Marmot

From Hollywood into the wide world

The history of the outdoor brand Marmot began in 1971 at the University of California Santa Cruz. After a glaciology project in Alaska, the two students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley founded the Marmot Club, an exclusive climbing club. To make their own equipment, they worked on the first prototypes for down products. The result was a down vest, a sweater, a parka and three down sleeping bags. The warmest sleeping bag (PIKA) even withstood temperatures as low as -40°C.

In 1973, Eric and Dave moved to Grand Junction in Colorado to join climbing buddy Tom Boyce. Together they rented a 100-year-old stone building there, where they opened a ski rental and a shop for down jackets and sleeping bags under the name "Marmot Mountain Works" in 1974. The first success was not long in coming. After Tom met a filmmaker on a climbing trip to Peru, he ordered more than 100 jackets for the movie "The Eiger Sanction" with Clint Eastwood.

Two years later, another acquaintance brought about groundbreaking changes. When Eric met Joe Tanner from the company W.L. Gore & Assoc., Inc. in 1976, he was fascinated by the new, high-performance outdoor materials. That's why he started sewing some sleeping bag prototypes out of the GORE-TEX® fabric. Eric and Dave tested them for seven nights in a cold storage warehouse before they were tested to withstand sprinkler systems. The results convinced them, making them the first outdoor customer to switch the entire Marmot collection to GORE-TEX® fabrics.

In the following decades, Marmot continued to work on the technological and functional development of its outdoor products. In the mid-80s, for example, the Alpinist expedition jacket set new standards in extreme mountaineering. The jacket has become a classic and is still extremely popular. With increasing success in Europe in the 90s, Marmot Mountain Europe GmbH was founded in 2002 and is now based in Hattersheim/Frankfurt. Marmot now sells its products in 44 countries worldwide.

Inspired by international top athletes

Marmot places great emphasis on high quality, performance and functionality as well as innovative ideas. For the development the designers are therefore inspired by professional mountain guides and international athletes. Thus, products and materials are created that are up to all the challenges of nature.

These specially developed materials include NanoPro. The waterproof and breathable outer material scores with its PFC-free DWR impregnation from recycled nylon and its durability. NanoPro can be found in the Precip Eco line, for example. Marmot brought another innovation to the market in 2018 with the Eco Featherless collection.In the successor technology of Featherless, the synthetic fibre insulation consists of 75% recycled materials. In addition, the jackets are quite lightweight at just under 500 grams and can be packed especially small in their own inner pocket. Nevertheless they offer the warmth of a down filling with 700FP.

The EVODry collection, which was also launched in 2018, is completely sustainable. The products are waterproof for the long term and offer lasting protection against rain without the need for re-impregnation. Even after numerous walks in the washing machine. All components from impregnation to zipper are produced completely without per- or polyfluorinated chemicals. Made from recycled nylon, the fabrics are dyed using the environmentally friendly Solution Dye process. EVODry clothing includes the Eclipse line.

Treadlight - sustainability without compromising on performance

This trend towards further and new development of sustainable technologies has a name at Marmot: Treadlight. The aim of the company's sustainability strategy is to minimize the impact on the environment. To achieve this, innovative, durable and high-quality products are manufactured, which achieve the usual product performance with environmentally friendly materials.

In addition to new materials such as EVODry or NanoPro, Marmot only uses responsibly sourced down that is certified with the Responsible Down Standard (RDS). Marmot x Thread T-shirts consist of 50% recycled polyester and 50% recycled cotton waste. This means there are around 2.25 recycled plastic bottles in each shirt. Furthermore, Marmot is a member of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) and bluesign® system partner.

The outdoor manufacturer is also committed to social sustainability. More and more Marmot products are Fair Trade certified. The company also supports regional and social projects and initiatives such as SOS Children's Villages.

(Photos: Marmot)