Companies

Flowfold, a Maine-based maker of technical wallets, bags, and other outdoor gear, earned itself a spot in the headlines this March when it pivoted its entire operation to focus on building face shields for hospital workers. With astonishing speed, the company shut down production ...read more

One way to trace the progression of the pandemic is to look at the consumer demand for masks. In the beginning, there were devastating shortages and disturbing stories of profiteers and stockpilers. Then came a period of tenuous equilibrium, when the use of homemade face ...read more

Walmart made big news in the outdoor industry three years ago when it snapped up the cult-favorite specialty gear chain Moosejaw for $51 million. Back then, speculation abounded as to what the world's largest retailer (largest at the time; Amazon nabbed the title last spring) ...read more

In recent weeks many retailers have stepped up to help support brick-and-mortar retailers survive the coronavirus pandemic through profit-sharing ecommerce revenue. Osprey is the latest to announce such a program, but with a twist that also promises to drive traffic once stores ...read more

As the coronavirus crisis continues to paint a bleak picture for small businesses across the country, outdoor brands are stepping up one by one to help. The latest company to join the relief effort: Mountain Hardwear, which implemented a program this week to support authorized ...read more

In 2010, an employee at prAna’s Boulder retail store snapped a photo that depicted a room littered with mounds of polybags. The capture—and the astonishing amount of plastic—represented the aftermath of unboxing a single day’s shipments to the shop. When the photo made its way to ...read more

Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow and editor-in-chief of SISU magazine, doesn’t mince words. “I really just want to curl up in bed all day, and I’m having a hard time pulling myself away from CNN,” she says. Gurecki knows that she is far from alone, and that the ...read more

When it became clear five days ago that the coronavirus pandemic was not just alarmist, but that it would be devastating for our country, the leadership at KEEN circled up (via ZOOM) to decide what the company could do to help. They talked about how they could leverage what ...read more

VF Corp. is the latest big retailer to announce temporary closures due to coronavirus. Steve Rendle, VF chairman, president, and CEO announced in a press release that all VF retail locations—including The North Face, Icebreaker, Smartwool, and Timberland—will shutter through at ...read more

There are lots of way to make an impact on the world’s raging plastic problem. Every little step away from single-use plastic and towards a circular and petroleum-free world is worth celebrating. Here are a few things we’re stoked about from just a few of our 336 (and counting) ...read more

The Voice is researching a story about the best places in the outdoor industry to work. Is yours one of them? Nominate your company, retail store, agency, etc. by telling us exactly what makes it such a standout workplace. Please be detailed and consider specific policies and ...read more

For the last 22 years, Andrew and Shelley Dunbar have been the faces of Sea to Summit in North America. They tenaciously and steadily grew the Australian brand in the North America by cultivating deep relationships with retailers, responsibly managing its channels of ...read more

Just as the Backcountry backlash has faded from the news cycle, another big company has filed a trademark for a word frequently used in the outdoorist lexicon: basecamp. Volkswagen unveiled its Atlas Basecamp concept—a rugged touring machine for all types of adventure—at the 2019 ...read more

If you're like us, backpacks, jackets, hiking boots, camping gear, climbing gear, ski gear, and more are spilling out of your gear closet. And every piece has its purpose—and a unique name. In this edition of Outdoor Industry IQ, select the brand that made the named product. And ...read more

The last 17 days have been monumental for Patagonia. The company on Monday announced—with surprise and delight—that it raised $10 million in donations for 1,043 grassroots environmental organizations in the U.S. and Europe. Patagonia planned on keeping the donation period open ...read more

Not only is Backcountry apologizing to smaller brands impacted by its trademark litigation, the online retailer has formed partnerships with at least three so far as part of making reparations with consumers and the outdoor community. On Monday night, Wild Barn Coffee—formerly ...read more

Anabelle McLean believes there are two reasons people don't wash their outdoor gear: They either don't know how or they don't carve out the extra time. Because washing your ski pants or sleeping bag requires more than just mixing them in with your jeans and T-shirts. Her new ...read more

For many new parents, attending Outdoor Retailer comes at a cost: leaving your kiddos behind. But, for Tessa Byars, the PR and communications manager at Patagonia, it was as easy as climbing into the cab of a truck. “Our daughter was six months so my husband joined,” Byars ...read more

What would you do with $100,000? Queena Bergen, a software engineer turned poet and motivational speaker, said she would quit her job to travel the country "to bring motivation, inspiration and poetry to the forefront of any conversation."  "I want to help people believe that ...read more

'Tis the season for pop-up shops and exhibits, where shoppers have one more choice to find their holiday gifts. Customers nowadays are attracted to buying experiences and many brands are looking for ways to stoke desirability through their own seasonal stores in addition to ...read more

Gear brands are taking advantage of the adventure travel boom—and not by making duffels.  The United Nations World Tourism Organization has recorded robust growth in the number of international tourist trips over the past three years, and outdoor brands are jumping to ...read more

Circulating a letter of apology was the first step. Now, Backcountry CEO Jonathan Nielsen says he is making personal calls and visits to repair relationships with companies hurt in the online retailer's trademark litigation over use of the word "backcountry." Nielsen confirmed ...read more

As controversy swirls and customer outrage mounts around how Backcountry is defending its trademark, the Utah-based online retailer has potentially lost thousands of customers in its fight for the use of a single word that the outdoor industry loves to use: “backcountry.” The ...read more

Led by its Relentlessly Responsible mission, PrimaLoft has discovered a way to bond insulation fibers without using a high-heat oven, reducing carbon emissions by as much as 48 percent. The new technology is called PURE, which stands for Produced Using Reduced Emissions. It ...read more