Always Outside (the Box)

50 years ago, we sewed insulation into boxes when everyone else stuffed it in tubes. We slept in 0° F commercial meat lockers to test the first Gore-Tex fabric, added zippers under your arms, and designed gear specifically for women. Some people called us crazy (we were), but it takes radical ideas to make radical change. Fueled by a restless yearning for better gear and better days outside, our founders set out to break new ground by breaking the status quo.

All Outsiders Welcome

It all started on an Alaskan glacier where U.C. Santa Cruz students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley bonded over a love of climbing and a shared outsider mentality. This trip spurred the founding of the Marmot Club, an inclusive community for oddball mountain misfits named after the furry and social mountain-climbing squirrels known for gallivanting across the alpine ranges of the west. Joining was simple: Bag a peak with a fellow member, and you’re in. The first rule was even simpler: Everyone is President.