Nature has a lot to teach us. Whether you’re climbing a peak 20 miles into a wilderness or experiencing the power of a mountain storm, one thing is for sure it’s a Vital part of a healthy life.

Spending time outdoors improves our lives physically, mentally and emotionally by allowing us to disconnect from tech, push ourselves physically to remember just how comfortable our lives are, marvel at the intricacies of nature, focus on the now and spend undisrupted time with those we care about. Now more than ever, things keep us from getting outside, yet now more than ever, we need to get outside.

When you're headed into the intensity of nature, having high performing ultralight gear is inspiring. It helps you go farther while staying safe and comfortable. It empowers you to go where you haven't gone before.

Outdoor Vitals was founded for this purpose. We tenaciously pursue the design of performance ultralight gear and sell it directly to you without the extra fees of investors, middlemen or retail markups so you can spend more time outdoors pushing, learning and growing.

By changing from the traditional way of doing business & selling directly to you we cut 40-50% out of the price tag of products sold through retail stores. We then turn around and invest those savings into building a better product so you know when you head to the mountains you have gear with you that is uncompromising in quality and design. Gear that will keep you comfortable and never limit you.

We take the harder path of business to better connect you to the Vital Outdoors.

Just like every story, day 1 was 23 years in the making. Tayson Whittaker, our founder & owner, grew up in rural Utah spending tons of time outdoors. As he entered college and started to push the limits of both his body and gear through bigger outdoor adventures, he quickly saw the problems his budget gear was having. He realized pretty quickly that 50 gallon trash bags with head and arm holes cut in them weren’t the best rain jackets for what he wanted to do anymore…

Tayson saved up & bought some better gear and it changed his life forever. He realized that the outdoors didn’t have to be cold, wet, and at times - miserable. Great gear changed everything.

From that moment on, performance ultralight gear was his obsession. He wanted to learn all he could to go lighter and more comfortably in the backcountry so he could spend more time there and go further. Spending time outside was so important to him that as he learned he also wanted to share and help others.

So in 2014, with nothing except a dream and his own $500 investment, he started Outdoor Vitals. The goal? To build industry-leading ultralight gear, sell it directly to consumers without middlemen, stay true to his purpose by avoiding investors, and inspire customers through education and transparency.

A decade later Outdoor Vitals has award-winning gear, works with industry-leading manufacturing partners, is still investor free, and continues to innovate how business can be done. OV has shipped over 100,000 packages around the world and has inspired 100s of thousands through video and podcast content.

Despite lots of growth and success, the goal has remained the same: to inspire and help people to spend more time connecting to the Vital Outdoors.