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True story: I fell in love with the outside after transferring to Chicago. It wasn’t till I purchased my first actual pair of shoes and ventured on hikes that ribboned the town that I knew the true joys of on a regular basis journey. My love of climbing has since taken me around the globe.
When it involves gear, I’m a giant believer in investing in gear you should utilize on adventures close to, far and in every single place in between. And as a metropolis dweller who likes to discover in city and distant nature, I additionally search out merchandise that may cross over between city and path. Before any gear buy large or small, I ask myself if it’ll stand as much as the three Ts: Trail, Town and Travel.
If it’s a shoe, will it really feel snug on my lunchtime walks and supply sufficient assist on weekend hikes?
If it’s a backpack, will it work on a commute to work and on a journey by way of the airport?
If it’s a rain jacket, will it maintain me dry within the metropolis and at a campsite within the backcountry?
Because there’s one thing to be stated for gear that may go along with you—wherever you go.
Luckily, REI Co-op additionally believes that the very best gear can go anyplace. The co-op has teamed up with beloved outside manufacturers HOKA and Cotopaxi for a second time to collaborate on new co-branded variations of their versatile best-sellers: the Cotopaxi Kapai 3L Hip Pack – Del Día and the Anacapa Breeze Low Hiking Shoes. No strangers to the three Ts themselves, HOKA and Cotopaxi are each well-known for producing items in trendy shiny colours with trail-tested consolation and performance.
The collaborative Kapai 3L Hip Pack and the Anacapa Breeze aren’t any exception, promising efficiency on a variety of adventures, from native outings to epic journeys. The footwear and pack each embody the manufacturers’ shared missions of minimizing affect on the planet whereas inspiring outside journey for all.
In 2021, the manufacturers launched their first collaboration with variations of the Cotopaxi Batac 16L – Del Día and HOKA Torrent 2 Trail-Running Shoes. The gear showcased Cotopaxi’s vibrant, one-of-a-kind colorways and HOKA’s agile, versatile design with co-branded emblem accents. This 12 months’s partnership—provided as a restricted launch accessible in any respect REI Co-op areas and REI.com—seeks to proceed inspiring anyone and all people to come back collectively outdoor to do good for themselves and for his or her communities, whether or not on a stroll across the neighborhood or a day on the path circuit.
“Our brands are like-minded in the way we engage the outdoor community—and that starts with a humanistic approach,” says Hy Rosario, director of product: outside and youngsters’ footwear at HOKA. “Cotopaxi’s tagline ‘Do Good’ and HOKA’s tagline ‘Fly Human Fly’ both center around the humanistic part of being outdoors. I love that both brands believe in the importance of human connection in the outdoors.”
Anacapa Breeze Low Hiking Shoes
The ultra-breathable, light-weight and comfy Anacapa Breeze is liked by mountain towners and metropolis dwellers alike. Ideal for warm-climate climbing and journey days stuffed with lengthy walks, the Breeze swaps the unique Anacapa GTX waterproof GORE-TEX higher for an engineered air mesh, including a ton of air flow.
And they give the impression of being sharp, too. The collab model of the climbing shoe sports activities a brand new mixed-panel colorway showcasing HOKA’s core model colours.
“Our customers look for products that will not only perform on the trail but also look good on their feet,” says Rosario. “The way we styled and colored this shoe in collaboration with Cotopaxi lends itself to much more versatile usage.”
But aesthetics don’t come on the expense of efficiency. Lightweight leather-based uppers mixed with the HOKA signature compression-molded EVA foam midsole make these footwear tremendous versatile and supportive. The Vibram Megagrip outsole with 5-millimeter lugs guarantees robust traction on a wide range of terrain.
Rosario says sustainability was additionally a giant focus for HOKA designers as they thought-about every part from supplies to construct. The shoe options recycled thread within the collars, mesh and laces, and was manufactured utilizing an “engineered knit” course of that goals to be extra sustainable. The course of forgoes the standard die-cut sue manufacturing course of by utilizing a continuous weave design that leaves little to no waste as soon as the shoe’s full. The leather-based used within the higher is licensed by the Leather Working Group, a third-party physique that audits and evaluates the environmental affect and provide chain transparency of uncooked leather-based and leather-based items.
“We always design HOKA products through a performance-first lens, and the Cotopaxi collab Anacapa Breeze is no exception to that rule,” says Rosario. “This shoe also perfectly encapsulates the idea of performance and style meeting in the middle.”
Kapai Hip Pack – Del Día
Hip packs arguably belong in every single place—on the path, across the metropolis, on days spent touring and possibly even on the workplace (I imply, they’re an ideal place to stash snacks).
So longtime Cotopaxi followers and newcomers will each love the HOKA x Cotopaxi model of the Kapai 3L Hip Pack for its versatility, consolation and sustainable design. Just like our personal fingerprints, each Cotopaxi Kapai colorway differs barely. That’s as a result of every pack is made utilizing high-quality manufacturing unit leftovers and scrap supplies that may’ve in any other case gone to a landfill.
The newest Kapai options distinctive colours impressed by the HOKA model, and an extra-wide hipbelt and padded and contoured again panel give the pack a cushty match on the waistline. Functional options like a prime seize deal with and a padded sleeve for storing sunnies cater to vacationers and outside adventurers. Perfect for a day working errands or a day hike in your favourite native path, the Kapai 3L Hip Pack can carry as much as 3 Liters of necessaries (in different phrases: snacks).
“A lot of products we work on can seamlessly translate from use in an urban area out to an adventure on the trail—they work both ways,” says Rawmin Ehyai, gear design director at Cotopaxi. “In town, it’s common to wear the Kapai as a cross-body sling or, if you want to be more active with it, you can wear it around your waist like a fanny pack while hiking.”
Like their respective unique variations, the HOKA x Cotopaxi Anacapa Breeze Low climbing shoe and Kapai 3L Hip Pack are designed to point out up able to work, whether or not you’re a weekend path warrior or just like a pop of coloration in your work wardrobe.
So go forward, take your self out for a extremely seen spin with these merchandise—and encourage others to hitch you as quickly as they see how a lot enjoyable you’re having. After all, you’re sure to be noticed wayyy down the path once you’re sporting these vibrant items of drugs within the wild—and even simply in your individual native park.