Osprey

Long time outdoor industry guy.

Got into it in the 90s, working with a little company called Montreal at the time and ended up at a sales agency and ended up doing product and brand management for a bunch of big brands like Osprey, North Face, Sierra Designs, Kelty.

And yeah, really having seen a need for what we're trying to do.

Awesome.

And the employees were given two weeks notice that they had the opportunity to move from Seattle to Portland, or they were out of a job.

And it's moments like that that have the three of us going, there has to be a better way.

You were at Osprey before the acquisition by Helen of Troy?

I was there prior.

So that mine is 25 litres.

I probably don't fill it up, but I would say most of those Ospreys we see around, are they going to be around that 20 litres?

Yeah, so one that's really popular right now is the Hikelite 22 litre, and I think for a lot of people it's peace of mind having more space.

So you look at a 10 litre and you think that's a really small bag, you know, like just my rain jacket alone is going to take half that space.

We're here to celebrate the community and connections within trail running.

Special shout out to Osprey and Precision Fuel and Hydration who sponsored this episode of the show.

And today we bring you the great Abby Hall.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Abby.

It felt like it was really a pulse check on where she is with mindset right now and felt really, I don't know, good to hear from the best at it that you get hard days and you just keep on swinging.

So thank you so much, Abby, for joining us.

Big shout out to Precision Fuel and Hydration and Osprey Packs for sponsoring this episode of the show.

And please, Give us a review.

I remember walking the aisles of OR in the late teens, and really, you couldn't turn a corner without seeing another drinkware brand popping up, right? But Now, has the drinkware boom finally peaked? There was a pretty revealing exchange on Helen of Troy's latest earnings call.

And Helen of Troy is the parent company of Hydro Flask along with Osprey and OXO in their home and outdoor category.

So their CFO described the beverageware category as, quote, a little bit saturated, unquote, and warned that it's becoming increasingly promotional.

He also said retailers need to work through excess inventory and and that the company doesn't want to chase sales through discounting.

Um, like, even on the AT, I liked the pack I had, but I just kept getting curious about other packs, and I think there was like...

Oh, it was probably, like, not quite halfway through, but there was a gear store that had some, like, running vest that was made by Osprey, and everyone was joking, like, "You could probably fit all your stuff in there." I was like, "All right." And so I, like, bought it, swapped to that pack, mailed my other pack, like, up ahead, and yeah, I just, I love testing stuff, and it just...

That's what it was.

I would just see a new thing, and I'd just buy it and- I still have most of it at home, so it's kinda like backup gear now.

including this watch, which I love very much, the Phoenix.

You can find it all at Garmin.com. And lastly, our all-time best podcast supporter, Osprey.

They support all aspects of my life too, I feel like at this point.

Like I said earlier, the mobile podcast setup that I'm using right now lives in a padded Osprey bag and stays safe and sound that way.

We traveled out here with our transporter duffel bags today, Um, whether you're a bike rider, a hiker, runner, just a traveler, Osprey has you covered.

Go to osprey.com to learn more.

Lastly, just a quick thank you to Lily Hardman for editing each and every one of these episodes, to Nicole Baker for producing, and to all of y'all for listening.

She's like, "Hey, the AT's, like, not far.

Let's go do a day hike." So we go out, and we take her, like, two-year-old in tow in, like, one of those backpack carriers for kids that's, like, made by Osprey or whatnot, and we go out, and we hike this section, and it's like, after a little while, it's like, "This is a little sketchy to be doing with a kid.

Let's turn around." And when we do, we are heading SOBO, and we run into three gals who are hiking together, probably college age-ish, somewhere in their mid-20s.

And so we stop them, and we ask them all the questions that we've all been asked on a trail, right? "How far are you going?" And they're like, "Georgia to Maine." And we're like fan-girling.

Uh, I'm based in Alameda, California, and they're over, uh, in Oakland.

Uh, they make f- not only their own products, but they white label for, uh, Salomon, Nathan, Osprey, and I don't know, countless other brands.

I mean, they're really big in the running space.

Mm-hmm.