The Best April Fools’ Gear “Launches”
From Gore-Tex wedding dresses to antigravity sandals
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Ah, April 1, the one day a year when our social-media feeds and email inboxes overflow with all manner of spoof announcements. The outdoor industry tends to go big on April Fools’ Day, with brands putting a surprising amount of R&D and marketing into fake gear items. (Take the not-entirely-fake spatula Black Diamond unveiled this morning, and its airbag crash pad from two years ago.) Here are a few of this year’s best April Fools’ “launches.”
Kathmandu Adapt All-Weather Wedding Dress
Outdoor weddings are a perennial classic (#outdoorwedding has been used nearly one million times on Instagram), but scenic mountaintop ceremonies come with a tradeoff: dirt all over your white dress. Today Kathmandu announced a technical, durable Gore-Tex gown complete with a built-in hooded poncho for weather protection. The whole thing stuffs into an included ultralight day pack. Kathmandu actually made one of these dresses, and has put it up for auction through March 8, with all proceeds benefiting the New Zealand Himalayan Trust.
Yeti Falcon Scooter
True to its reputation for over-the-top durability and heft, cooler giant Yeti focused its April Fools’ energy on an all-terrain e-scooter with massive tires and durable construction for handling everything from ranching to hunting. The fictional rig also includes a trailer hitch and mounts for the Tundra 35 cooler and Rambler tumbler.
Keen Moonport Shoe
Commercial space travel isn’t available yet, but when it is, Keen will have us covered. This morning the shoe brand released its latest “innovation”: the Moonport. A spinoff of the classic Newport, the Moonport has an integrated antigravity mode that reduces the force of each foot strike for minimal impact on sensitive extraterrestrial surfaces. Even here on Earth, the concept of a shoe that counteracts gravity and minimizes impact does sound pretty comfortable…
Duluth Trading Company Romper
Workwear is hot right now, and so are rompers. So Duluth Trading Company decided to fuse the two trends, creating a fake announcement for a short-sleeved, shorts-bottomed onesie featuring six flap pockets and made from the company’s signature Duluthflex Fire Hose canvas. Multiple Outside editors have said they’d buy the romper if it were actually available.
