For the past week or so, I’ve been receiving regular press releases and updates from friends across the outdoor industry with news about how a variety of brands are working to fight the spread of the coronavirus. This promised me with the idea to list some of those brands for the work they’re doing in a time of crisis. I even started working on compiling that list with the goal of sharing it with readers here at The Adventure Blog. But as it turns out, my friends from Gear Junkie have already done that, sharing a rundown of more than 30 companies in the outdoor space that are contributing to the cause in various ways.
The list is broken down into several categories, including those that are donating proceeds to various coronavirus-related causes and those that have converted over to making masks. In the former category, you have companies like Cotopaxi, which is contributing profits from the sale of its #OneUtah shirt and Airstream, which is loaning out Nest trailers to cities setting up test sites. In this category you’ll also find Keen, which has given away 100,000 pair of shoes, an Merrell which has made a large donation of footwear as well. Meanwhile, some of the companies that be begun ramping up production on medical masks include Outdoor Research, Eddie Bauer, Nike, and Chaco. The Gear Junkie list includes numerous other brands as well, some well known, others a bit smaller and more obscure. But all are lending a hand in some way and helping to make difference.
The team at GJ also lists some of the outdoor companies that are setting good examples by working from home. Those brands include La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Salomon, Big Agnes, and others. In each case, the company’s gear and equipment is still available, but the teams that design, build, and market it are all “sheltering in place” and working from home to avoid not only get ill themselves, but putting others at risk too.
I want to take this opportunity to send a big salute out to my friends in the outdoor industry who are all doing their own part to get us through this pandemic. It is because of folks like you that I’m so proud to be a part of this community. Stay safe and keep up the great work.
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