Gear Companies

Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with Brad Heckerman, founder of Tinkle Belle. We have developed a product that enables women, of all ages, to go on ...read more

Update at 4 p.m. MST Thursday: prAna has since updated the digital catolog on their website, removing the cave photo of Chris Sharma climbing and replacing it with a message from the brand's president. A page from prAna's Spring 2019 catalog has outraged cavers and ...read more

“Just a little snow.” That’s the phrase that kept playing in my head as we wound our way through Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park in Catalonia, Spain. Everything—the granite peaks towering above us; the shores of an alpine lake; my boots—was ...read more

A relative newcomer to the outdoor scene walks into a brick-and-mortar retailer in search of a waterproof jacket to bring on his first big backpacking trip with friends. He finds the gear intimidating and the prices shocking, but thankfully, an educated staff member explains the ...read more

Walmart was going to disrupt the outdoors. It was late August, 2018, a year and a half after the retail leviathan purchased the online outdoor retailer Moosejaw for a reported $51 million. Walmart was ready to put its investment to work. Walmart, as everyone knows, is the ...read more

From the moment that sliding down a mountain on wooden boards strapped to a person’s feet became a popular pastime, it’s been a male-dominated activity. Today, men still make up the majority of the ski industry’s market, but there's evidence the gender tides are slowly ...read more

Wearing the same outfit on the plane, while exploring new countries, while climbing and hiking, and back on the airplane again could pin you as a dirtbag. But it could also mean you're a savvy and smart adventure traveler. Late rock climber Royal Robbins was both. Those are the ...read more

Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with John Daugela, chief executive officer of NexOptic. NexOptic, based in Vancouver, Canada, has reimagined ...read more

When Jill Shuman started pitching retailers her natural blister prevention product, eNZees Foot Soother, in 2016, Backcountry Experience was her first stop. Having built his business on expert bootfitting, Ben Rockis, the store's owner, was immediately all in.  "She looked at me ...read more

Sierra Designs’ zipperless Backcountry Bed changed the sleeping bag market when it launched in 2013. It immediately won numerous awards and has remained the brand’s number one item. But that type of innovation has also attracted copycats over the years. Today, Sierra Designs ...read more

As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week—the longest in U.S. history—we're seeing more brands and organizations chime in on the . Last week, Columbia ran a full-page ad in the Washington Post about keeping the national parks open and funding the government. The ...read more

Victoria Payne describes herself in 2006 as a non-athletic, African American single mom who was trying to climb the corporate ladder as a number cruncher in corporate America. Her closet was filled with colorful silk tops, pant suits, and pumps. She sat in a cubicle and she was ...read more

Words like “game changer” and “disruptor” get tossed around a little too easily these days, but with FutureLight, its patent-pending new waterproof/breathable technology, The North Face says it has a product to back up those superlatives. In fact, the brand believes so strongly ...read more

To mount a rooftop tent, first you need roof racks. One of the leading roof rack makers, Thule Group, announced today the $9.5 million acquisition of one of the leading roof top tent makers, Tepui Outdoors.  The overlanding category is a budding gear genre, as the line between ...read more

Chilled high-altitude air washes through my lungs and reminds me of home in Colorado. My hiking shoes are anchored down by thick mud, which stubbornly sticks to their soles, on the summit of 11,900-foot Elephant Hill in the Aberdare Mountains of southwest Kenya. Mist cloaks the ...read more

Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with Lawrence Shaw, Founder, CEO and president of HART Outdoor. I’m excited to introduce our full line of HART Outdoor first ...read more

From backpacks to surf bags, Dakine has been making gear for outdoor enthusiasts since its founding on Maui's North Shore in 1979. The brand will continue to do so, though under the wing of a growing brand management company. Marquee Brands LLC announced that it has acquired ...read more

A giant golf company is hoping to push its way into the active lifestyle category with its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin, a German eco-friendly, high performance apparel brand. Callaway Golf Company announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Jack Wolfskin for more ...read more

Patagonia is giving away $10 million it saved last year as a direct result of last year’s cut to corporate income tax rates, backed by President Donald Trump, to find solutions to the climate crisis. The tax cut was in favor of the oil and gas industry and will open up 19 million ...read more

Let's be honest: Most outdoor recreationists don't aspire to summit Mt. Everest or compete in 200-mile ultra runs—they'd rather spend a morning hiking on trail near their house or a weekend camping in their local woods. And brands are taking notice, establishing ambassador roles ...read more

As a wildfire chased people from the town of Paradise, California, the traffic flooded right past Klean Kanteen’s headquarters in Chico. All four lanes of the highway were routed so traffic flowed only out of town. For difficult hours, some Klean Kanteen employees stood by that ...read more

Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with Brian Johnson, founder of Uncommon Green. Uncommon Green’s College Town Insulated Pint Tumblers are now available in ...read more

Celebrating groundbreaking achievements in outdoor gear, the inaugural Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards honored new products that change the way we adventure outdoors. From sustainable solutions to revolutionary creations, 20 distinguished judges with backgrounds in retail, ...read more

Four years ago, when a product manager at PrimaLoft asked in the midst of a research and design meeting whether they could make a jacket that would break down if buried in the backyard, people laughed. But that's exactly with PrimaLoft did. In fall 2020, PrimaLoft's ...read more