The story behind the product, and the passion that went into its creation.
Brigham Crane, Product Design Director
Could you tell us about the characteristics of Outdoor Vitals products and who your target audience is?
We design gear for use in the mountains. We're based in Utah in the western United States, a high‑elevation region with dry summers and snowy winters. We develop gear for use in harsh natural environments like this.
A defining feature of our products, and what our customers expect from us, is performance. Even compared with typical hiking brands, reliability is absolutely critical to our gear. To push gear performance to the limit, we believe we must embody our ideal customer. That's why we often go backpacking in real‑world environments to test our products under harsh conditions.
Outdoor Vitals's motto is "Performance First Ultralight Gear." If you run into trouble deep in the mountains, your safety is determined by how your gear performs. That's why we never compromise when it comes to performance. We proudly provide Outdoor Vitals gear that allows our customers to enjoy backpacking with confidence throughout the year.
Key Points in Apparel Production and the Background to Using 3DeFX+ and TORAIN *About 3DeFX+
We place importance on products that are both ultralight and durable. Items that are too heavy simply aren't suitable for backpacking. Highly waterproof materials are also essential, as getting wet in the outdoors can pose a risk of hypothermia.
The great thing about Toray's 3DeFX+ is that it's ultra-light while also providing excellent heat retention. The sheet‑shaped insulation eliminates the need for baffles, allowing gear to remain lightweight while maintaining thermal performance. It also offers stretch, delivering performance that exceeds expectations. By combining insulation made from 3D coil‑structured yarns with Toray's stretch materials and sewing technology, it achieves an ideal balance of lightness, freedom of movement, and warmth, while delivering long‑lasting thermal performance.
Toray's TORAIN is highly weather‑resistant apparel developed with an uncompromising focus on durability, waterproofing, and breathability. By combining Toray's proprietary high‑performance materials with advanced seam‑taping technology, it achieves both lightweight construction and outstanding performance. Our rain jacket delivers reliable performance in the field while weighing just 7 ounces. TORAIN adheres to stringent quality standards, and in order to meet them, the membrane, outer fabric, and seam taping are tested together as a single integrated unit. This approach gives us complete confidence in its durability and reliability.
What Impressed Me Most Working with Toray International
We partnered with Toray International because we were looking for innovative materials and a commitment to high‑quality product development. The first product we developed together was Satu Pants. Since then, we've gone on to develop numerous products together.
Because Toray International provides integrated support across everything from material procurement to product management, our development speed has increased significantly, enabling us to work on multiple product developments simultaneously.
For Outdoor Vitals, Toray International is more than just a supplier. They collaborate with us as if they were part of our own team, giving us strong confidence in their ability to respond quickly to any challenges.
For example, it feels as though we have our own brand ambassador right there in the factory, working alongside us toward the same goals.
Future Goals as a Brand and What We Expect from Toray International
Our future goal, in addition to growing the company's size and sales, is to drive forward further technological developments. We aim to continue creating state‑of‑the‑art performance gear and developing products that we ourselves genuinely want to use.
In this regard, Toray International remains a crucial partner for us, as they continue to provide innovative products. As we have in the past, we look forward to continuing to develop increasingly innovative products together.
Our ultimate goal is for the high performance of our products to speak for itself through real‑world use, further strengthening our brand's credibility and reputation.
