Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1398166
N E W S / A N A L Y S I S OUTDOOR EYE Klymit has been acquired by MacNeill Pride Group, a company whose portfolio of brands also includes GCI Outdoors, ORCA and others. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Klymit's gear offerings include lightweight outdoor sleeping pads, pillows, blankets, tents, sleeping bags, and other camping accessories Cory Tholl, President and CEO of Klymit, who will remain with the company, said, "This partnership will enable Klymit to reach more outdoor enthusiasts with the ultimate mission of getting more people outside with the people they care about." Footwear brand Twisted X hired Kristy Rosica as Sustainability Strategist, a new role created to support the company's sustainability initiatives. The brand is focused on using eco-forward materials and innovative practices, and in her role, Rosica will lead efforts to quantify the company's long-term sustainability initiatives to determine additional steps to further reduce waste and meet the brand's long-term goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2022. Eddie Bauer is getting into the rental game, launching its own rental gear and apparel program at rentals.eddiebauer.com. Rentals from Eddie Bauer can be shipped anywhere in the contiguous United States, and offerings include technical rainwear, insulated parkas and ski jackets, fleece, leggings and joggers, UPF tops and bottoms, boots, hikers, tents, sleeping bags, day packs, and many other items. The Oberalp Group, parent co. of Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca, Wild Country, and Evolv, recently unveiled its 2020 Sustainability Report, reaffirming its commitment to a comprehensive strategy focused on employee wellness, safe factory conditions, philanthropy, and environmental sustainability. Highlights of the 2020 report include: Attaining "Leader" status from the Fair Wear Foundation for the fourth consecutive year for the company's exceptional work in improving factory working conditions; Shifting to using recycled polybags for all apparel items from its Fall/Winter 2020 collections; Completely eliminating the use of Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) from its proprietary Powertex waterproof membranes starting from the Spring/Summer 2020 collection; Conducting more than 4,500 tests on its products to ensure they comply with the company's stringent chemical policy; and extending social monitoring to its hardware factories in Taiwan. # T H E B U Z Z A ppalachian Gear Company, the Kings Mountain, NC-based out- door lifestyle brand that makes American-made performance apparel and gear, has expanded into a new manufacturing facility in Kings Mountain. The move will allow the brand to significantly increase production of its award-winning All-Paca products, in addition to creating more jobs in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Since getting started in Charlotte in 2018, App Gear Co has manufactured 100% of its fabric in its own facility, with product assembly taking place at various factories across the Southeastern U.S. As demand has grown for the brand's performance Hoodies, Crews, accessories, and gear, the company says it became clear it was time to find a larger space that could accommodate the pace of manufacturing needed to keep up. "App Gear Co really started growing two years ago as more people began to find out about us, and then COVID struck," said John Gage, co-founder of Appalachian Gear Company. "Ironically, 2020 was the year that our brand's public awareness exploded, and we really struggled to keep up with demand in the face of global supply chain issues that impacted our flow of raw material from Peru. I know to a lot of folks, the decision to find a bigger, better space to grow our business in the midst of all that was unthinkable, but we just see it as staying true to the entrepreneurial spirit that helped us start the brand in the first place." In other news, App Gear has introduced a new sleeping back featuring its All-Paca fabric. Called the Ugly Bag, the 100 percent alpaca fleece insulated sleeping bag offers an eco- performance alternative to down insulation. All-Paca Fleece is naturally insulating without having to rely on loft and insulates even when wet. All-Paca fabric also features moisture management, breathability, and odor control. The Bag's shell is constructed from soft- structure Tyvek, a spun-bonded high-density polyethylene fabric that is highly water resistant and extremely abrasion-resistant without sacrificing breathability. l Success Fuels Expansion for App Gear Co Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Adds New Members G rassroots Outdoor Alliance, the outdoor specialty trade group, announced the addition of five new retail members as well as the addition of Big Agnes and Osprey as vendor partners. The new retailers include Active Endeavors (Iowa), Bill and Paul's (Michigan), Nomad Ventures (California), Outdoor Experience (Idaho), and Soko Outfitters (Iowa). The fivesome of new members boosts Grassroots retail roster to 96 members in 196 retail locations. On the supplier side, the addition of Big Agnes and Osprey expands the Grassroots vendor partner community to 65. "With the boom in all things outdoors and the solidifying awareness among consumers of the positive impacts of 'buying local', there is unprecedented energy and momentum driving the independent specialty retail channel right now," said Rich Hill, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. l 4 • Outdoor Insight • August 2021 outdoorinsightmag.com