Leatherman: A multitool invented by Tim Leatherman after wishing he had a pair of pliers while working on a rust-bucket Fiat with a pocket knife during a 1975 European road trip.

Wetsuit: An insulating garment that allows individuals to spend more time in cold water.

Jack O’Neill: A former commercial fisherman widely credited with inventing the neoprene wetsuit.

Suunto Vector: The original smartwatch.

These innovators-in-chief changed the way we play

Blimp-tired bicycles were developed for one of the most grueling endurance races in the world. But then everyone else realized how much fun they were.

Pulaski: A wildland-firefighting tool that combines an ax and an adze and is used to clear brush and small trees.

A sturdy, purpose-made fishing boot that has become the gold standard of footwear in the 49th state.

Garmin Forerunner 201: The world’s first all-in-one GPS-enabled running watch, released in 2003 by Kansas navigation company Garmin.

The original American road-trip trailer, designed in 1931 by Wally Byam, was inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.

The most valuable currency in gear marketing of the past 40 years.

The Perfect Size Wheel: An elusive and controversial hoop that allows mountain bikers the ability to optimize progress over rocky terrain.

Sick Footie: A visual recording worth replaying for others.

Waffle: A repeating inverted cube shape adopted by sporting-goods manufacturers, beginning with Nike, which used the pattern on the sole of its iconic waffle trainer.

Founders of the Recreational Equipment Co-op (REI), which the couple started in their West Seattle home in 1938 as a way to help climber friends gain access to cheaper ice axes and harnesses by ordering bulk gear from Europe.

A cooler company whose two-inch-thick, double-walled products are so effective that its creation, in 2006, began a new era in rafting.

Vibram: A vulcanized-rubber sole that revolutionized footwear.

Telescoping front forks and articulating rear frame triangles that absorb bumps and shocks.

A pioneering social-fitness app released in 2009.

Fat shoes: Shoes with roughly 20 millimeters of foam underfoot

Phil Knight: Cofounder of athletic-shoe company Nike.

The brand of zipper that is likely keeping your britches up at this very moment. Headquartered in Tokyo, 81-year-old YKK (short for Yoshida Kogyo Kabu­shikikaisha, which translates as ­Yoshida Company Limited) was founded by Tadao ­Yoshida, who started making cus­tom zippers to take advantage of breaks and…

Swiss Army Knife: The world’s first consumer multitool, designed by cutler Karl Elsener with two blades, a screwdriver, and a can opener.

P-cord: Parachute cord, also known as paracord, the world’s most versatile survival tool.

Recall: A request by a manufacturer, and usually the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), to return a product after the discovery of safety issues.

Jeremy Jones: A pioneering big-mountain snowboarder and snowboard designer.

Gone are the days of rangers in fire lookout towers. Now, mountain-top cameras are being used to spot smoke and flames.

Filson, a Seattle-based maker of high-quality leather goods.

Sunglasses designed to protect a pilot’s eyes against high-altitude sun.

Westfalia: A breed of Volkswagen camper van prone to expensive repairs, yet beloved by those who own them and coveted by road-trip dreamers everywhere.

A category of gear that came into being in the late 1960s as more and more skiers ventured beyond resort boundaries.

Howard Head: The founder of ski brand Head.

The surprising tendency for technical products and trends from the outdoor world to find their way into mass culture.

A packable device producing fire for camp cooking.

Hummer: The civilian version of the military’s Humvee off-road vehicle, which was produced by AM General from 1992 to 2006.

A bindingless monoski invented in 1965.

Dutch Oven: A large cast-iron pot and the campfire cooking vessel of choice for pioneers, cowboys, and river guides.

Repurposing: Taking a product and adapting it for a different use.

Caves, tepees, wall tents, those green canvas triangles that caused hypothermia in so many Boy Scouts—in one form or another, ideas borrowed from these flawed shelters appear in their modern descendents.

Jeep: A four-wheel-drive vehicle first produced for the U.S. Army during World War II.

Fat Skis: Skis that are at least 115 millimeters underfoot.

Elk Skin Gloves: Hand protection made from the skin of the great wapiti.

Little Things: Those items that mark the difference between a miserable experience and a joyous one—pit zips on jackets being a prime example.

Catalog: A magazine-like print presentation of a company’s or retailer’s products.

Puffy: A lightweight jacket insulated with duck or goose down or synthetic fill.

Greg Lowe: Inventor of the internal-frame backpack.

Kite: A lightweight aircraft—often erroneously considered a toy—propelled by the wind and controlled by a user on the ground via a line or set of lines.

Military-strong material with smart features for any civilian

Commandment #1: Know thy options

Surfer Jamie O’Brien and his team made the fiery stunt look easy. But turns out, it took months of planning and some very specific gear to get right.

Towable as hell but built with enough room to host dinner parties

Treat your feet right with bright art and classic comfort

Some our favorite images from this year's Tour de France stages in the French Alps.

When you build the two millionth edition of an iconic 4x4, it deserves special treatment

A cool concept that does fisheries good

Glaciers! Trained grizzlies! $3.25-million dollar cameras! An inside look at the hottest bike flick of 2015.

Tenth Mountain Division: An Army outfit specializing in mountain warfare, devised during World War II around the idea that it was easier to make troops out of skiers than skiers out of troops.

The future has arrived, and because it’s built to fit you perfectly, it’s not going anywhere

A full-suspension 27.5+ built expressly for bikepacking? Who’da thunk?

Patagonia pulled on a thread and found migrant workers suffering under servitude in its supply chain. Will its disclosures prompt other brands to air their dirty laundry (or even look for it) as well?

Or you can at least get around onerous fees by tethering to it when you’re abroad

The $8,000 hanging shelter of your dreams

A brewery in New Zealand is fueling cars with beer

With crash-filled stages, an American competing for the podium, and an astonishingly dominant performance by Chris Froome of Team Sky on Tuesday, it’s been an exciting start to the 2015 Tour de France. These images do the action justice.

Putting the new bikepacking rig through its paces on the Tour Divide

Mood light, spotlight, emergency light—all in one adventure-ready box

A lid that incorporates turn signals and brake lights into its shell

It’s taken a decade, but an American is finally riding out of Lance Armstrong’s shadow and putting the U.S. back in contention at the world’s biggest bike race

The Wikipedia (and Google Street View) of the outdoors will change your life

Getting into paddling is a good call. Blowing your money on unnecessary gear is not. Here’s exactly what you need.

A super light tent with headroom to spare

A beautiful tool that's actually useful

Crowdsourced innovations promise to replace the old bike lock for good

How Whistler Blackcomb plans to save its disappearing glacier—along with a huge slice of business—with snowmaking technology

Makers of this crowdsourced device say it can save you from drowning

The six swim trunks you should be wearing this summer

Now you can truly see how you stack up versus the pros

Surfski (noun): The fastest, tippiest kayak. If you’re just getting into the sport, this is the boat for you.

Light, smooth, and durable.

The perks of a DSLR camera, all in the palm of your hand