How Outdoor Brands Are Pitching in to Stop COVID-19
From protective equipment to hand sanitizer to donations, here's how gear producers are helping to slow the spread of the virus
Outdoor companies are finding creative ways to help slow the spread and reduce the impact of COVID-19. Some are donating money to relief organizations, while others are sending products like shoes, gloves, and goggles to those on the front lines of the pandemic. Some brands have ceased regular production and pivoted their facilities to meet the demand for personal protective equipment: those with sewing capabilities are making scrubs and gowns, sheeting, and fabric surgical masks, while other hard-goods manufacturers are churning out face shields, goggles, ventilator components, and high-filtering N95 masks. Even distilleries and breweries have found a way to help by producing hand sanitizer.
This list will be updated regularly. If you would like to submit the name of a brand not listed here, please send us an email at brands@outsideim.com. This list was updated on 5/13/20.
May 13 Updates
The bedding division of the ethical down supplier and manufacturer shifted its focus to sewing 10,000 fabric face masks per day, which it is donating to first responders and homeless shelters and selling on its website.
Outdoor Research converted a floor of its Seattle factory into a certified facility for producing coveted N95 masks for frontline medical workers. It is also making high- and low-barrier fabric masks and has pledged to churn out a total of 200,000 masks per day by June. Update: The company teamed up with two other Seattle-based companies, Filson and Feathered Friends, which are both making fabric masks that OR will then distribute through state and federal agencies.
Through April 10, Peak Design donated 100 percent of the profits from its newly launched Travel Tripod to nonprofit organizations working on COVID-19 relief (the CDC Foundation) and climate change (Climate Neutral). Update: The brand donated more than $210,000 from this initiative.
Bend, Oregon-based snack brand Picky Bars is offering a Front Lines Support Bundle (16 bars and six servings of oatmeal) at a 25 percent discount, that customers can purchase and send to essential workers. The brand kicked off the program by donating 50 bundles to a local hospital.
Using its brewery lab in Chico, California, Sierra Nevada is producing viral transport medium, a mixture that preserves clinical samples, to increase COVID-19 testing capacity at a local community hospital.
Timbuk2 transitioned from making and repairing backpacks at its San Francisco factory to producing face masks for Bay Area healthcare workers. Update: In partnership with NBC Sports, the company donated more than 50,000 face masks and bandanas to Bay Area Community Services.
Bra and underwear producer Wacoal donated more than 3,000 bras and pairs of underwear to healthcare workers in nine hospitals across the country.
For every purchase over $50, Wild Rye’s Masks for Mountain Towns initiative will send 50 masks to medical workers and first responders in rural towns along the Rocky Mountains. The company is also accepting direct donations for the program through GoFundMe, the first $1,000 of which will be matched by the company’s CEO. Update: The GoFundMe raised $1,740, which will facilitate the donation of 10,000 masks.
Previous Updates
The apparel giant is working with Carbon, a company that makes tech for Adidas shoes, to 3D print up to 50,000 face shields per week. Carbon is also producing swabs for virus testing.
For every backpack sold, Adventurist Backpack Co. is providing 50 meals to food banks across the U.S. via Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. (The brand usually provides 25 meals to families in need for each backpack purchased.)
As of late March, Allbirds had donated $500,000 worth of its Wool Runners shoes to healthcare workers, and it is currently offering buy one, give one and donation options to customers on its website.
Splashproof-bag manufacturer Aloha Collection is donating 3,000 of its sanitizable bags to frontline workers.
Southwest Colorado-based packraft manufacturer Alpacka Raft is using its industrial sewing facility to manufacture gowns, which it will distribute to rural hospitals in its area.
American Bench Craft and American Roots Wear
The two apparel and accessories brands teamed up to manufacture face masks and replaceable filters for hospital personnel and other first responders.
Lake Tahoe-based Arcade Belts leveraged its connections with manufacturers to donate 300 surgical and N95 masks to local hospitals in need.
Vancouver-based apparel brand Arc’teryx is producing medical-grade gowns, with a goal of 500 a week for two months.
Avocado is making consumer face masks and selling them at cost. The brand says it is also equipped to make disposable mattresses, reusable sheeting, waterproof pillows, disposable pillows, disposable booties, and smocks. Contact contracts@avocadogreen.com to request these items.
Bacardi Limited (the parent company of Dewar’s, Grey Goose, and Patron)
The beverage company has made donations totalling $3 million to support hospitality workers affected by COVID-19. Its distillery in Puerto Rico has donated ingredients that will allow for the production of more than 132,000 gallons of hand sanitizer.
Internet retailer Backcountry.com will provide 9,000 non-medical grade face masks to the New York City Department of Homeless Services free of charge. It is also taking donations for that organization on its website. Update: The brand gave 400 apparel kits to Utah healthcare workers and 900 pairs of protective eyewear to Goggles for Docs.
Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, is donating one million surgical masks to healthcare workers and first responders in the more than 200 communities across the U.S. that are home to Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s stores. They are partnering with Convoy of Hope to help distribute the masks.
Helmet and goggles makers Bell and Giro coordinated with Goggles for Docs to donate more than 3,000 pairs of eye protection to frontline medical workers in 18 states.
Camping-gear maker Big Agnes is producing 10,000 masks for hospital workers in Colorado.
Stove and light producer Biolite has donated headlamps and food to St. Barnabas Hospital, a nonprofit New York medical facility at the center of the epidemic.
Sports nutrition brand BioSteel has pledged to donate up to $2 million worth of its Hydration Mix to hospital workers and patients. Requests can be directed to stayhydrated@biosteel.com.
The California-based apparel maker altered its production to make fabric surgical masks, which are available for purchase on its website. For each mask sold, the company will donate one to CORE, a non-profit that provides drive-through testing in Los Angeles.
Black Diamond, Smith Optics, and Yeti Cycles
Eyewear brand Smith has joined the Goggles for Docs effort by sending new and used goggles to healthcare workers in need of eye protection. Update: Colorado-based bike maker Yeti Cycles teamed up with Black Diamond and Smith Optics to make 10,000 protective face shields for medical workers and first responders. Yeti also sourced 24,000 masks from suppliers to donate to those on the frontlines.
The organization behind the Boston Marathon is donating food and medical supplies from the postponed race to local medical facilities, first responders, and food banks. It is also making a $100,000 contribution to a fund dedicated to the city’s COVID-19 response.
The Washington, D.C.-based apparel and accessories brand produced and donated 2,000 face masks to nurses and other first responders.
Running brand Brooks donated 10,000 pairs of its shoes to workers on the front lines of the pandemic. The brand is also fully compensating its retail workers while stores are closed.
New Hampshire-based apparel maker Burgeon Outdoor is making and donating fabric masks to organizations and individuals in its community.
Vermont-based snowboarding brand Burton is donating 500,000 KN95 masks (a similar high-filtering certification to N95) to hospitals around the country, starting with those in its home state and the areas hardest hit by the outbreak, including New York City. Their Burlington snowboard factory stopped regular production to make face shields, with a goal of 500 per week during April. The brand also donated 1,300 pairs of goggles from Anon Optics (a subsidiary) to Goggles for Docs.
Two Canada Goose manufacturing facilities, in Toronto and Winnipeg, have pivoted production to assist with a short supply of scrubs and patient gowns. The company has a starting goal of 10,000 total units, which it will distribute to local hospitals free of charge.
New size-inclusive swimwear brand Call to Action will delay its planned May launch and instead manufacture scrubs and gowns for hospitals. The brand is currently seeking funding for the project on GoFundMe.
CamelBak is donating 10,000 of their reusable water bottles to workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. Requests can be directed to social@camelbak.com.
Carhartt factories in Kentucky and Tennessee are producing personal protective equipment for medical professionals, with a goal of 2.5 million masks.
Cascade Designs (the parent company of MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Platypus, PackTowl, and SealLine)
The outdoor-gear brand’s Seattle manufacturing facilities are producing medical masks for 51 nearby hospitals, beginning at 1,000 per day and aiming to ramp up to 20,000 per day.
Chaco’s Michigan factory and mobile repair-factory bus, both of which typically handle repairs and custom products, are producing surgical masks for medical workers. Update: The footwear brand introduced a profit-sharing partnership that will direct a percentage of web sales to its retailers.
Through April 15, the brand’s Give 20/Get 20 program offers customers the choice to give or get 20 percent off everything on its site in order to lessen the economic impact of COVID-19 on people who work in the service industries. Purchases made using the GIVE20 code send a donation to the One Fair Wage Emergency Fund, which provides cash assistance to those who were laid off or are struggling financially during this crisis. Chrome’s factory is also pitching in to make masks for medical workers.
Clif Bar donated more than 3 million of its energy bars to healthcare workers worldwide. Update: The company has committed to donating an additional 3 million bars, for a total of 6 million.
Cycling apparel brand Club Ride matched and donated 15 percent of one week’s proceeds from online sales to The Hunger Coalition.
Utah-based brand Coalatree is sourcing KN95 and N95 masks, face shields, surgical gloves, and other protective equipment and providing it at cost. Organizations and communities in need of these items can reach out to supplies@coalatree.com to submit requests.
Mobility bike maker Coaster Cycles is shifting its production in Missoula, Montana, to create 500,000 face shields for hospitals in six states.
Columbia’s CEO, Timothy Boyle, cut his own salary down to $10,000, and many executives took voluntary pay cuts to help ensure that the company’s retail employees could continue to be paid normally while physical stores are closed.
Copper Compression, a maker of copper-infused wearables, donated 18,000 face masks to healthcare facilities in New York and New Jersey.
All contributions to the Cotopaxi Foundation, a grant making organization, will now benefit the International Rescue Committee’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund. The apparel brand has promised to match the first 1,000 customer donations. Update: After a drop in sales threatened to force the Utah-based brand to lay off employees, the company partnered with nearby Uncharted Supply Co., a survival brand that has seen a spike in sales during the pandemic, to shift some of their workers to help meet Uncharted’s increased demand.
The jerky company donated funds slated for advertising to the Red Cross. It also donated 500 pounds of product to San Bernardino and Los Angeles Unified School District sites that provide food to children who rely on school meals.
Crocs is giving away their shoes to healthcare workers. Submit a request here.
Portland, Oregon-based bootmaker Danner is making 1,000 face masks per day, and has donated 300 to local public school teachers and staff.
The brand is donating 10,000 pairs of its socks to Vermont hospitals.
Deckers Brands (the parent of Hoka One One and Ugg)
Deckers established the Santa Barbara Better Together Fund to provide economic assistance to the community where its brands are based, and committed $1 million to the fund. Footwear subsidiaries Hoka One One and Ugg are donating shoes to frontline workers. After a co-branded event with Los Angeles-based restaurant Malibu Farms was canceled due to the pandemic, Ugg and clothing brand Stampd donated $20,000 of the event deposit to support restaurant employees.
The California-based swimwear company is making and selling fabric face masks. For each one sold, the brand will donate one to a frontline worker.
DPS Skis, Goal Zero, Petzl, and Eastman Machine Company
These three outdoor gear companies have joined their expertise and materials with the manufacturing capabilities of Eastman Machine Company to produce protective face shields for the Utah Department of Health.
The soap company will donate 2 percent of its hand-sanitizer reserves to at-risk communities and the organizations serving those populations.
Dr. Scholl’s is donating 100,000 pairs of their gel insoles to healthcare professionals. Hospitals can submit requests for their workers at coronavirus.outreach@drscholls.com.
The sunglasses and goggles maker donated protective eyewear to healthcare workers in New York and California.
Water-bottle maker EcoVessel launched a profit-sharing program to help its physical retailers. Locations that refer customers through unique links will receive 30 percent of the revenue from those sales. The brand also expanded the program to nonprofits, which can register and receive the same benefits.
The century-old gear and apparel maker converted some of its manufacturing production in China to produce N95 masks for Seattle-area hospitals.
Employees of the retailer who are able to work from home can donate their vacation time to be reallocated as pay for those in stores and distribution centers who can’t work remotely.
ExOfficio and Marmot, both subsidiaries of Newell, are providing 10,000 new pairs of underwear to medical professionals.
Fischer, the U.S. distributor for Uvex goggles, donated 1,000 pairs of goggles to medical workers through Goggles for Docs.
The travel-wallet maker has suspended production of its travel accessories to produce protective face shields for hospital workers. Hospitals can request equipment here.
Using its production facility, Minnesota-based bag maker Frost River has produced and delivered thousands of protective face shields to local hospitals, with 45,000 shields currently in the works to distribute nationally. The brand converted its Duluth retail shop to a second production location for protective equipment and is currently working on creating PAPR hoods and full-coverage suits.
Herbal supplement producer Gaia Herbs has started making CDC-approved hand sanitizer, which the brand says it will donate to hospitals and other frontline workers.
The Italian footwear manufacturer donated 1,000 pairs of tactical boots to New York City first responders. From Earth Day through the end of May, the company will donate 25 percent of North American web sales to the nonprofit Concerns of Police Survivors.
Gatorade’s parent company, PepsiCo, donated $45 million to several non-profit organizations focused on improving food security and responding to COVID-19.
Caffeinated sparkling water maker Gojai will donate 100 percent of its April proceeds to Help Feed the Frontline Fighting Covid in L.A. The brand will also donate its products to hospitals across the U.S.
The New York-based bike company is making protective face shields for medical professionals.
Energy gel company GU donated 65,000 packages of its product to first responders.
Flip-flop producer Hari Mari will donate 400 pairs of its sandals to workers at two Texas hospitals.
The Brazillian flip-flop company is donating 100,000 kits that include footwear, hygiene products, and food to vulnerable communities in its home country. The brand is also donating sound system equipment to a radio station in Rio de Janeiro to facilitate the dissemination of public health information in low-income favela communities. Its parent company, Alpargatas, converted its production facilities to make test kits, masks, hand sanitizer, and other protective equipment.
The glove maker donated 38,000 pairs of nitrile gloves to first responders in Arvada, Colorado, where its U.S. headquarters is based.
Energy snack maker Honey Stinger donated more than 104,000 units of products to healthcare workers, food banks, first responders, and essential personnel in the Steamboat Springs, Colorado, area.
Honeywell (parent company to Muck and Xtratuf)
Manufacturing giant Honeywell expanded its production in Rhode Island and Arizona to produce 20 million N95 masks monthly, which will supply the national stockpile.
Howler Bros. and Helms Workshop
A portion of the proceeds from the brands’ new collaborative collection will benefit two Austin-based nonprofits that help people who work in the service and events industries that were hit hard by the pandemic.
Internet retailer Huckberry donated 300 pairs of boots to first responders. For every shirt purchased through their new 72-Hour Tee Donation Bundle, one will be donated to a frontline worker in the U.S.
Igloo is donating 100 percent of the profits from its Playmate coolers sold from March 19 to April 19 to the CDC Foundation Coronavirus Relief Fund. Update: The brand raised $100,000 through the promotion, which they are extending through May 1. The Coronavirus Relief Fund is putting the initial donation towards procuring protective equipment for the Houston Department of Health.
Industry Nine, which makes bike hubs and wheels, has partnered with other brands in western North Carolina (including Kitsbow, Oowee Products, and Watershed Drybags) to manufacture reusable protective masks. It has more than 100 CNC machines that it’s hoping to put to use making components for ventilators. (If you are aware of a potential partner for this project, email theeffort@industrynine.com.)
The Arizona-based maker of Microspikes made a three-month commitment to provide relief to those impacted by COVID-19. Its first phase included donations to the Flagstaff Family Food Center and the Havasupai Tribe.
The Hawaii-based canoe maker has produced 5,000 face shields, with 6,000 more in the works. It is donating and selling the shields to hospitals and first responders in its home state.
Footwear brand Keen donated 100,000 pairs of shoes worldwide. The shoes went “to those who need them most,” according to a post on the company’s website, with a focus on essential workers and medical personnel.
The Kind Foundation and Project N95 launched the Frontline Impact Project, which connects healthcare institutions in need of resources with those that can provide them. Kind has committed to donate $1 million to the project and send 5 million of its snack bars to medical workers.
The cycling-apparel maker is cutting face shields and sewing masks at its five-month-old North Carolina manufacturing facility. It is selling the equipment exclusively to medical providers and first responders, with priority given to local facilities.
KOA Campgrounds partnered with RVs 4 MDs, which provides free, temporary RV accommodations to healthcare workers. KOA locations that remain open are offering free sites to those who received housing through the program.
High-protein snack and baking-mix maker Kodiak Cakes donated more than 30,000 of its snacks to frontline workers and food security charities nationwide.
Kontoor Brands (the parent company of Lee and Wrangler)
The manufacturing facilities for Kontoor Brands are producing gowns for patients and medical workers. The brand is also making a donation to a North Carolina food bank.
Bike-rack brand Küat donated 20,000 surgical masks to healthcare workers in Springfield, Missouri, where the brand is based.
Kuju sent 100 pounds of coffee to workers at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City.
La Sportiva’s factory in Trentino, Italy, ceased regular production to make personal protective equipment, including masks and gowns.
For every order placed on their site, compression sock maker Lasso will donate one pair of its socks to a medical worker. They can reach out to contact@lassogear.com with their credentials to request a pair.
In partnership with a local food bank, the Maine-based gear company is using its distribution center to pack food for pantries around the state. Update: Their Brunswick factory is also stitching 10,000 masks a day for medical providers in Maine.
Despite store closures, athleisure brand Lululemon has promised to keep retail employees on payroll through June 1, funded in part by 20 percent cuts to the salaries of its senior leadership team.
The men’s skincare company is offering 15 percent off all one-time purchases made with the code “GIVE15GET15.” Fifteen percent of the sales will be donated to Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Watch maker Luminox will donate ten percent of the proceeds from its sales to Direct Relief.
As part of the #GiveComfortGetComfort campaign, men’s basics brand Mack Weldon donated more than $100,000 in clothing essentials to New York hospitals. The company is also using its factory to make and donate face masks to New York hospital workers, as well as accepting customer donations for low-income parents on behalf of Good+ Foundation.
The sunglasses manufacturer donated 20 percent of its sales from March 23 to April 15 to the United Way Community Crisis Foundation, and has pledged to donate an additional two percent of its profits to the foundation. Maho is also participating in the Brands x Better coalition, where each participant is donating ten percent of proceeds to charities during the pandemic.
Medterra CBD will donate 15,000 of its THC-free CBD tinctures to healthcare workers. To reserve a tincture, they can input their information on the company’s website here.
The apparel maker, which is based in Leadville, Colorado, has stopped production of its fleeces and is instead making reusable surgical masks for a local hospital.
Merrell donated 1,200 pairs of shoes to local hospitals and first responders in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The vodka producer has shifted all of its production to making hand sanitizer, which is available for purchase on its website.
The Bay Area gear company introduced a profit-sharing program, which offers its retailers a 40 percent share of authorized online sales. It donated $16,000 in outerwear to workers at the recently opened Craneway Field Hospital and is also making and donating masks through its warranty department.
British Columbia-based survival gear and life jacket manufacturer Mustang Survival has shifted its production facility to make hospital gowns.
Mystery Ranch, a backpack maker based in Bozeman, Montana, has halted its usual production to sew masks, which it is delivering to a local hospital.
Nathan Sports, Merrell, Fleet Feet, and Trail Sisters
These four running brands are putting on a virtual race to 24,901 miles. Participants are asked to donate five dollars to participate, and proceeds will go to the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
Using its manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts and Maine, New Balance is producing masks for use by frontline medical staff, which it is offering for sale at cost or for donation to medical facilities in those states. The company has also pledged $2 million in nonprofit grants that will be allocated to the COVID-19 response programs of organizations including Global Giving, No Kid Hungry, and Maine and Massachusetts food banks and community organizations.
The Colorado-based brewery started The New Belgium Bar & Restaurant Relief Fund, which will provide $350 grants to individuals in the food service industry financially impacted by the pandemic. New Belgium will match $50,000 of donations. Update: The fund has raised more than $200,000 so far.
The Michigan brewery has produced more than 1,000 gallons of hand sanitizer, which it has donated to first responders and sold to consumers. The company will continue production, with a goal of making 3,000 gallons per week to be distributed throughout the state.
The water-sport retailer is making face shields for healthcare workers in Pennsylvania.
Nike is donating more than $17 million to COVID-19 relief efforts around the world, with funding going to health, social services, and humanitarian organizations, as well as food banks. The company is also repurposing materials used to make its shoes to manufacture protective equipment, including face shields and PAPR lenses, for healthcare workers at Oregon Health & Science University.
Accessory maker Nomad Goods is making face masks, hand sanitizer, and nitrile gloves for healthcare workers. The company has already sent more than 2 million masks to different medical organizations around the U.S. and expects it will soon produce 300,000 to 500,000 masks each day, six days a week. All profits will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts.
The North Face is donating $1 million to COVID-19 response efforts around the world through its grantmaking entity, the Explore Fund. It also sent 60,000 gloves to healthcare professionals and first responders in Colorado, where the company is based.
Northwest River Supplies (NRS) is now sourcing and distributing PPE to hospitals and fire departments in Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Washington. The outdoor gear company, which has continued to employ more than 100 workers with full pay and benefits during the lockdown, anticipates that it will provide tens of thousands of respirators, masks, and other protective equipment to the region in the coming weeks.
Nutiva
Health-food company Nutiva donated 1,500 pounds of food to the Bay Area Rescue Mission and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
Oberalp Group (the parent company of Salewa and Dynafit)
The Oberalp group converted the entire factory for Italian-footwear manufacturer Salewa to produce medical masks and gowns for that country’s health care workers. In coordination with the Austrian government, it also obtained 20 million masks and 600,000 gowns from China for use in Vienna and Italy.
Oboz Footwear donated more than 200 of its O-Fit insoles to a hospital in Montana and donated its 3D printer to Masks for Heroes Montana to help with protective equipment production.
The recovery footwear brand has given more than 2,000 pairs of shoes to healthcare workers at nearly 20 hospitals across the country.
In an effort to protect the most vulnerable members of its Vermont and Virginia communities from the spread of COVID-19, Orvis is making face masks and shields for local nonprofits and healthcare professionals.
In coordination with the office of Colorado governor Jared Polis, Osprey’s pack-repair team in Cortez has shifted its focus to sewing masks for local medical workers and first responders.
Outdoor Voices is compensating its retail employees who work in the brand’s 11 U.S. stores while the pandemic keeps those locations temporarily closed.
The bag maker is donating $10 from the sale of every Pakt One bag to Direct Relief, a nonprofit providing medical and personal protective equipment to health care workers around the world.
The maker of protective phone capsules is donating $25,000 worth of product to medical personnel and first responders to help prevent the spread of the virus through their devices. The company also will donate one capsule to those on the front lines for every one sold.
Phunkshun Wear, a Denver-based winter face mask manufacturer, is making protective personal hygiene face masks for the public. For every mask sold, the company is donating one to the Colorado Mask Project, which is working with the state to distribute masks to essential workers and vulnerable community members.
For every product sold on their website, merino-sock maker Point6 is donating $1. Donations will be split between two community response funds in Colorado, where the brand is headquartered, and Tennessee, where their warehouse is located.
Polygiene is making face masks treated with their ViralOff technology, which the company says can neutralize more than 99 percent of viruses and bacteria present on its surface within two hours.
Ten locations managed by the North American ski resort company have donated food to employees and food banks. They’ve also provided protective equipment to frontline workers, including several donations to Googles for Docs. SilverStar Resort in British Columbia opened their housing facilities to use by local women’s shelters. In Vermont, Killington is offering its lodging up for use by a local hospital.
The fishing gear manufacturer is making and distributing protective equipment and supplies, including face shields and hand sanitizer, to medical workers on the front lines in Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
Public Thread is making protective face masks for healthcare professionals. Though masks are currently on backorder under April 17, the upcycled bag company is also accepting donations to help cover the costs of mask production.
Since transitioning to manufacturing face masks on March 30, Ragged Mountain has cut more than 7,000 masks and donated about 25 percent of the products to first responders in New Hampshire.
The gear repair company is now focusing its production on making surgical masks for healthcare workers.
During the month of May, training app Zwift is putting on the Tour For All, a multi-stage virtual bike tour that will raise funds for the Doctors Without Borders COVID-19 relief fund. Cycling apparel brand Rapha collaborated with Zwift to create merchandise for the tour. All profits will benefit the relief fund.
Though most of REI’s retail employees will be furloughed without pay for 90 days starting April 15, the company will continue to pay for health benefits and will cover premiums. The company’s CEO, Eric Artz, and REI board members have forfeited their salaries and fees for the next six months, and senior executives will take a 20 percent pay cut.
Ripclear, which manufactures protective films for goggles, sunglasses, and electronics, is making and selling protective face shields.
Climbing gym equipment maker Rockstar Volumes is making more than 2,000 face shields for local first responders and healthcare workers in Avon, Massachusetts. Customers can purchase a face shield for a first responder for $3, and all proceeds will go toward the company’s face shield production. (Rockstar Volumes is also offering 20 percent off hangboards to help facilitate at-home workouts.)
Bike-wheel maker Roval Components launched a profit-sharing program to help their retailers impacted by the pandemic.
The gear maker is shifting production at its headquarters in France to manufacture face masks.
Clog maker Sanita will donate $10 for every pair of shoes purchased on its website and $5 for every new sign-up to its email list through the end of April. The proceeds will go to #GetUsPPE and the James Beard Foundation, which are both working to help those impacted by the pandemic.
This Arizona brewing company is turning more than 16,000 gallons of beer that would have gone to bars and restaurants into 400 gallons of medical-grade hand sanitizer. The sanitizer will be donated to HonorHealth and the City of Chandler and be available for purchase to customers ordering SanTan takeout, pickup, or delivery.
Canadian-based Saxx has donated 300 pairs of underwear to healthcare workers at Lions Gate Hospital in Vancouver and will soon begin donating to three other hospitals. Front-line workers can also receive 30 percent off all Saxx products.
Scott Sports has donated 3,800 pairs of goggles to Goggles for Docs.
Shaggy’s has transitioned from making skis to manufacturing face and eye shields for healthcare workers. The company also plans to donate 20,000 face shields to the Michigan Supply Bank. Customers can help by donating to the GoFundMe.
Instead of manufacturing fishing waders, Bozeman-based Simms is now making reusable gowns for medical workers.
The Seattle snack company donated more than 16,000 units of its snacks to frontline workers and to Food Lifeline, a Western Washington affiliate of Feeding America.
As part of its collaboration with Jason Momoa, gym climbing equipment-maker So Ill is selling fabric face masks. A portion of the proceeds will go to First Responders Children’s Foundation and 1Climb, a partner of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
The snowboard binding company is now manufacturing plastic parts for 3D-printed adjustable filtration Montana Masks. So far, 13,000 masks have been delivered to the Billings Clinic and associated hospitals in Montana.
Bike manufacturer Specialized is partnering with Transportation Alternatives to donate bikes to essential workers in New York City. Specialized is encouraging people to donate their own used bike to essential workers through Bike Match. Customers can purchase bikes to donate or make monetary donations through the Specialized website. Essential workers in need of transportation can fill out this form to request a bike. Update: By leveraging the company’s connections, Specialized CEO Mike Sinyard has helped donate more than 40,000 protective face masks to hospitals in New York City, and has a goal of sending one million masks to frontline medical workers.
Prescription eyewear retailer SportRx is teaming up with Goggles for Docs to provide prescription inserts to medical workers who received free eye protection through the program. Inserts can be ordered here.
Underwear maker Stanfield’s will soon begin producing 100,000 medical gowns each week—2.6 million in total—for healthcare workers throughout Canada.
Fishing apparel maker STLHD is donating all proceeds from its social distancing shirt to #GetUsPPE. So far, the company has donated more than $10,000 to the organization, with a goal of $20,000.
Winter hat retailer Stormy Kromer has about two-thirds of its staff making 2,000 medical face masks each day. The company expects to soon create a hospital gown prototype to distribute as well.
For every pair of sunglasses sold, eyewear maker Sunski is making and donating one pair of protective medical goggles to a healthcare professional.
Superfeet is using its 3-D printers, which usually produce components for insoles, to make parts for protective hoods.
The maker of DownTek water-repellent down is producing 5,000 fabric masks per day out of its Cincinnati factory.
For every pair of its Aspire Twelve compression socks purchased, Swiftwick will donate one pair to medical professionals and hospital staff. The company will also give another pair of socks for every $5 donation collected on its website.
A manufacturing facility in Brevard, North Carolina, that usually designs and manufactures SylvanSport’s outdoor gear and trailers is now producing protective equipment for medical workers, including N95 masks, Tyvek protective suits, medical tents, face shields, counter guards, and foot-operated door openers.
Tailwind Nutrition has donated thousands of single-serve packets of its Endurance Fuel mix to hospitals in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Durango, Colorado. The company is also accepting and matching donations on its website, which will go towards sending more of its product to hospitals.
The Taos Ski Valley Foundation donated $25,000 to the Fund for Taos, which is supporting local nonprofits working in the fight against COVID-19. Taos Ski Valley has donated to local food banks and is participating in Goggles for Docs.
The men’s workout-apparel maker is donating ten percent of its profits over 30 days to 30 independently owned gyms that closed due to COVID-19.
Tentcraft is making pop-up mobile tent infirmaries and drive-through tents for COVID-19 screenings. It is also producing cots for patients and partitions for medical workers’ safety.
Helmet maker Thousand is giving away free helmets to bike couriers delivering essential supplies during the crisis. Those in need can contact taylor@explorethousand.com to receive their free helmet.
Canada-based stand-up paddle board manufacturer Timberless is donating ten percent of profits to Partners In Health Canada’s COVID-19 fund.
The apparel company is providing financial assistance to its physical retailers via revenue sharing. Customers making purchases online can enter location-specific codes to direct profits to their local store.
Travel baggage manufacturer Tom Bihn has halted its regular manufacturing and committed its entire production capacity to making surgical-style masks for healthcare workers.
Colorado-based gear maker Topo Designs pledged to donate 10,000 masks to the Colorado Mask Project. The face coverings are also available for pre-order.
School closures and quarantines mean that more Americans will go hungry. To help, Under Armour is donating $1 million to Feeding America, which distributes food to children who rely on school meals and delivers emergency food boxes to food banks in need.
After the COVID-19 outbreak forced the closure of its 34 North American resorts, the ski area giant donated 50,000 pounds of food to food banks, schools, and community organizations near its locations. The CEO of Vail Resorts, Robert Katz, and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, also donated $2.5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts in mountain communities. The bulk of the donation will go to local organizations in those communities, while the remaining $1 million will establish a new fund dedicated to assisting Vail Resorts employees.
Cycling apparel brand Velocio will donate 100 percent of the profits from sales of its 2020 Unity Jersey to three non-profits that are working to curb the impact of COVID-19: Save the Children, Project C.U.R.E., and The Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Vermont Glove is putting its employees to work making fabric masks for hospitals and consumers. It has also contracted home sewers in the state who may have lost their jobs to help with the effort.
VF Corp (the parent company of Altra, Dickies, Eagle Creek, Icebreaker, Smartwool, The North Face, and others)
The VF Foundation has pledged $1.5 million to three funds focused on COVID-19 relief. It will also double-match donations made through the brand’s Global Giving page, up to an additional $500,000. Update: Workwear brand Dickies, in partnership with its parent company, is manufacturing FDA-compliant isolation gowns for healthcare workers across the U.S. The organizations expect to make and deliver 50,000 gowns in the month of May, up to 675,000 gowns by June, and up to 3.4 million by September.
Through the end of April, 5 percent of all sales of Welly’s Prepared Kit with Hand Sanitizer will be donated to Feeding America.
The dog-gear brand is making its first product for humans: fabric face masks. For each sold, they will donate one to a local healthcare worker through Masks for Heroes Montana.
With its regular manufacturing currently on hold, Western Mountaineering is making face masks and other protective equipment for local healthcare workers in San Jose, California.
Wintergreen Northern Wear is making cloth masks for healthcare workers in Northern Minnesota.
Yellowstone Club, Moonlight Basin, Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, and Big Sky Resort Area District
The Big Sky Resort Area District, in partnership with the Yellowstone Club, Moonlight, and Spanish Peaks community foundations, created the Big Sky Relief Fund. It has raised $2 million to help small businesses, employees, and families, as well as the Big Sky Medical Center as its staff treats patients with COVID-19.
Zeal Optics is donating goggles to hospitals in Colorado and Southern California as part of the Goggles for Docs initiative.
Correction: (Apr 16, 2020) The story has been updated to reflect that L.L. Bean is currently only making masks for medical providers in Maine, and not for other states. Outside regrets the error.
CREDIT: Maren Larsen and Maura Fox