 product] is about a week after the show. But I’m not looking at it from a commercial perspective. It’s not like I’m walking out with purchase orders anyway; I’m walking out with handshakes, pats on the back, that kind of thing. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s in June or August.”

Sachs estimated that he’s going to “overspend compared to the commercial value of the show,” but reiterated that, for his brand, attending Outdoor Retailer is a calculation that goes beyond dollars and cents.��

“We want to show respect for the dealers who do attend, re-engage relationships with industry partners, get real products in front of buyers and trade press, present the company’s updated branding and marketing, and start to process the emotional parts of resuming our trade show schedule so we can get ready for the January ’22 show,” Sachs said.��

Others like Jeff Polke, co-president of GCI Outdoor, echoed similar sentiments.

“It’s been 22 straight years that we’ve been at Outdoor Retailer,” said Polke. “It’s been such a big part of growing my company that I wouldn’t feel right missing the show.”

He added that, because so many businesses are having problems with their supply chains and budgets, he understood the argument for skipping the trade shows for financial reasons. Still, he said, “it’s a small price if you do it right.”

“Get a smaller booth,” said Polke. “Make it work. Some of these brands need to step it up and show everyone that the trade show industry is still valuable. We can’t forget everything that made the outdoor industry what it is. The shows are part of that. There’s value in face-to-face. We have to go back to who we are as humans, shaking hands and saying thank you for your business.”

Respect for retailers was another topic that came up repeatedly in our conversations with brands. For the better part of a year, after the lockdown period of the early pandemic, specialty retailers across the country kept their doors open to customers, maintaining face-to-face relationships with the industry’s consumer base.

“These retailers have been meeting with consumers out on the front line for a year, while we’ve been hiding behind our Zoom screens,” said Sachs. “We owe it to them.”

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