“This is a big milestone for us,” comments Outdoor Vitals. “10 years have gone by so quickly, it’s hard to believe we’re already here. We’ve learned a lot, come a long way, & have met some amazing new friends. One of the most rewarding parts of it all is the impact we’ve been able to have in helping people connect to the outdoors. We’ve heard so many amazing stories from our customers. Our gear is designed for performance first, & it’s nice to hear how much more our followers are enjoying their adventures because of what we do.”
Outdoor Vitals, the Utah-based performance outdoor brand, will host a 10th-anniversary celebration August 19 to August 28, 2024 featuring a site wide sale on all their performance gear at levels similar to Black Friday discounts. The 10 Year Anniversary Sale commemorates a decade of innovation and development in the ultralight backpacking industry, and Outdoor Vitals plans to release new content through their podcast and YouTube channel, offering behind-the-scenes commentary about the brand’s journey.
Remembering all the fans that have helped them get to this point, Outdoor Vitals is choosing to give back to customers during the 10 Year Anniversary Sale with site wide discounts, daily giveaways, & free swag. The deals available at outdoorvitals.com between August 19 and 28 will rival anything you see from them during Black Friday & other holiday sales. “You only hit the 10 year mark once,” comments Outdoor Vitals.
Looking Back:
2014: Foundation and Initial Investment
- Event: Tayson Whittaker founded Outdoor Vitals at age 23 launching a journey to revolutionize outdoor gear.
- Investment: He invested $500 from his personal savings to launch the business.
- Focus: Identified the need for accessible, high-performance outdoor gear. He started buying sleeping bags & selling them immediately in 2014.
- Implemented a direct-to-consumer business model, reducing costs and carbon footprint by eliminating intermediaries and streamlining distribution.
Product Development Begins
- Action: Whitaker reached out to manufacturers overseas to source sleeping bags.
- Product Launch: Ordered five white-label sleeping bags to test the market.
- Outcome: The first product, a white-label sleeping bag, hit the market, leading to significant demand and early growth.
2016: Early Growth and Market Expansion
- Accomplishment: Whitaker’s apartment overflowed with sleeping bags as demand surged.
- Work Hours: Whitaker and his team dedicated countless hours to business growth despite full-time jobs.
- The company, Outdoor Vitals, (a 1 man band) released the Atlas sleeping bag, marking a milestone in product design and expansion.
- Team Growth: Recognized the need for a larger team to handle increased demand. He hired Darren & Riley
Team Expansion and Product Milestone:
- Product Launch: Officially designed and named the Atlas sleeping bag, a significant milestone for the brand.
- New hires Derek & Dave
2018: Shift to Full-Time Commitment
- Turning Point: Realized revenue from selling gear in one week surpassed his monthly salary.
- Decision: Whitaker shifted his focus entirely to Outdoor Vitals.
- Outdoor Vitals conducted a successful crowdfunding campaign for the million-dollar jacket, which aimed to offer high-performance, sustainable outerwear.
- The million dollar jacket became a symbol of the company’s innovation and commitment to quality, raising awareness and funds for further product development.
- Hired Brigham (current Product Design director) after million dollar jacket campaign success
2020: launching new products & expanding consistently
- Focus: Strengthened the company’s commitment to full time product development and innovation.
- Product Development: Continued to emphasize high-quality materials and rigorous testing.
- Introduced additional products focused on Ultralight performance gear for the Outdoors.
- Innovative designs, performance promise at a direct price.
2024: Celebrates 10 years of innovation and commitment to making light weight high performance outdoor gear accessible for everyone.
Outdoor Vitals
In 2014, Tayson Whitaker founded Outdoor Vitals, marking the start of a journey that revolutionized outdoor gear. At just 23 years old and fresh out of college, Whitaker channeled his lifelong love of the outdoors into a business celebrating its 10th anniversary. Growing up, he spent countless hours exploring nature with his family. His brothers introduced him to backpacking, sparking a passion that would drive his career.
In those early days, Whitaker experienced frustration with heavy and uncomfortable packs. He loved being outside, but the experience of backpacking with big, heavy hiking boots often left him feeling miserable. This early frustration planted the seed for a game-changing approach to outdoor gear.
During college, Whitaker discovered the transformative impact of high-quality, ultra-light gear. He realized that being comfortable outdoors made all the difference, allowing people to go further, enjoy their time longer, and focus on the beauty of nature. He recognized a significant problem: high-performance gear was often inaccessible due to high costs or lack of awareness among outdoor enthusiasts.
Determined to make a difference, Whitaker invested $500 from his pocket to launch the business. He reached out to manufacturers overseas to source sleeping bags, aiming to start somewhere, even if it meant selling basic white-label products. After ordering five sleeping bags to test the market, he was delighted to find that they sold. With each order that followed, demand surged, revealing the potential for expansion.
Soon, Whitaker’s apartment overflowed with sleeping bags, with the front entryway stacked high with products waiting to be shipped. Despite working a full-time job, he and his team dedicated countless hours to growing the business.
The turning point arrived when he realized they generated more revenue from selling gear in a week than he earned from his day job in a month. Recognizing the potential for success, Whitaker shifted his focus entirely to Outdoor Vitals.
As demand grew, so did the need for a larger team in early 2017 team (he hired Dave & Darren, and later in fall 2017 – Derek). Whitaker understood that the business could no longer thrive as a one-man show. He officially designed and named the Atlas sleeping bag, marking a significant milestone in the company’s evolution. The team operated out of a single-unit warehouse, where makeshift desks of plastic folding tables from Walmart lined the spaces between stacked gear. The environment felt chaotic, but the bare-bones, bootstrap spirit fueled their determination during those early days.
The company’s popularity continued to rise, leading to an expanded product line and an increasing customer base. The warehouse soon overflowed with products, making it nearly impossible to navigate between the stacks of pallets. Employees had to maneuver sideways to grab items for shipping, reflecting the rapid growth and the challenges that came with it.
Despite these challenges, the spirit of innovation and determination propelled Outdoor Vitals from a garage startup to a thriving business. They remained committed to making the outdoors more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, emphasizing performance first ultralight gear for backpacking & outdoor adventure as their mission. Creating durable, innovative gear reduced the need for frequent replacements, leading to less resource consumption and waste production over time.
Outdoor Vitals focused on using high-quality materials and rigorous testing to ensure their products withstand the elements and heavy use, aligning with their innovation and performance goals. They sourced materials and collaborated with partners who shared their values, working with suppliers that practiced eco-friendly methods and exploring innovative materials that offered sustainable benefits without sacrificing performance.
Upgrade your equipment for the trail or just try something new. If you join Outdoor Vitals’ membership program, the site wide discounts will be even larger. When you join the Live Ultralight Membership, you pay $10 per month, which immediately becomes store credit that never expires. As a member, you receive at least 10% off all purchases throughout the year, early access to new product releases, and the opportunity to buy limited-edition gear available only to members. You also get free priority shipping on all orders, even during busy periods. If you unsubscribe, you lose access to these perks but retain your accumulated store credit, which you can use anytime.
Check out the anniversary content and all the sales coming to Outdoor Vitals.
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