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When we wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of the friction quick-lock clamps on our new Cnoc trekking poles, local manufacturer Rex Plastics helped bring our innovations to life. “Most of the innovation comes from customers because we’re on the cutting edge of product development” says Rich Clark, president of the Vancouver, Washington-based plastic injection molding contract manufacturer. Beyond offering superior outdoor gear that performs where it counts—out on the trail—we wanted to collaborate with US manufacturers and source locally whenever possible. We believe in supporting sustainable manufacturing practices by shortening the supply chain and creating jobs in the US. Here...

Photo by Eric Holder. Happy Halloween 2019! When it comes to gross water, no one really wins, but hopefully we can all laugh/cry together and soften the sorrow with some prizes. We asked readers to send in their most terrifying tales of water woe. Here are the best stories of the worst hydration situations. Honorable Mention Drought and Purple Drank October 2016 I was hiking with my family at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. It was nearly the worst drought year in Tennessee’s history. The main falls, the highest drop east of the Mississippi River, was barely a trickle....

The disposable mindset of product manufacturing in the last few decades has been leading to a counter-movement in the USA: The Right To Repair. This is not a new concept, humans have been opting to repair their things since the time that we realize that making stuff is hard, expensive and resource-heavy. The change in approach from the repairable to the disposable is a new one, it is as recent as the last 40-50 years. With the development of cheaper plastics, simpler injection molding processes, and mass global economics, manufacturing became cheap and fast. So cheap in fact, that lately,...

It's the time of year for ghoulish and ghastly tales of water woe! Last year we asked you to send us the stories of the most disgusting water you've ever had to drink in the backcountry and you did not disappoint us. We got feces-laden cow ponds, dead deer, thick brown sludge, snails, and fortresses of poison ivy. Read the winning stories from last year and the runner-ups. We're doing it again in 2019. To enter our Hydration Horror Stories contest, submit your true story to digital@cnocoutdoors.com until October 30th with the headline "Hydration Horror Stories competition.” We prefer entries with photographs. Sharing your masterpiece with the world? Use #HydrationHorrorStories....