Big Gear Show 23: Moosejaw Accelerator

Moosejaw Accelerator

The 2023 Big Gear Show in Denver introduced us to a really cool program. The Moosejaw Accelerator is the initiative developed by Moosejaw to help new, small, and start-up business in the outdoor space.

This year, over 100 businesses applied for the accelerator program which is based in Gunnison, Colorado and partners with IceLabs, INC. Of the 100 businesses that applied, the list was narrowed down to ten finalists. Finally, four winners were chosen.

The four winners then get mentored by Moosejaw and other industry experts in areas such as marketing, accounting, legal and more. All to try help small business get off on the right foot. A cool opportunity and nice way for Moosejaw to give back. I got to meet the four winners and learn more about their products and wanted to share that with you!

WNDR Outdoors

WNDR Outdoors is meant to allow more inclusivity in the outdoors for all sizes of adventurers. The company was created by Kara and Arwen and their first target product is a comfortable pair of pants for the hiking ladies. The two met at an “Unlikely Hiker” event and started working together to create a product to help other hikers be comfortable in the outdoors. I really enjoyed speaking to both of them and seeing how excited they were to not only about the product but to help others enjoy the outdoors as much as they do!

The pants have a stretch top and will be available in larger sizes. The pants will have two different fits, a booty fit and a belly fit. I loved that the WNDR team took into account that people all carry their weight in different areas and are finding a way to focus the fits to the different body styles.

WNDR is going to launch a kick starter in September of 2023 and be available for preorder with a goal of full production in the first quarter of 2024.

Fernweh Food Co.

The Fernweh Food Co. was established in 2019 in Portland, Oregon and features gluten free and vegetarian meals that are “Damn Delicious”.

Fernweh Food has an assortment of cook in the bag meals that are made by a group of three ladies in Portland. The bags are also made to be biodegradable in just 9 months. They suggest that you put the bag right in your compost pile!

I got a chance to taste the southwest stew which was really good. The stew is made with sweet potatoes and has a really nice spice to it. (Some of these bag meals can be bland but this was full of flavor!) Fernweh was even awarded the best backpack dinner by Backpacker Magazine. The meals are available now for purchase.

On a side note, I want to give a shoutout to the display that Fernweh put on at the convention. Their bags are super clean and easy to read. They also had samples of the meals in glass jars so people could see and smell the options and even cooked up meal samples on the consumer days of the show.

Coastal Range Equipment

The Coastal Range Equipment entry was an ultralight, high performance camp stove that is perfect for the backpackers out there.

The Coastal Range Stove weighs in at 9 ounces for a 1.2 liter capacity stove. Each element then fits within the pot to minimize the space in the pack. It is designed to be convenient without losing out of any of the functionality. The stove is also built with a bit of a minimalist approach with the goal of using the bare minimum of material. Giving you everything you need and want in a stove without adding any extra weight or space.

I got to speak with the owner and designer of Coastal Range Equipment and it was great to hear the dedication he took in the design process and the passion he had in making a high quality, ultralight stove.

Near Zero

The Near Zero concept is very cool. Especially for someone like me who is looking into taking a first backpacking trip. Near Zero is an all in one kit that gives you everything that you might need on a backpacking trip. However, instead of buying each piece individually, Near Zero has put it all together in a full kit.

The kit comes with a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, stove, first aid kit, and everything else that you would need to have a successful trip out into the woods. The kit and backpack are customizable as well depending on needs.

With so many people finding their way to the outdoors over the last few years, the Near Zero takes the guess work out of what might be needed. I thought this was a really cool way to make people safe and comfortable in the outdoors and a really exciting new product that is already available and on the market.

Wrapping up the Moosejaw Accelerator

This was such a great thing to see. The Moosejaw Accelerator program is helping to take these small business and giving them the tools to be successful. The passion and drive was so apparent in each of the businesses that were at the show. The products are well thought out, innovative, and unique. The owners were all excited to talk about their passion projects and full of energy.

Without the Moosejaw Accelerator, who knows if I would have had a chance to meet any of them. I am so glad that Moosejaw made that a possibility. Plus, it is great that Moosejaw is taking an interest in helping the next wave of innovative outdoor products.

More from the Fatman

For a list of other products that I have reviewed you can check my Product Review page here. If you have any products you would like me to review or any comments you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!