Inspired By Adventure: How Lobtree Outdoor Gear Came To Be.

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the outdoors. I grew up paddling, backpacking, biking and skiing in Canada and as I got older, have had self-propelled adventures all over the globe and dedicated my working career toward protecting and sustaining the special ecosystems I hold dear.

I am also a self-professed, gear nerd. My kit has evolved dramatically over the years. Through experience, trial and error and ultimately designing and making my own stuff (I quite literally have notebooks full of sketches, ideas and design concepts), I now gravitate toward equipment that is lightweight, multi-functional, durable, repairable and frankly that just works. How things are made, sourced and disposed of matters too. If I can purchase gear from makers that source responsibly, design and test locally, and build ethically, I will. If they care about their impact on the earth and stand behind what they make, even better. If I can’t find that, well I find ways to do it myself.

So, when my family and I decided to pull the trigger on a 1 year-long world travel adventure, the gear we brought was top of mind and agonized over (largely by me). Our goal was to only carry what we needed, so items had to be functional, lightweight and durable (more on that later).

What brought us to this point was years in the making.

Pic. 1 The gear we brought for our year of world travel, 2022.

As a child, my wife was lucky enough to experience an amazing year of bootstrapped world travel with her family. We wanted our kids to have those same transformative experiences—showing them that the world is nothing to fear and people are overwhelmingly good. So, when our daughter turned 1, we began planning. We saved, scrimped, and plotted for nine long years. Then, in 2022, when the planet began to cautiously reopen, we sold the house, quit our jobs, and went all in. Two parents, two kids, four carry-on backpacks, and 11+ months to see, learn, and explore. We attempted to document the adventure for family and friends on a blog, and through a few social media posts, but honestly we were having so much fun living, the archiving often took a backseat.

Anyway, back to the gear. The only mid-layer I brought with me on the trip was made of Polartec® Alpha™ Direct. At the time, it was hard to find ‘naked’ Alpha insulation garments (no outer liner) and I ended picking up a catch-and-release Nitro hoody before our departure. To be honest I was highly skeptical of its performance. Could something this light and thin really be the answer to my layering needs?

Well, for me, it was. The Alpha™ material exceeded my expectations in ways I wasn’t prepared for (see my post on why I kinda think Alpha™ is magic). Would I have changed details of the garment, sure, but ultimately it was the active insulation technology itself that blew me away. It was warm when I needed it to be, surprisingly lightweight and durable, and adaptable to climates as varied as the Wadi rum desert to --- Yes, the Himalayas in December (when layered correctly obviously).

Pic 2. Alpha™ Direct in the Himalayas, Nepal, 2022.

The trip itself was transformative, in ways both expected and not. We experienced incredible people, amazing cultures, made lifelong friends and learned a tonne about ourselves. By the time we were packing up to return to Canada, I knew that I couldn’t just slip back into the “normal” life we’d left behind. Something had shifted.

I wanted to do something different, something meaningful—something that would inspire my kids to dream big and keep doing hard things.

Lobtree Outdoor Gear is my attempt at just this. To fulfill a dream, to pursue a passion, and bring years of ideas & designs from my travel and outdoor adventures to life.

We aim to make lightweight, innovative and functional gear for and with the outdoor community. Gear that is designed, tested and made in Canada.

So, that’s how we got here.

Our Lobtree journey was launched by first offering the active insulation technical apparel I wished I could buy for my adventures. We are obsessed with perfecting this line, however this is also just the beginning - we have so much more on the horizon.

I hope I get the opportunity to share more with you.

Cheers,

Nick