Welcome to the Gear Museum

When this pant came out in 2011, it was like we’d taken the original idea of our first few pairs of ridiculously tough pants—the Cactus Pant and the Drop Kick Pant—but made it skiable. Those early iterations were so burly, you’d overheat; so stiff, you couldn’t move around. They were overbuilt. But with the Chemical Pant, we’d finally learned a pair of pants could be durable but also be lightweight enough to bootpack in. We still make an updated version of the Chemical Pant, all these years later.

In our early ski bum days, we were buying gloves at the gas station, treating them with Sno-Seal to make them waterproof, and wearing them every damn day all winter. So, when it came time to make a giveaway item for media and shop buyers at trade shows, we thought, why not pre-treat some hardware store gloves? A Craig’s List oven was purchased for us to hand-bake and triple-treat gloves. The first of which was the Tough Guy Glove, circa 2008.

Named after mustachioed distance runner Steve Prefontaine, the Prefontaine Windshell first appeared in the Flylow line back in 2009. It was a midlayer with retro '70s styling, like a disco track jacket you could wear on the skintrack. We wore it a ton, but for whatever reason, it didn't sell all that well. Maybe people weren't ready for the throwback thrift look? So, we cut it from the line for a couple of years, only to bring it back again in 2011 with a revamped fabric and more modern vibe. The 2011 version was a stretchy softshell that looked more like a windbreaker. It lasted two years before it was cut again. We still have one in our closet though.

Introduced in 2010, the Trash Pack was made from scrap fabric from sail cloth and other discarded materials from our own production line. The idea was to take the shreds of fabric that were ending up on the cutting room floor and turn them into something new. Novel concept at the time and the pack was well intended and designed with all the features skiers need. We gave it easy back-panel access, a removable lid so you could make the pack bigger or smaller, an ice ax loop, and an easy-to-use A-frame ski carry system. The pack was design and made in Boulder, CO by our friend Ron. They sold so well Ron told us we had to make them somewhere else. Sadly, no one could make them like Ron so we let our Trash Pack dream go away.

We know Flylow is supposed to be this ultra-tough mountain brand, but guess what? We're softies, too. And we love a cozy cuddle with a baby. So, when a good friend was having her first baby back in 2011, we spun up a quick accessory to give her as a gift. A baby onesie with a silly slogan on the front—'Two inches of powder is knee deep to me'—that would hopefully make parents smile during midnight diaper changes. That baby, Gavin, is in middle school now, but his onesie is still a favorite accessory on Flylow's site.

This bib, which came out in 2011, launched our bib empire. We later became known as bib makers. But it all started with the Baker Bib, inspired by hardy skiers in the Pacific Northwest who needed full coverage, entirely waterproof bibs they could tour in. The Baker Bib was so popular, it would sell out each fall. Nowadays, we still make a much improved version of the original Baker Bib, as well as a warmer Insulated Baker Bib

The 700-fill-stuffed Betty Down came out in 2012 and it was our first nod at proper down insulation but in the packable variety. Because we knew women skiers needed a down coat they could haul to the top of a peak, stuff into their backpack, and bring on cold airplanes while on a ski trip. The Betty became a year-round staple—the coat you'd take camping in the summer and skiing in the winter—and it's still in the line today.

Flylow was started by two guys. Both were single and in their 20s at the time. Which is to say: It took, ahem, a while for them to bring in the right people to make quality gear for women. But finally, a super skilled designer named Lisa, who lived in Jackson, Wyoming, was brought on board and turned the women's gear in the right direction. The Billie Coat, a waterproof, breathable hardshell jacket that hit shelves in 2014, was much-awaited proof that Flylow knew how to make women's ski outerwear that fit right and was tougher than anything else on the market. The Billie is such a trusty staple that it's still in the line, one of the longest-standing jackets in our women's collection.

We didn't invent the flannel, obviously. (Workers have worn flannel dating back to the 1800s.) But we did think it was a good idea to take the concept of the classic lumberjack flannel and give it a modern technical spin by making it out of active fabric you could move and climb mountains in. That's the Handlebar Tech Flannel and the women's Briggitte Tech Flannel, which both came out in 2014 now they are the most widely distributed products in our entire line. And we though we were just echincal clothing makers.

When we made the Foxy Bib in 2016, it was clear the market was hungry for a good women's bib. (Apparently, nobody had made a decent waterproof/breathable bib you could go to the bathroom in?) We're not sure how it happened, but the Foxy Bib became the bib of choice for skier girls from the Tetons to the Green Mountains.

Back to the cutting room floor, we had all this leftover fabric from our ski pant production. Why throw it away when we could use it for something handy? In fall 2016, we rolled out the Remnant Tote, a gear hauler bag that we made mostly because we needed something to put our stuff into on the drive to the ski hill. The Remnant Tote proved to be useful year-round, as a grocery bag, weekend duffle, camping organizer, or beach tote. Bet of all, you can wash it after use and it packs down small when you don't need it.