wetandw - Kayak Centre
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
7/6/05
PADDLING
»W W
9:39 PM
Page 98
APPAREL
E T A N D BY
MARCUS
WOOLF
HITNEY RUSSELL SAYS SHE was raised on the river. The 21year-old former rafting guide’s
closet has been packed with paddling gear for nearly her whole life. But, until this year, you wouldn’t have found a stitch of wool hanging next to the paddle jackets and dry tops. This winter, while working at The Bag and Pack shop in Avon, Colo., she acquired an Icebreaker shirt, and wore it while paddling Idaho’s Salmon River. “I was happy as a clam,” she said. “I don’t think I could go back to wearing
»
synthetic (shirts) again.” Russell stands on the front edge of what could be an emerging trend. As new lightweight merino wool clothing gains popularity, it could become the preferred choice for all types of paddlers. Granted, retailers say that few paddlers are walking into their stores specifically seeking wool, but this could change. The outdoor industry isn’t being sheepish about its desire to increase sales of merino.
On its website, the Rutabaga paddle shop (www.rutabaga.com) includes a newsletter reporting on significant trends seen at its massive Canoecopia paddling festival. This year’s report included a few paragraphs on how merino wool performs well for paddling. The mention in the newsletter makes sense seeing as how Rutabaga has made a strong commitment to natural fibers and brought in the Icebreaker brand in 2004. But it really makes sense after speaking with Bill Gange, Icebreaker’s rep for the Midwest. “At Canoecopia this year, Icebreaker was the No. 1 selling clothing vendor,” said Gange, adding that the brand was a top-seller for Rutabaga in the months of December and January. “I’m in the only territory that doesn’t have a mountain, and it’s shocked some people at Icebreaker that I came in as the rep with the most growth this season.” Gange said he has tripled his business this year by placing Icebreaker in Midwestern shops, many of which do sig98
WOOLLY
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
MORE PADDLERS COULD BE TURNING TO WOOL AS THE IDEAL BASE LAYER.
nificant paddlesports business. While Minnesota shops such as Midwest Mountaineering and Piragis Northwoods carry general outdoor clothing and gear, Gange said he suspected paddlers account for much of Icebreaker’s success. This spring he took product to three paddling demos in the Midwest and got good responses. “That’s three (demos) I hadn’t done last year, and exposed a huge number of paddlesports enthusiasts to Icebreaker,” he said. According to Gange, Icebreaker has individual marketing plans for each U.S. territory. “Going forward in this territory, we’ll focus on the paddlesports market,” he said.
THE RIGHT STUFF Gange said he decided to target paddle-oriented shops in the Midwest after thinking about trips he used to take to the Boundary Waters. He figured merino would be perfect for ca» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
PHOTO COURTESY OF IBEX
A STRONG PUSH
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
7/6/05
9:39 PM
Page 99
7/6/05
PADDLING
9:40 PM
Page 100
APPAREL
noeing and kayaking because it regulates body temperature, remains warm when wet and resists odors. “It just makes sense for watersports,” he said. It’s logical to think more paddlers will turn to merino wool because these products are more popular among the general outdoor community. “All kinds of people, from Boy Scouts to alpinists, are more interested in wool,” said Elizabeth John, apparel buyer for Midwest Mountaineering. “The category is growing a lot for us.” Merino sales have increased in the last year for a couple of reasons. First, newer pieces, such as those in SmartWool’s Versaweight collection, are more comfortable than product introduced a few years ago. Second, companies are producing lighterweight base-layer pieces, such as SmartWool’s Microweight and Lightweight tops, Icebreaker’s Skin and Body Fit tops, and Ibex base-layer Woolies. People now wear wool in a wide range of environments, and retailers are selling merino year-round. “Before, you could get merino clothing, but it was too heavy to wear under anything,” said Darren Bush of Rutabaga. “Then we started seeing more lightweight pieces, and that made a big difference.” “We’re actually selling it in the summer,” said John. “We’re selling short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts, and tank tops for women.” As merino clothes gain favor, some hardcore paddlers are taking notice.
WARM TO THE CORE Noel Watters, general manager of High Country Outfitters in Birmingham, Ala., has been a whitewater kayaker for 14 years. “I’m wearing a lot of wool pieces now,” he said, noting that in the past he wore synthetics, such as Marmot Driclime and Patagonia Capilene. But in the fall of this year, he began wearing Icebreaker Body Fit and Skin pieces while running creeks on Alabama’s Sand Mountain and paddling the state’s Little River Canyon. “I run a lot of creeks, and when I hike out I don’t overheat like I do with synthetics on,” said Watters. “But the best feature is it doesn’t smell.” Russell said, “This spring and summer I began wearing (merino wool) under my dry top, and it’s wonderful because it’s really breathable and doesn’t get all swampy inside a dry top. And when it’s warm, it doesn’t keep you super hot. And since it doesn’t absorb as many odors, I don’t have to wash it all the time.” Though Russell and Watters have been converted to wool, they remain a minority among dedicated paddlers. “I’ve hooked a few friends up with it, but I don’t see a lot of other paddlers using it,” said Watters. Russell agreed that wool has yet to blanket 100 »OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
the paddling community, but she’s won over some people while working for Timberline Tours, a rafting outfitter near Vail, Colo. “I have been telling a lot of people about it. There are a lot of South American guides who come up who get cold easily. Every one that has tried it has loved it,” she said. Merino base layers are new enough to the market that it’s no surprise that most paddlers haven’t given it a chance. No doubt, some hesitate to try wool due to preconceived notions that it’s itchy.
CONVINCING THE SKEPTICS “Half of the challenge is convincing people that their parents’ or grandparents’ idea of wool is not what wool is today,” said Tracy Ross, a SmartWool rep for the Northwest. “There is a bit of a wool image to overcome, but I believe we’ve made great progress.” Watters said that merino can be a tough sell because paddlers think it’s going to itch. But he said once they wear it, “they really love it.” There is some question over whether the price points of merino products will deter paddlers. After all, some lightweight tops retail as high as $70. “A lot of the paddlers I go boating with look at it, but see the price and decide to stick with their $40 Capilene,” said Watters. “Unfortunately, paddlers are generally cheap.” But Kerri Olson, apparel buyer for Piragis, said, “Some people may be a little shocked at the price at first, but when they learn about it, it’s really not an issue.” Before trying merino clothing, the main issue for Olson was the thought of mixing wool with a watery environment. “Then I took it on a multi-day canoe trip, and it was easier to stay warm,” she said, comparing it to her experiences with synthetic tops. Although a wool top won’t dry as easily as a synthetic one, paddlers say that the ability to stay warm when went trumps any concern over drying times. Though wool clothes work well for paddling, they are mostly gaining attention from general outdoor stores, rather than paddling-specific shops.
EARLY ADOPTERS Tom Hammond, an Icebreaker rep in the South, said that in his territory he has targeted general outdoor stores. “In the beginning of a trend, you have to target dealers where you have the most (initial) potential,” he said. “I haven’t done a full pitch to a true boating shop. Some boating shops are willing to try some new product, and some will say, ‘I don’t want to touch it. I’m happy with the lines I have.’ If it’s not broken, why fix it?” However, he said, “The potential of going to boating stores is growing.”
Mike Stepanek, an Icebreaker rep for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming, said that in his territory, the specialty stores embracing merino are the combination stores that also sell tents and packs. Ross said he sees the same thing with SmartWool in the Northwest where stores carrying wool “are complete top to bottom outfitters.” Manufacturers and retailers hope that, as wool clothes become more prevalent, people will use them for all of their activities, including paddling. But, at this point, retailers have little evidence to gauge the level of sales to paddlers. “It’s not like a kayaker comes in saying, ‘I’m looking for some wool,’” said Jon Zalinski, manager of Summit Canyon Mountaineering in Grand Junction, Colo. Retailers all across the country say similar things. At Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, sales of merino clothes took off this winter. But Kittery’s Don Pollie said, “Why it took off, whether it’s associated with paddlesports, I’m not positive. There’s probably a certain amount of that that’s happening.” Even Bush at Rutabaga admitted, “Whether or not this is a trend or a local phenomenon, I can’t tell you.” The idea of targeting paddlers is so new that most of these stores have yet to merchandise merino clothes with paddling apparel or instruct employees to work wool clothes into their paddling apparel sales pitch. Rutabaga is an exception. It strategically placed wool clothes between the sportswear and paddle apparel. And, perhaps more important, employees have really bought into the merino concept and wear wool T-shirts on the sales floor. At the Alpine Shop in Olympia, Wash., buyer Kyle Landwehrle said he’s not sure whether customers buy his Ibex and SmartWool clothes specifically for paddling. But he suspects that this will eventually happen. “There’s a trend of people going back to natural fibers, and I’m going to bring in more lightweight pieces from SmartWool.” When asked whether merino wool can truly make its mark in the paddling world, he said, “I see a big possibility in that.” » To download extra copies of this magazine or give us feedback, go to GearTrends.com. » W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
PHOTO COURTESY OF IBEX
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
7/8/05
9:41 AM
Page 101
5RDG 5HDG\
YLVLWXVDW ERRWK
IRUZKDWHYHUURDG\RX FKRRVHZKLOHHQMR\LQJWKH ZZZFRJKODQVFRP RXWGRRUVWDNHDORQJ&RJKODQ·V
Give me free ®
!
OK, JUST BUY A 2-MONTH TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION TO SNEWS®, THE INDUSTRY’S MOST-RESPECTED INSIDER VOICE, FOR $19.80. WE’LL THEN CREDIT YOU $19.80 TOWARD YOUR FIRST ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION WHEN YOU RENEW.
»
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS LIMITED TIME OFFER,
GO TO WWW.SNEWSNET.COM/SNEWSOFFER FOR INSTRUCTIONS. (NO OFFER THIS GOOD COMES WITHOUT TEENY TINY PRINT.) The teeny tiny fine print: This offer is only good for new subscribers who have not had a SNEWS® subscription in the last 367.5 days. May not be combined with any other offer. Only one two-month trial may be used per subscriber. SNEWS® reserves the right to terminate any subscription (or subscriber if we’re feeling grumpy) should our terms of use be violated. Two-month subscriptions must be renewed prior to the expiration to be eligible for the $19.80 credit. Offer expires Sept. 30, 2005.
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M » 1 0 1
7/6/05
PADDLING
»W W
9:39 PM
Page 98
APPAREL
E T A N D BY
MARCUS
WOOLF
HITNEY RUSSELL SAYS SHE was raised on the river. The 21year-old former rafting guide’s
closet has been packed with paddling gear for nearly her whole life. But, until this year, you wouldn’t have found a stitch of wool hanging next to the paddle jackets and dry tops. This winter, while working at The Bag and Pack shop in Avon, Colo., she acquired an Icebreaker shirt, and wore it while paddling Idaho’s Salmon River. “I was happy as a clam,” she said. “I don’t think I could go back to wearing
»
synthetic (shirts) again.” Russell stands on the front edge of what could be an emerging trend. As new lightweight merino wool clothing gains popularity, it could become the preferred choice for all types of paddlers. Granted, retailers say that few paddlers are walking into their stores specifically seeking wool, but this could change. The outdoor industry isn’t being sheepish about its desire to increase sales of merino.
On its website, the Rutabaga paddle shop (www.rutabaga.com) includes a newsletter reporting on significant trends seen at its massive Canoecopia paddling festival. This year’s report included a few paragraphs on how merino wool performs well for paddling. The mention in the newsletter makes sense seeing as how Rutabaga has made a strong commitment to natural fibers and brought in the Icebreaker brand in 2004. But it really makes sense after speaking with Bill Gange, Icebreaker’s rep for the Midwest. “At Canoecopia this year, Icebreaker was the No. 1 selling clothing vendor,” said Gange, adding that the brand was a top-seller for Rutabaga in the months of December and January. “I’m in the only territory that doesn’t have a mountain, and it’s shocked some people at Icebreaker that I came in as the rep with the most growth this season.” Gange said he has tripled his business this year by placing Icebreaker in Midwestern shops, many of which do sig98
WOOLLY
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
MORE PADDLERS COULD BE TURNING TO WOOL AS THE IDEAL BASE LAYER.
nificant paddlesports business. While Minnesota shops such as Midwest Mountaineering and Piragis Northwoods carry general outdoor clothing and gear, Gange said he suspected paddlers account for much of Icebreaker’s success. This spring he took product to three paddling demos in the Midwest and got good responses. “That’s three (demos) I hadn’t done last year, and exposed a huge number of paddlesports enthusiasts to Icebreaker,” he said. According to Gange, Icebreaker has individual marketing plans for each U.S. territory. “Going forward in this territory, we’ll focus on the paddlesports market,” he said.
THE RIGHT STUFF Gange said he decided to target paddle-oriented shops in the Midwest after thinking about trips he used to take to the Boundary Waters. He figured merino would be perfect for ca» W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
PHOTO COURTESY OF IBEX
A STRONG PUSH
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
7/6/05
9:39 PM
Page 99
7/6/05
PADDLING
9:40 PM
Page 100
APPAREL
noeing and kayaking because it regulates body temperature, remains warm when wet and resists odors. “It just makes sense for watersports,” he said. It’s logical to think more paddlers will turn to merino wool because these products are more popular among the general outdoor community. “All kinds of people, from Boy Scouts to alpinists, are more interested in wool,” said Elizabeth John, apparel buyer for Midwest Mountaineering. “The category is growing a lot for us.” Merino sales have increased in the last year for a couple of reasons. First, newer pieces, such as those in SmartWool’s Versaweight collection, are more comfortable than product introduced a few years ago. Second, companies are producing lighterweight base-layer pieces, such as SmartWool’s Microweight and Lightweight tops, Icebreaker’s Skin and Body Fit tops, and Ibex base-layer Woolies. People now wear wool in a wide range of environments, and retailers are selling merino year-round. “Before, you could get merino clothing, but it was too heavy to wear under anything,” said Darren Bush of Rutabaga. “Then we started seeing more lightweight pieces, and that made a big difference.” “We’re actually selling it in the summer,” said John. “We’re selling short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts, and tank tops for women.” As merino clothes gain favor, some hardcore paddlers are taking notice.
WARM TO THE CORE Noel Watters, general manager of High Country Outfitters in Birmingham, Ala., has been a whitewater kayaker for 14 years. “I’m wearing a lot of wool pieces now,” he said, noting that in the past he wore synthetics, such as Marmot Driclime and Patagonia Capilene. But in the fall of this year, he began wearing Icebreaker Body Fit and Skin pieces while running creeks on Alabama’s Sand Mountain and paddling the state’s Little River Canyon. “I run a lot of creeks, and when I hike out I don’t overheat like I do with synthetics on,” said Watters. “But the best feature is it doesn’t smell.” Russell said, “This spring and summer I began wearing (merino wool) under my dry top, and it’s wonderful because it’s really breathable and doesn’t get all swampy inside a dry top. And when it’s warm, it doesn’t keep you super hot. And since it doesn’t absorb as many odors, I don’t have to wash it all the time.” Though Russell and Watters have been converted to wool, they remain a minority among dedicated paddlers. “I’ve hooked a few friends up with it, but I don’t see a lot of other paddlers using it,” said Watters. Russell agreed that wool has yet to blanket 100 »OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
the paddling community, but she’s won over some people while working for Timberline Tours, a rafting outfitter near Vail, Colo. “I have been telling a lot of people about it. There are a lot of South American guides who come up who get cold easily. Every one that has tried it has loved it,” she said. Merino base layers are new enough to the market that it’s no surprise that most paddlers haven’t given it a chance. No doubt, some hesitate to try wool due to preconceived notions that it’s itchy.
CONVINCING THE SKEPTICS “Half of the challenge is convincing people that their parents’ or grandparents’ idea of wool is not what wool is today,” said Tracy Ross, a SmartWool rep for the Northwest. “There is a bit of a wool image to overcome, but I believe we’ve made great progress.” Watters said that merino can be a tough sell because paddlers think it’s going to itch. But he said once they wear it, “they really love it.” There is some question over whether the price points of merino products will deter paddlers. After all, some lightweight tops retail as high as $70. “A lot of the paddlers I go boating with look at it, but see the price and decide to stick with their $40 Capilene,” said Watters. “Unfortunately, paddlers are generally cheap.” But Kerri Olson, apparel buyer for Piragis, said, “Some people may be a little shocked at the price at first, but when they learn about it, it’s really not an issue.” Before trying merino clothing, the main issue for Olson was the thought of mixing wool with a watery environment. “Then I took it on a multi-day canoe trip, and it was easier to stay warm,” she said, comparing it to her experiences with synthetic tops. Although a wool top won’t dry as easily as a synthetic one, paddlers say that the ability to stay warm when went trumps any concern over drying times. Though wool clothes work well for paddling, they are mostly gaining attention from general outdoor stores, rather than paddling-specific shops.
EARLY ADOPTERS Tom Hammond, an Icebreaker rep in the South, said that in his territory he has targeted general outdoor stores. “In the beginning of a trend, you have to target dealers where you have the most (initial) potential,” he said. “I haven’t done a full pitch to a true boating shop. Some boating shops are willing to try some new product, and some will say, ‘I don’t want to touch it. I’m happy with the lines I have.’ If it’s not broken, why fix it?” However, he said, “The potential of going to boating stores is growing.”
Mike Stepanek, an Icebreaker rep for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming, said that in his territory, the specialty stores embracing merino are the combination stores that also sell tents and packs. Ross said he sees the same thing with SmartWool in the Northwest where stores carrying wool “are complete top to bottom outfitters.” Manufacturers and retailers hope that, as wool clothes become more prevalent, people will use them for all of their activities, including paddling. But, at this point, retailers have little evidence to gauge the level of sales to paddlers. “It’s not like a kayaker comes in saying, ‘I’m looking for some wool,’” said Jon Zalinski, manager of Summit Canyon Mountaineering in Grand Junction, Colo. Retailers all across the country say similar things. At Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine, sales of merino clothes took off this winter. But Kittery’s Don Pollie said, “Why it took off, whether it’s associated with paddlesports, I’m not positive. There’s probably a certain amount of that that’s happening.” Even Bush at Rutabaga admitted, “Whether or not this is a trend or a local phenomenon, I can’t tell you.” The idea of targeting paddlers is so new that most of these stores have yet to merchandise merino clothes with paddling apparel or instruct employees to work wool clothes into their paddling apparel sales pitch. Rutabaga is an exception. It strategically placed wool clothes between the sportswear and paddle apparel. And, perhaps more important, employees have really bought into the merino concept and wear wool T-shirts on the sales floor. At the Alpine Shop in Olympia, Wash., buyer Kyle Landwehrle said he’s not sure whether customers buy his Ibex and SmartWool clothes specifically for paddling. But he suspects that this will eventually happen. “There’s a trend of people going back to natural fibers, and I’m going to bring in more lightweight pieces from SmartWool.” When asked whether merino wool can truly make its mark in the paddling world, he said, “I see a big possibility in that.” » To download extra copies of this magazine or give us feedback, go to GearTrends.com. » W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M
PHOTO COURTESY OF IBEX
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
088_103_ChngGrnPddlLaw
7/8/05
9:41 AM
Page 101
5RDG 5HDG\
YLVLWXVDW ERRWK
IRUZKDWHYHUURDG\RX FKRRVHZKLOHHQMR\LQJWKH ZZZFRJKODQVFRP RXWGRRUVWDNHDORQJ&RJKODQ·V
Give me free ®
!
OK, JUST BUY A 2-MONTH TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION TO SNEWS®, THE INDUSTRY’S MOST-RESPECTED INSIDER VOICE, FOR $19.80. WE’LL THEN CREDIT YOU $19.80 TOWARD YOUR FIRST ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION WHEN YOU RENEW.
»
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS LIMITED TIME OFFER,
GO TO WWW.SNEWSNET.COM/SNEWSOFFER FOR INSTRUCTIONS. (NO OFFER THIS GOOD COMES WITHOUT TEENY TINY PRINT.) The teeny tiny fine print: This offer is only good for new subscribers who have not had a SNEWS® subscription in the last 367.5 days. May not be combined with any other offer. Only one two-month trial may be used per subscriber. SNEWS® reserves the right to terminate any subscription (or subscriber if we’re feeling grumpy) should our terms of use be violated. Two-month subscriptions must be renewed prior to the expiration to be eligible for the $19.80 credit. Offer expires Sept. 30, 2005.
»OUTDOOR »SUMMER 2005
W W W. G E A R T R E N D S . C O M » 1 0 1
