THE OUTDOOR TECHNICAL TACTICAL EQUIPMENT BLOG. Join us where we talk all things industry, gear, lifestyle, design and just all round fun.

January 2020 – William Todd Fairbairn, Founder & CEO of OTTE Gear

Climbing is a sport where no matter how hard you train and prepare there are always elements that are out of your control, not least of which are the weather and your DNA.  These was front and center as I attempted to climb Aconcagua last month, Argentina’s and South America’s tallest mountain.  The mountain reaches 23,000 feet. The air gets thin and hard to breath the higher you climb.  It is not considered tall enough to require bottled oxygen and while there are drugs you can take to help mask the physical pain of the high altitude, only your DNA will predict how you perform up high.  Needless to say, my DNA did not help me.  I woke up gasping for air and moved extremely slowly above 14,000’.  

OTTE Gear Multicam Gaiters (shown in photo)

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December 2019 – William Todd Fairbairn, Founder & CEO of OTTE Gear

It has been 15 years since I entered this industry with the 2004 SHOT Show debut of my brand, OTTE Gear and I think it’s about time I let folks know a little about me and the brand. The whole idea for the brand was born after hearing from our friends that were deployed to Afghanistan. They told us that the clothing they were using did not work well in the Himalayan environment nor did it hold up to their use and abuse. Many opted to use their civilian clothing in the most subdued colors available and black out the logos with a Sharpie marker. They knew that my partners and I had worked for The North Face so they reached out and asked for help designing better clothing systems.

Thanks to its long-standing team up with Andrew Bawidimann, we think of Otte Gear as the original purveyor of tactical artwork. Its Poppies of War print is an almost subtle mash-up of toes-in-the-warm-sand comfort and Taliban-era sentiment. At first glance, it’s a broad, vaguely organic pattern; but a focused gaze reveals a smattering of weapons that are familiar to anyone who’s spent some time in Afghanistan.

Check out our Aloha design.