Best Known For: J1A-GT Jacket, P10 Pant

While Acronym is often seen through a fashion lens the brand is, at its core, driven by utilitarianism and functionality. It’s fit for life outdoors, whether in the middle of a forest, or in the middle of a city.

Helmed by Canadian designer Errolson Hugh, Acronym was launched in 1999 as a consulting studio that worked with snowboarding brands like Protective and Burton. Hugh and his business partner, Michaela Sachenbacher, took two years to design the first Acronym-branded products and, in 2002, they released KIT-001—a jacket, a bag, a soundtrack, software and catalogues.

In the span of almost 20 years, Acronym has developed a reputation for being at the forefront of technical innovation in apparel, finding new, inventive details to add to its pieces, while still remaining uncompromising in its commitment to quality. Protection from the elements is central to Acronym’s ethos and its textile partners—Gore-Tex, Schoeller, Stotz—reaffirm that.

Perhaps nothing attests to the quality of Acronym’s garments as those brands that have come to Hugh for consulting and collaboration: Nike, Stone Island, Herno Laminar and Veilance. It’s those co-signs that cements Acronym’s place at the pinnacle of techwear.

Best Known For: e Vent Jacket, High Loft Fleece

The brainchild of Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori, And Wander is among the youngest brands on this list, having only been launched in 2011. The duo’s previous experience as designers for Issey Miyake has helped inform what And Wander is. In duo’s own words, the goal, with And Wander, was to “establish a bridge between fashion and outdoor wear.” Or, as Mr Porter put it, And Wander’s creations are “mountaineering garments that won’t look out of place in the city.”

In less than a decade, the Japanese brand has earned legions of loyal fans, thanks to its lightweight outerwear, which has proven to be particularly popular. In recent seasons, though, And Wander’s Hi Loft fleece pieces have become standouts, earning shoutouts—and, in turn, new fans—on cult Instagram accounts like organiclab.zip.

While the brand hasn’t yet been adopted en masse by climbers and campers, And Wander seems to have taken the reverse route, being a brand of choice for fashion insiders looking to add a touch of outdoor wear to their wardrobe or preparing for a camping trip.

Best Known For: Alpha and Beta jackets, Veilance Line

Founded in North Vancouver in 1989, Arc’teryx originally did business under the Rock Solid monicker, before adopting its current name in 1991. Arc’teryx is informed by the environment it was—and still is—created in: British Columbia’s sea-to-sky corridor, where a short drive separates the wet coastal cities and the chilly, snow-capped Rockies.

When the company changed its name, in 1991, it set out to revolutionize outdoor gear—something which it made good on with the introduction of the first thermomolded foam climbing harness in 1992. Then, in 1995, Arc’teryx began working with W. L. Gore & Associates’ now-famous Gore-Tex fabric. Ultimately that gave us the Alpha SV, a revolutionary ice climbing jacket that has come to typify Arc’teryx’s most popular offerings: hard and soft shell jackets.

And, while Arc’teryx remains at the forefront of performance outerwear, the brand has earned plaudits for its sleek street-wise designs. There is a consistent design language that flows from Arc’teryx’s most fashion-forward Veilance line through the most mountain-oriented gear. If it’s designed for the street, it’s still packed with all of the tech necessary to tackle a tricky climb, and, if it’s a mountaineering parka, it’s been thoughtfully designed, with any redundancies or unnecessary details stripped away.

Best Known For: Bedale Jacket, Beaufort Jacket

Barbour is, in many respects, the opposite of Acronym. For one, the brand’s roots date back to the 1890s, when John Barbour founded his namesake company to import textiles. Like Acronym, Barbour became famous for keeping its customers dry—it just does so using much more primitive techniques.

Barbour can be credited with popularizing waxed cotton canvas, first by importing it to England and then, in 1908, by launching an in-house outerwear brand that used the waxed cotton canvas to create jackets. They immediately became popular with sailors and fisherman, then, with motorcyclists, and, later, with British soldiers during World War II. It was only in the ’80s that Barbour began marketing its jackets as more aristocratic lifestyle pieces, rather than as workwear for fishermen, sailors and soldiers.

Today, that’s the Barbour we know—one where the waxed cotton canvas jacket is synonymous with a certain breed of landed luxury (or, at the very least, classic prep and “Ivy Style”). While technological advances have made it so that there are other options to keep you dry—like Gore-Tex, for example—Barbour’s waxed cotton can still be counted on. It’s an option for less demanding outdoor activity, like a relaxing weekend at a cottage, with the occasional casual walk down to the lake.

Best Known For: Mizusawa Down

Until a few years ago, Descente was best known for being a favorite on ski slopes—be it in Whistler or Vail or the Alps or in Japan, where the brand was from. Then came ALLTERRAIN, which debuted in 2011, and was predicated on technological innovation and the concept of function over form. The result was something aesthetically striking, which may seem antithetical to ALLTERRAIN’s ethos.

What ALLTERRAIN is, is a streamlined, minimalist line—stripped of bells and whistles, but chock full of Descente’s newest and most impressive technology. ALLTERRAIN’s pieces feature no visible seams, laser-cut panels and welded—rather than quilted—bonding. What does that mean exactly? Well, for one, ALLTERRAIN claims it gives the brand the prestige of producing the world’s first fully waterproof down jacket—though Mammut and Herno also claim that theirs are the only truly waterproof ones. It also gives the jackets an almost sculptural and architectural look, with lines that are incredibly clean and detailing that is awe-inspiring in person.

Truth be told you’ll probably never encounter a situation that calls on you to have all of the technology packed into ALLTERRAIN pieces… though we won’t blame you for trying.

Best Known For: Laminar Line

You’ll recall Herno being name-checked when discussing Acronym and Errolson Hugh. Like Barbour, Herno doesn’t make traditional outdoor gear like some of the other brands on this list. Be that as it may, the pieces that Herno does make are still well-equipped to handle almost anything mother nature throws at you. The pieces are also sophisticated from a design standpoint, meant to fit seamlessly over a fine suit.

Founded in 1948, the Italian sportswear manufacturer originally focused on creating outerwear for luxury labels like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci. In the mid-2000s, Herno began to focus on creating its own line of branded outerwear, starting with a simple raincoat before gradually adding down jackets to the offering.

The brand’s Laminar collection has earned Herno plaudits and is similar, from an aesthetic standpoint, to Veilance—the jackets within Laminar are rooted in Herno classics, but stripped down and elevated ever so slightly, while being offered in muted colors. Laminar is central to Herno’s reputation for creating exceptionally luxurious, but highly-technical outerwear, like double-face cashmere down-filled jackets.

Best Known For: THE IN Anorak, Broad Peak Down Jacket

Mammut has been around since 1862, but the Swiss brand has been a late bloomer in many categories. For one, it only adopted the Mammut name in 1943, in a bid to become synonymous with strength. Strength was important for Mammut because, until the 1970s, it specialized in producing climbing ropes. The ’70s saw the brand introduce Gore-Tex pants, jackets and sleeping bags, part of a bid to create a complete Mammut climbing kit.

In the ’90s and 2000s, Mammut began expanding. It added flagship stores around the world, and bought smaller brands that specialized in footwear, backpacks and other mountaineering accessories. It was only as of the 2010s that Mammut had a complete offering of outdoor garments and gear.

Like its ropes, Mammut’s clothing is engineered with the world’s highest and most demanding peaks in mind. And, though the brand has started integrating more street-ready options—like THE IN Anorak—Mammut remains regarded as one of the world’s foremost purveyors of technologically-advanced outdoor gear.

Best Known For: Mammoth Parka

While Marmot may not be as well known in fashion circles as the aforementioned trio, it is as well-respected and highly-regarded among those who enjoy the great outdoors.

Marmot began as a climbing club—an inside joke between college buddies—but eventually morphed into a business venture that saw them work on down jacket prototypes and, then, in 1974, an actual company. A year later, after a chance meeting, 20th Century Fox came calling, needing 108 “very puffy jackets” for a Clint Eastwood movie. In 1976, Marmot became one of the first brands to see W.L. Gore & Associates’ Gore-Tex technology and is, today, the company’s longest standing partner in the outdoor market.

Very puffy jackets and Gore-Tex. Those two things might still be what Marmot is best known for today outside of hiking, camping and mountaineering circles, because they are the two things that define the Marmot Mammoth. The Mammoth is, along with the Nuptse, one of the most infamous jackets ever made. Sold exclusively through New York’s Paragon Sports, the Mammoth was a gargantuan, 700-fill down jacket with a Gore-Tex shell, available in a wide range of solid colors. At $700, the price tag matched the down fill, and the Mammoth—or “Biggie,” as it was colloquially known—became a status symbol in New York that people would kill for. It was eventually discontinued for that very reason.

In New York, Marmot may still be synonymous with the Mammoth, but, on the trails and mountains it’s synonymous with a much more wholesome breed of very puffy Gore-Tex jackets that are trusted to keep outdoors aficionados warm and dry.

Best Known For: Air Mowabb Sneaker, Air Wildwood Sneaker, Magma Boot

Nike ACG is an interesting beast. Coming in as the outdoor and hiking-focused division of sportswear giant Nike, the ACG line—an abbreviation of “All Conditions Gear”—is actually a descendant of Nike Hiking, founded in 1981. Nike Hiking set the Beverton brand squarely in the world of climbing, using Nike tech to create vibrant, and more importantly, lighter, climbing shoes; this offering is notable for introducing the Lava Dome trail sneaker, the Approach boot and the Magma boot. With neon color accents and the utilization of quick drying liners and Gore-Tex-treated fabrics, was sure to stand apart from its traditional competitors.

ACG as we know it began in 1989, pivoting Nike Hiking into a subline that was focused on hiking… as well as biking, kayaking, rock climbing and a myriad of other extreme outdoor activities. By the time Tinker Hatfield created the Air Mowabb in 1991, Nike ACG was the forefront of a burgeoning outdoor movement—wild colorways still intact. The brand would continue to bring Nike technology into the wilds throughout the ’90s, creating both new sneakers and apparel. As with all things, waning interest and other factors would leave the cult-favorite line effectively dormant in the 2000s. However, this would not be the end of Nike ACG.

Calling up Acronym designer Errolson Hugh, Nike revived its ACG line in 2014, transforming it from a ’90s-inspired hiking line into NikeLab ACG—something that’s best described as, “Acronym… but with Nike branding.” Delivering the techwear aesthetics of Acronym at a consumer-friendly pricepoint (at least when compared to mainline Acronym), Nike ACG found a new level of cult-popularity, once standing again at the forefront of Nike’s wider brand family. Hugh would leave ACG behind in 2018.

Even with Hugh’s departure, Nike ACG continues to thrive even today, this time pivoting away from Acronym-inspired techwear and back towards ACG’s colorful, retro-inspired roots of the early 1990s. Whether you’re looking for some Nike tech to bring on your next camping trip, or ’90s-inspired hi-vis streetwear, anyone would be well-served to have at least one or two pieces of Nike ACG in their wardrobe or sneaker rotation.

Best Known For: Nuptse Jacket, Denali Fleece

Chances are you’re probably already familiar with The North Face, but, if you aren’t—what are you waiting for?

Founded in 1966 by Douglas and Susie Tompkins, The North Face was, at first, a retailer that carried mountaineering and climbing gear. In 1968, Kenneth Klopp acquired The North Face, moved it from San Francisco to Berkeley, where the company began producing its own hardware and apparel.

Over the span of 50 years, The North Face has built a reputation for making some of the most durable outdoor gear—and some of the most innovative. The ’80s and ’90s were transformative decades. It was then that The North Face introduced some of its most influential pieces. Steep-Tech helped entrench The North Face as a favourite among elite skiers and an expedition system line was introduced in 1988, which would eventually go on to become the highly-respected Summit Series line.

Those decades—the ’90s, in particular—also saw The North Face cross over into mainstream pop culture. Steep-Tech was worn by Method Man, and Nuptse jackets were part of the uniform for teens in New York City and Merseyside, alike. Eventually, that led to the birth of The North Face’s many diffusion lines, each catering to slightly different demands. It has allowed the brand to remain laser-focused on innovation, while also devoting resources to less utilitarian concerns—like collaborations and urban wear.

Best Known For: Retro-X Fleece, Snap-T, Synchilla Fabric

When Yvon Chouinard launched his business, in 1957, his focus was on selling hardware for rock climbing. Eventually, Chouinard began to sell apparel, too.

But the most important development came in 1970, when Chouinard realized how the hardware—specifically the pitons—he was selling was actually eroding the rock faces that climbers loved. At that moment, Chouinard decided that his brand would strive to be clean, the first step of which came with the introduction of new climbing hardware in 1972. That pledge—to be clean—still guides Patagonia today.

Apparel was, at first, a minor part of the business but ended up changing it drastically—namely in the form of the brand’s name, which, up until the mid-’70s was Chouinard Equipment. Patagonia matched the aesthetic of the clothes Chouinard was selling and made customers think of "romantic visions of glaciers tumbling into fjords, jagged windswept peaks, gauchos and condors."

Even though Patagonia has always been driven by the outdoors—its clothes are designed first, and foremost, with mountaineering and climbing in mind, produced in ways that are environmentally-responsible—the California-based brand has actually been at the forefront of fashion trends since the very beginning. It was Patagonia that helped introduce bright, vivid colors to men’s sportswear and, four decades later, the brand’s climbing gear has been at the forefront of the normcore and gorpcore trends.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Best Known For: XT-4 Sneaker, Snowcross Boot

You may have noticed a trend up to this point: Most of the storied outdoor brands started off producing one extremely specific thing before graduating to a wider range of products. Salomon is no different. Founded in Annecy in 1947, Salomon originally produced steel saw blades, before realizing that, since they were in the Alps, they might have more success making steel ski edges and bindings.

It was only in 1979 that Salomon moved away from producing small—but crucial—ski parts, by adding ski boots to its repertoire. Then, in 1992, the brand introduced hiking shoes. And, in 2001, the Raid Race, the first shoe from the XA series, saw the light of day.

Since then, Salomon has been among the most respected manufacturers of footwear for pretty much anything that has to do with mountains and trails. The brand still produces ski boots, ski hardware, skis, and apparel; but it’s best known for its hiking shoes and trail running shoes, which, of late, have been adopted by some of the world’s preeminent fashion boutiques. That’s given way to collaborations with The Broken Arm and Boris Bidjan Saberi, the launch of Salomon Advanced, a fashion-forward diffusion line, and a place in retailers like SSENSE.

But even the brand’s fashion offerings remain rooted in performance—using some of Salomon’s most well-known silhouettes as a canvas and still outfitted for the most rigorous conditions.

Best Known For: Camping hardware, TAKIBI Vest

Snow Peak is similar, in some ways, to Patagonia and The North Face. The Japanese brand was founded around the same time, in 1958, and has long been focused on making high-quality performance gear for climbing, camping, hiking and mountaineering. But, unlike the American duo, Snow Peak only got into apparel in 2014.

Since then, the brand has been popularized thanks to Japanese publications like Go Out. In outdoor circles, Snow Peak is a trusted name brand with 60 years of history. The apparel, like the hardware is decidedly utilitarian—there are fire-retardant pants, myriad pockets, and layered systems to keep warm.

That said, it’s not the utilitarian details that have made Snow Peak so popular. Instead it’s the quirky, irreverent ones that are otherwise rare in the outdoor market—titanium sake bottles and chopsticks, funny meta-referential graphic T-shirts, campfire barista sets. If you’re going camping, Snow Peak is a one-stop shop to get equipped, from your clothes to your tent to your cookware.

Best Known For: Tenkara Vest, Tenkara Shirt, Tenkara Parka, Carmel Coat

A quick look at South2 West8’s product offering would have you believe that the brand is carried by the likes of Bass Pro Shops, or other retailers specializing in gear for the great outdoors. After all, the brand offers a range of fishing products, has camouflage outerwear, and even offers waxed cotton goods.

It might come as a surprise then to find out that South2 West8 is a Nepenthes brand—part of the same group as Engineered Garments and Needles.

Unlike Needles, which definitely puts fashion first, there’s at least room to debate whether South2 West8 just uses the outdoors as inspiration, or if the brand sees itself as a true outdoor wear purveyor. There are pile fleece jackets that are fit to sit alongside those from other brands on this list, while the technical jackets don’t leave much to be desired. The brand’s Tenkara family of shirts, jackets and vests, would be hard to pick out from similar pieces designed by brands that specialized in fishing and camping.

But, regardless of whether you’re opting for South2 West8 out of practical concerns—or aesthetic ones—you’ll be in good hands.