Here at Huck Adventures our love for adventuring in the outdoors goes hand in hand with our mission to be good stewards of the environment.
That’s why we are happy to highlight a brand like tentree. They are an Earth-first apparel brand that plants ten trees for every piece of ethical and sustainable clothing they sell.
tentree
So far they have planted over 89million trees across the Earth and their goal is to plant 1 billion by 2030.
There’s been a lot of talk in the press lately about climate initiative companies not being legit (John Oliver’s segment on climate offsets, is a great example). But tentree lives up to their promise.
When a piece of clothing is purchased from tentree, they track your ten trees, delivering information to your Impact Wallet.
tentree Impact Wallet
Trees are planted all across the world, including Indonesia and Madagascar.
This level of transparency is unique in the industry, but makes every customer feel like they are part of something greater.
By planting ten trees for every purchase, they hope to make change accessible to everybody and show the lasting impact one small choice can make. If planting ten trees is as easy as buying an article of clothing, then what else can you do out in the world? How can you be a good steward for the Earth with your dollars and the choices you are making through your purchases?
And their clothing is wonderful!
I have visited their booths at Outdoor Retailer on numerous occasions and continue to be impressed by the work and care they put in every product. All of their clothes are either ethically or sustainably made.
tentree Juniper Hoodie
tentree had sent me their Juniper Hoodie to try. This hoodie is amazing! So cozy and comfortable. And it is made with organic cotton that is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer. This hoodie, as comfortable as it is, is good for the Earth!
And, if you’re thinking, “My clothes closet is full, I don’t need anything else!” or “I am not sure what my friend would like as a gift for the holidays,” tentree also allows people to sign up or gift a monthly subscription plan. For $9 or $15 a month, you can have trees planted.
The $9 plan plants 13 trees monthly, offsetting the carbon of an average Canadian’s lifestyle.
The $15 family plan offsets enough carbon for a family of four by planting 22 trees a month.
So, for this holiday season, when you’re thinking about what brands to support, why not plant a few trees?
During Outdoor Retailer, I had the chance to visit with the St. Louis based clothing manufacturer, DKOTA Grizzly.
Over the past several years, I’ve been visiting their booths and seeing their products at our local Scheel’s and have always been impressed with their attention to detail when it came to creating functional and stylish clothing.
DKOTA Grizzly specializes in men’s rugged-casual clothing.
Their team walked me through their Spring ’22 line and I could immediately see how their product design had evolved from heavier fabrics to performance fabrics, making DKOTA Grizzly a “crossover brand” that can allow wearers to transition from the gym to work.
A majority of their new products, including the Boone shirt, that we’ll dive into more detail on, were created with active stretch a movement fabrics; making it the perfect spring or summer companion.
DKOTA Grizzly Boone Long-Sleeve Shirt
DKOTA Grizzly sent us their new Boone shirt to test out.
This shirt is made from a Nylon / Spandex blend. It is light and breathable. During testing, I wore it on a hike during a fairly warm spring day and found it to be very comfortable. The fabric itself was very cool, which I think would be a great pairing in summer when it is a bit warmer. Or, at the least, pairing it with a jacket on cooler days.
The Boone also has two hidden zippered chest pockets. Now, when it comes to button-up shirts, I don’t really ever use my chest pockets. But I liked the style of the zippers. Typically when buttons or snaps, it was always a pain to undo the button. The zippers made it a heckuvalot easier to access.
DKOTA Grizzly also designed this shirt so that there’s a sunglass wipe on the lower hem and a loop inside to hang your sunglasses from.
It’s little things like this that made their product design standout and I found myself constantly surprised.
I’m a big fan of this shirt.
It’s still warming up in Colorado, but as Spring starts to settle in, this shirt will join me on many adventures. Whether I am fishing, paddle boarding, or boating.
The Boone can be found at many of DKOTA Grizzly’s retail partners. If you visit their Find Retailer page, you can locate a retailer near you.
DKOTA Grizzly New Boone Shirt
They also created another shirt called the Barkley, which is a short-sleeved variation for what we tested.
To learn more about their manufacturing practices, you can visit their website: dakotagrizzly.com.
A couple weeks ago at Outdoor Retailer, I had the opportunity to chat with California Cowboy’s product designer, which cemented them (in my mind, at least) as one of the coolest new brands in the outdoor space.
Why?
Because they have infused a sense of fun into their product design. California Cowboy is all about products that help their customers embrace their inner cowboy. I grew up in rural Missouri, and a big part of my childhood experience was spent on my grandparent’s farm playing in the fields amongst their herd of cows.
This inner cowboy style was evident in our recently reviewed El Garibaldi Robe and all the more present in another product they sent us: their Western High Sierra Shirt.
Western High Sierra Shirt
It’s winter, so whether I am outdoors hiking or taking client calls in my chilly office, I do a lot of layering. And the Western High Sierra Shirt provides a comfortable and functional outer layer to any outfit.
This shirt was designed for Après Ski or “After Ski.” That time after you hit the slopes where you’re socializing in the lodge; sharing stories and beers as you warm up.
Western High Sierra Shirt
The Western High Sierra Shirt comes with California Cowboy’s signature beverage pocket. It’s perfect to stash your beer or a spare sandwich. It’s going to be my go-to for Super Bowl weekend, allowing me to stash an extra beer or free up my hands so I can fit as many wings as possible in my food hole.
Western High Sierra Shirt
But that is only one pocket of many. There’s a smaller side pocket that is perfect to stash a wallet or business cards in; a zippered dry pocket to keep your iPhone away from the snow or sloshing beers; and an inside pocket for a pen and notebook. Not to mention the two breast pockets to stash anything else.
Western High Sierra Shirt
The shirt also comes with a handy sunglass loop, so you don’t have to worry about losing your precious pair as you’re chilling or partying. I can’t tell you how many times I have lost my sunglasses that were perched on my head, so this is a lifesaver.
So, yes, I am a big fan of this shirt. Thanks to California Cowboy for sending me one to try out. From their booth at Outdoor Retailer, they are continue to innovate their product line and I am excited for what’s to come in 2022.
The shirt I tested was a Large. It fit great, even with layers. For reference, I am 5’11” and 185 lbs.
At Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2019, brands from across the world congregated to launch their latest products. Our team spent a week in Denver walking the show and talking to some of these amazing brands. Here’s some of our favorites.
Bern
Bern Helmets specializes in protection for snow, bikes, and water sports.
One of our favorite helmets in their lineup is their Watts EPS. It’s dual-certified and is great for skiing in the winter, but come summer, you can easily pull the winter liner out and replace it with a lighter summer one for biking. The Watts has Bern’s classic brim style and can come with a plush new winter knit that features a BOA 360 degree fit system and integrated audio compatibility.
What we were most excited to see was their products featuring MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) technology that’s designed to protect against brain injury caused by rotational impacts. In these helmets, the shell and the liner are separated by a low friction layer, so that when it’s subjected to an angled impact, the low friction layer allows the helmet to slide relative to the head. Bern has expanded the MIPS technology to their Heist lineup for 2019, making it their most protective helmet for winter sports.
Bern is continuing to utilize MIPS as a partner, expanding the technology across more and more helmets; making sure that they are offering the most protective, lightweight helmets to outdoor enthusiasts.
You can find Bern helmets at outdoor retailers across the U.S. or on their website https://www.bernhelmets.com.
RMU (Rocky Mountain Underground) Outdoors
RMU has been around for 11 years; building everything for technical outdoor adventures. They’ve been building skis for a majority of that time, but four years ago they ventured into the backpack category.
New in 2019 is their Core Pack 15, which is specific to the Mountain Bike category. It’s made with a rugged, water-resistant material, and features a 15-liter capacity, ventilated back panel, and a helmet sling.
One of the coolest features this pack has is an integrated removable hip belt that can be used as a stand-alone unit for shorter rides. You can easily fit everything you need in this belt: multi-tools, tire levels, and car keys. There’s also a catch to hold a water bottle if your bike doesn’t have a bottle cage. On the back of the belt there’s plenty of room for a pump, a tube, and even a cellphone.
It has a lot of organizational slots and pockets to hold your gear and tools—including an insulated spot for beer. It even features a reinforced outer panel to carry your bike and a RMU strap to carry skis during cross-season times.
Sven Can See Anti-Fog Gel
One of the biggest challenges we’ve experienced on the slopes is our goggles fogging up. That’s why we were thrilled to run into Sven Can See.
They have a biodegradable anti-fog gel for various types of lens wear: goggles, glasses, or anything with anti-fog or anti-reflective lenses. It has no odor and is made without the typical alcohol or ammonia ingredients.
Its application is easy: spray it on both sides and use the micro-cloth that’s included with the spray. It cleans your glasses while applying a clear layer of anti-fog product. The application lasts one day, so if you’re spending multiple days on the slopes, you’ll need to reapply each morning.
Sven Can See can be found on their website, https://www.svencansee.com, and at some retail locations.
HydraCell
HydraCell is a fuel cell technology that’s powered by liquid. Their fuel cells have an up-to 25-year shelf life and are perfect for emergency situations. When you want to use it, you remove it from its plastic, dip it in any liquid you want: water, beer, juice—even urine—for about 10 seconds, and it will initiate a chemical reaction between magnesium and oxygen, powering the battery.
Each fuel cell can provide up to 300 total hours of light and will not degrade like normal batteries. If you turn off the light, the chemical reaction will stop. Once it’s dried out and dipped in liquid again, you’ll be able to use it again.
At the Snow Show, HydraCell showed us the power cube, a cube battery that can charge up to six full phones and run a flood light. They also showed us the PR750, which is a hybrid model featuring a lithium battery that is constantly being charged by their cells. If the cells run out on this model, it comes with a little solar panel that can be plugged in as a backup. Right now, Hydracell is going through a rebrand. Some of their products can still be found at https://www.hydralightfuelcell.com.
At Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2019, brands from across the world congregated to launch their latest products. Our team spent a week in Denver walking the show and talking to some of these amazing brands. Here’s some of our favorites.
Jones
One of the first snowboards we saw at Snow Show was Jones’ 10th Anniversary edition of their Flagship board. The shape is a little more tapered with the same directional profile with a camber underfoot, a rocker tip and tail, and with a more blunted nose.
The new Flagship is made with a lot of new material, including FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood. And instead of using an epoxy that’s made from petrochemicals, for this snowboard Jones started using a sustainable, plant-based bio resin made from waste materials from the agriculture industry.
The Flagship is made for anyone who is an intermediate to advanced freerider that leans on the more aggressive side. This is for anyone looking for a board that’s great for charging fast through trees, handling drops from cliffs, or heading down pillow lines.
The team at Jones also showed us the new women’s splitboard, the Hovercraft Split. It’s built with a directional shape for quick turns. It has a rocker nose, a camber underfoot, and a tail that is very tapered, so it’s really fast edge to edge. The Hovercraft is a little bit wider, so that it can be ridden shorter and still have the same surface area and volume to float in the deep snow.
Jones also showcased their bindings, which was a new category for them in 2018. Their Jones Apollo binding has a new highback that has a wider profile at the top, so that snowboarders don’t fall out of their bindings when making hard toeside or heelside turns. This binding also continues Jones’ sustainability efforts by being made from ultra-damp Flax fibers and 3K Carbon Fiber for lightweight response.
These bindings, among others in their lineup, utilize NOW Skate Tech design, which provides an active binding that mimics the function of a skateboard truck. It’s an active binding, so there’s a lot of great energy transfer. The “Kingpin” in the binding acts as a fulcrum, while the “Hanger” magnifies the energy transfer through leverage. You can find Jones products throughout the United States in a variety of outdoor retailer shops along with online retailers, including Backcountry, Evo, and REI. You can find out more information about their boards at https://www.jonessnowboards.com/.
Faction Skis
Faction Skis is a Swiss-born company that was started in 2006 with the goal of providing consumers with a wider ski.
What they showcased for us at Outdoor Retailer was their Candide Thovex (CT) Signature Series, which has introduced a female graphic called the Mademoiselle, available in the 2.0 and 3.0 models. The CT 2.0 has a 102mm underfoot with their poplar/beech wood core. Their CT 3.0 has a 112mm underfoot and a balsa/poplar core. This season, the core in the 3.0 has been updated by beefing it up for a stronger ski within the men’s and women’s models.
These skis are perfect for women freeriders who want a wider ski. The CT 2.0 is going to be more mountain friendly for powder skiing. The CT 3.0 will be awesome for a deep snow day on the slopes.
You can find their skis at retailers across the U.S. or on their website www.factionskis.com
Rossignol
At the Snow Show, Rossignol was introducing the new Xavier de Le Rue signature series of snowboards.
They showed us the directional “fish” shaped Sushi, which they said is one of the most friendly and fun boards to ride. “It’s absolutely insane in the powder and one of the best tree boards,” said Tom Lebsack with Rossignol snowboards.
The Sushi is a tribute to the intersection of snow and surf with its roots in Japan’s snowboarding scene. The all-new XV Sushi Split is the newest splitboard design from Rossignol, featuring their innovative L.I.T.E. Grip technology, which integrates an urethane strip that bend towards and away from the edge of the board, increasing grip when you need it. It should make for a versatile ride to slash through fresh powder.
Next up was their XV Sashimi LG, a hybrid between the Sushi and original XV board. It is a friendly ride and more forgiving than the XV, but allows you to push it further than the Sushi. It provides an exceptionally smooth and quiet ride in any condition; whether you’re in powder, or on groomers, chilling with friends, or pushing yourself to go further and faster. You can check out their line up at www.rossignolsnowboards.com
Icelantic Ski
We had the opportunity to talk to Travis Parr, co-founder and head artist for Icelantic Skis. He founded the company 15 years ago with his best friend Ben Anderson. They’ve grown to become the largest U.S. independent ski manufacturer.
They have several different lines within their ski company, but one of our favorites was the award-winning 109 Pioneer. It’s a powerful and versatile all-mountain ski that can power through any condition. It’s stable, snappy, and responsive as you’re hard-charging down the mountain.
New for this year, they introduced a women’s version of the Pioneer called the Riveter. They took the same aesthetic with the wood, but introduced a soft water color in the art on the top of the skis.
For their backcountry line, they wanted to keep the same aesthetic as their freeride series, but lightened up the ski in the core to make it the perfect ski for skinning and trekking. It has a surfy, playful, and fun aspect to it.
Overall, the biggest draw for us was Parr’s storytelling artwork that graced each of the skis in their showcase at Outdoor Retailer. Each ski is brought to life through his unique artwork and color palette which seems to pull inspiration from nature and tribal art.
The Huck team was at Outdoor Retailer in January for their Snow Show. We worked up quite an appetite walking about 10 miles each day, but luckily there were some amazing food brands sampling out their best offerings. Here are a few of our favorite adventure snacks from the show.
Peak Refuel
If you’ve camped, you’re probably familiar with the freeze dried meals on the market.
Peak Refuel has been reimagining and reinventing the freeze dried experience since they hit shelves in June 2018. What stood out to us most was the flavor of their meals. Typically when we’re camping in the backcountry, we’ve sacrificed taste for nutrient dense meals. It’s a bold statement, but Peak Refuel is the best tasting freeze dried meal we’ve had. When was the last time you had a freeze dried meal that tasted like a home cooked meal?
This has a lot to with their ingredients and freeze dried process. They have real, non-GMO ingredients that are delicious and nutritious. Their meals are loaded with protein (150-200% more than other brands) sourced from 100% real meat—with no fillers. The biggest standout is when you look at their ingredient list. You can see just how clean their ingredients are by their pronounceability, but also by the short list of ingredients.
Our favorites were the Beef Pasta Marinara, the Breakfast Skillet, and the Strawberry Granola with Milk.
We couldn’t move on from Peak Refuel without a brief mention of an awesome little utensil that was at the Snow Show: the Morsel Spork.
I’ve seen a lot of sporks, but this one takes the cake specifically for designing a long handle; long enough to reach into a bag of Peak Refuel for a quick bite of Sweet Pork and Rice. The shape allows for a deep reach into every nook and cranny to make sure you get every bite.
Country Archer Jerky has been around since 1977. They’re known for their small batch process, using healthy ingredients like grass-fed beef and antibiotic-free pork. Their tagline is “As Gourmet as Jerky Gets,” and they aren’t wrong—this stuff is delicious.
One of the standouts for us were their meat bars. There’s a lot of jerky companies that make bars, but Country Archer stands out mostly for their flavor and texture. I’ll usually take a meat bar with me when I’m in the backcountry or on a long-distance trail run, and my usual complaint is the texture and chewiness of other bars. Country Archer tastes like meat, versus some of their competitors that have a grainy or oily taste profile.
Favorite flavors so far is their Hatch Chile Beef Jerky and their Sweet Jalapeno Beef Sticks.
For breakfast we stopped by the Avalanche Swiss + Granola booth daily. Their granola is the crunchiest granola we’ve had in a long time. The packaging is perfect for day hikes with their grab-and-go pouches—easy to pack in and take back out with you.
It’s baked in small batches and imported from Switzerland. All their ingredients are natural and GMO-free. There were a few flavors that were 100% organic, and I hope as they continue to grow that they look for ways of moving their whole product line to organic.
The texture is super crunchy—loud enough to have my kids running in from another room at home to see what I was eating. There’s a lot of oats, nuts, and seeds in their granola. Depending on the flavor, there’s a fair mix of dried fruit or chocolate, too.
I haven’t yet tried mixing the granola with milk. You can add it directly into the bag if you’re camping, and based on other reviews, the granola will still retain the crunch. This is definitely going on my food bucket list.
There’s 5 flavors to choose from: Original Organic, Original w/ Raisins Organic, Fruit Basket Organic, Red Berries Organic, and Coconut Quinoa & Chocolate. My favorite at the moment is their Fruit Basket Organic.
The Outdoor Retailer Snow Show kicked off at the end of January as a celebration of the whole mountain experience. This was the 66th year of their annual Snow Show, and it didn’t disappoint. The Denver Convention Center was filled with inspirational explorers and storytellers.
The show kicked off with the launch of the Confluence of States, a newly announced bipartisan organization that is dedicated to developing a national platform to grow the outdoor recreation industry, protect the nation’s wild places, and transform conversation into a driver for economic prosperity. Their goal is to amplify, support, and unite outdoor efforts.
That announcement was quickly followed by a keynote address that focused heavily on sustainability and climate change. Based on recent reports, global warming will happen faster than anticipated. Extreme weather has become our new normal. As states like Colorado are growing in population, we will have less water because there isn’t the same level of snow pack.
Collaborate and Listen
These challenges will require more collaboration and innovation from the outdoor industry, and now’s the time to make the difference.
Throughout the show you could see that sentiment echoed throughout other talks, but also in the exhibitor booths of the outdoor retailers. There were several companies that were highlighting products that were created with sustainability in mind (like United by Blue Bison Jacket) or that showcased their dedication to sustainable efforts (like Nemo Equipment).
During a panel on sustainability, Pat Campbell, President of Mountain Division at Vail Resorts Inc., spoke about how Vail Resorts had launched Epic Promise, which included a Commitment to Zero—a pledge to reach a zero net operating carbon footprint by 2030. What was even more inspiring was how Vail is empowering their employees to take an active part in their initiative, which has inspired incredible collaboration and teamwork within the company around this initiative.
Positively impacting the negative effects of global warming is a huge initiative. The panel encouraged the business leaders to not be scared of how big this initiative is, but to focus on areas they could impact within their company. We’re not free from doing our part—we just need to figure out what that part is and not be complacent.
Take Action
Before this panel closed, they left the attendees with some words of wisdom as they set off to change the world:
Find a mentor to help you find your path
Set almost unattainable goals. Engage employees often.
Engage where decisions are being made
Take an adventurous approach.
Remember that we are in this together. We need to be inclusive, embrace diversity, and help one another.
We are in this Together
The Huck Adventures team was encouraged by this message because we are working to unite the outdoor community and believe that collaboration and innovation are the key to doing so.
As part of our company’s mission, we aim to grow outdoor participation, grow the outdoor industry, and reinvest in the outdoors by supporting nonprofits that are working to preserve the natural beauty of the outdoors and getting more people outside to enjoy it.
To get there, we know we can’t do it alone. So as we get our app ready for launch in a couple months, we have been busy collaborating and meeting with nonprofits and businesses with shared missions and values that want to be our partners. It’s an exciting time, and we are hopeful for the future, not just for Huck Adventures, but the entire outdoor community.
If you want to be one of Huck’s nonprofit or business partners, shoot us an email at info@huckadventures.com. You can also get updates on our progress and be notified when the app launches by signing up on our website at www.huckadventures.com.
Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2018 kicked off with an invigorating keynote about the future of retail and e-commerce in the outdoor industry. It showed a bright future; one that’s filled with curious minds, critical thinkers, and inspiring creators.
At the Winter Market, we saw several brands that were leading that mission by creating products that in turn are creating impactful cultural moments. Here are some of our favorite things showcased at Outdoor Retailer; products that showcased their brand’s originality, inspiration and creativity.
GoLite ReGreen Windshell
The ReGreen Windshell, which won the Innovation Award at Winter Market, was created from recycled and repurposed green bottles. The jacket is printed using a paper-printing process and waterless dyes. It is also coated in a Organotex Eco-DWR, a fluorocarbon-free, biodegradable, water-repellent technology.
The jacket was inspired after GoLite partnered with a recycling plant in Taiwan. Officials at the plant told GoLite that green plastic bottles aren’t able to be recycled. Because the bottles are green, they can’t be dyed and manufacturers aren’t interested. In their product design, GoLite embraced the bottles’ color, leading to a more eco-friendly product. Each ReGreen Windshell is made from 20 plastic bottles and weighs only 1.6 ounces, which is amazing for this type of product!
Personally, I love the color of this jacket, along with the overall feel of it. I was a little jealous of the team working the booth who were sporting the jacket in the rather chilly convention center.
The ReGreen Windshell will debut in Spring 2019 along with several other pieces in a performance-based lineup, which is just in time for some trail runs in the foothills around Boulder.
Vivobarefoot Made from Plants Lineup
Another standout at the show was Vivobarefoot, who won the Best in Show award at Outdoor Retailer. At the summer show, Vivobarefoot displayed a larger product lineup. This time around, they only focused on their shoes made from plant-based materials, which is truly innovative!
When you look at modern shoe manufacturing, over 20 billion pairs are made each year. A majority of those manufacturing materials produce large amounts of carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change The current lineup of Vivobarefoot’s bio shoes are 40-50% plants. For every five pairs of bio shoes, one gallon of gasoline in CO2 emissions is saved.
What also separates Vivobarefoot from other modern shoe makers is that their shoes are minimalist: zero-drop (e.g. 0mm drop from heel to toe) and foot-shaped so your feet can move naturally like feet. I’m a huge believer in the minimalist movement. Our feet were made to move freely and to feel. Vivobarefoot’s design helps us get back to our evolutionary roots and help us feel the world and be more connected to the Earth.
The other thing that I love about Vivobarefoot is that they also carry kids shoes that have the same form and function as the rest of the product line. If you ever watch a toddler walk or run barefoot, the way they move is the way we should all be moving (albiet, with a little more coordination). Their stride is touching the ground with the mid- to forefoot. No heel strikes. No elongated stride.
Their line of bio shoes are going to be amazing when they hit the market. Their Primus Trail Bio’s build will be perfect for the Rocky Mountain foothills is Spring as I’m running through snow melt and mud. I am definitely looking forward to giving these a try.
Sunday Afternoon Hats
When I moved to Boulder from the midwest, I realized how important it was to have a hat anytime you’re outdoors. There’s a certain degree of protection sunscreen can provide, but a hat, more than anything else, keeps the sun off your face. But with the right hat, you can also look really cool.
There was a point last Spring where I was hiking up Mount Sanitas and I passed someone wearing a trucker hat with an amazing painting of a mountain printed on it. I couldn’t get it out of my head, until I saw Sunday Afternoon Hats at Outdoor Retailer in July. I picked up a couple hats and they easily became part of my rotation of headwear during my weekly runs.
It was great seeing them again at the Winter Market and was really happy we had a chance to talk to them about their company as they celebrated their 25th year of business. We were also able to get a peek at their full lineup of trucker hats and there are some sweet designs in the market.
They are also getting ready to launch a new [redacted] that has some awesome features for runners: [redacted], [redacted] and some really amazing [redacted]. You’ll just have to wait till Spring 2019 to find out.
You can never have too many hats for a sunny day, even though my wife might disagree.
G.Y.S.T.
One of my favorite people to have met at Outdoor Retailer was Dominique Aris, founder and design director of G.Y.S.T. Sporting Goods. We were able to bond over the cold Minnesota winters, but he also took time out of his day to show us some his products.
Once or twice a week, I do a 10-11 mile commute into Boulder for work. Usually I’m doing it with a laptop bag strapped to my back with a change of work clothes and running clothes, lunch, and a few other necessities crammed into it. Whenever I’m transitioning from commuter clothes to work clothes or into running clothes for a lunchtime run, I’m slightly irritated by that dance we do when we’re in a bathroom trying to change while also trying to avoid putting our bare feet on the dirty ground.
Dominique set out to fix that by creating a functional bag system that makes changing clothes before and after exercising easier. The design allows you to fold out a changing mat to stand on; whether that’s in your office’s bathroom, on the beach removing a wetsuit, or changing out of your snow gear.
He also had a functional diaper bag that would have made traveling with a baby so much easier.
Knog – Front Light
I do a lot of night running. One of the biggest challenge when you’re running on the street is being seen. During Outdoor Retailer, I had a chance to play around with these little, cool functional lights from Knog. They’re small, but they clip to your shirt or running vest and provide a sense of “Hey, I’m here! Look out!”
They’re rechargeable and output around 40 lumens. It’s not enough to light a trail, but it’s enough for when you’re running before nightfall or in an area where there’s just enough light to see where you’re going.
I’m excited to take these outside for running, but they’re also going to be super handy for camping.
There was a lot more we saw and you’ll have to head over to our YouTube page to see some more in-depth conversations with these brands. Keep an eye out on our blog for more updates, as well.
