Collection: Same Outdoors, Different Mission.

The OR Tactical Team understands oftentimes the environment itself poses as significant a threat as the tactical objective and having the right gear designed to combat the elements and augment the skillsets required to maneuver in an operational environment, drastically increases chances of mission success.

Arriving at the Outdoor Research HQ and factory in Seattle in the early morning, you’re greeted by the sounds of machinery, and the friendly faces of skilled seamstresses and engineers – many of whom have been at OR since its inception. It is here, coupled with a second factory in El Monte California, where OR Tactical produces the most functional and durable outdoor products designed specifically for the needs of the tactical community.

At the same Seattle facility, you’ll also find the OR Tactical Team. A small, dedicated team comprised of former military and outdoor enthusiasts who understand the job requirements firsthand, alongside engineers with years of experience working in conjunction with the Department of Defense's (DoD) research and development arms. Their expertise combined with advanced, civilian-focused outdoor technology is what allows the OR Tactical team to meet the needs of the unique and varied challenges that militaries and elite end users across the world face in their specific operational environments.

But at the core of that purpose, is a story of failure—one that harkens back to the very genesis of Outdoor Research.

In 1981, Ron Gregg—a brilliant nuclear physicist and skilled adventurer—could only watch as his longtime partner suffered frost bite and had to be airlifted off a glacier during a summit attempt of Denali. The culprit that derailed his meticulously planned mission? A simple pair of boot gaiters. Failures often teach us the most—an experience perhaps even more common in military operations—but being the pragmatic individual Ron was, he was inspired to never let it happen again. Frustrated with the current state of equipment he felt was lackluster for the environments he found himself in, he came down from the mountain and got to work creating what would become OR.

The first product Ron Gregg designed under his newly created company was a gaiter he could trust. It was an innovative solution directed at a specific problem. That approach, all these years later, is how the OR Tactical Team still operates —working backwards from the problems our end users bring to us. What began as providing handwear and gaiter solutions for the Marine Mountain Warfare Center in 1994, quickly bloomed into a 30 year symbiotic relationship across multiple branches and commands, including SOCOM, USARAK, U.S. Air Force, USMC, Secret Service, FBI, and NATO allies around the world.

The smallest things are frequently the most important. Minor details have a way of compounding into major problems. It’s why military and tactical training is often focused on engraining the importance of cleaning your kit and weapon, maintaining uniform standards and caring about the seemingly trivial facets of the job.

The US SOCOM community and other elite agencies are renowned for their planning capability, training, and ability to adjust on the fly. Yet despite their incredible adaptability, it is often the gear they rely on that introduces chaos first.

At the core of Ron Gregg’s Denali story is a spotlight on the importance of unfailing gear. If his personal endeavor had been a military operation and turning around wasn’t an option, what would the consequences have been? Going a man down, missing a time hack, or an entire team not reaching their objective could cause copious amounts of flexing across the battle space to make up for it. Massive disruption of manpower and resources…potentially all over something as simple as a boot gaiter.

Having tactical gear perfectly curated to not just the domain, but the phase of the operation becomes as important as any other facet of planning. From breathable and moisture wicking layers designed specifically for long infils, to proper insulation and waterproof membranes designed to withstand long days laying down in an observation post.

It’s an unfortunate reality that much of the tactical gear issued and bought by our armed forces often falls far short of the environment’s realities– much like Ron Gregg’s options at the time. Gear being issued to soldiers often sits in a closet until they leave base, just hoping CIF will take it back without too much fuss. Before long, the military started looking to the civilian outdoor sector for modern solutions. It wasn’t uncommon for ODA and other SOCOM teams to put personal and government funds to use at their local outfitters like REI before being deployed. The commercial outdoor industry was simply ahead, technology and material wise.

In the 33 years since Ron Gregg came down from Denali, what began as a small team siloed to a small room focusing purely on government contracts has undergone numerous transformations. In its most modern iteration, our approach has adapted with our end user. Broadening our scope, but without losing touch with the on the ground needs. Leveraging and incorporating the professionalism and insight from every department and division under the OR umbrella. While the core team remains purposefully small to maintain our connection and response time to the customer, the product and approach has become an amalgamation of insight.

The OR Tactical team has taken the hard-fought lessons learned in our home mountains and varied environments of the Pacific Northwest and combined it with understanding of specific operational problems. The team understands it is often the case that the skills required to simply maneuver in and around an objective are rooted in similar teachings. If your hands are cold, you can’t properly belay your partner and you can’t properly operate your weapon system. A jacket failing to vent enough moisture puts you at risk of hypothermia, whether your goal was summiting Mt. Rainier for fun, or moving into an overwatch position.

Since the first OR Tactical contract dating back to 1994, all the way up to the most recent U.S. Army Cold Weather Glove System and U.S. Air Force Combat Ready Airman contracts. Outdoor Research understands that our men and women in uniform need reliable, dependable, and durable gear that meets stringent performance requirements and specifications. Outdoor Research is uniquely positioned to achieve and maintain the performance, quality, and delivery cycle required by our DoD customers by owning their factories.

The mission of OR Tactical is to serve those who serve. To remove the environment as a factor. To become solution providers. To design a product line that serves everybody from active-duty forces, SOCOM units, to local, state and federal agencies, and to then take it a step further and continue serving those who have moved on from the uniform. Those that grew up being taught and trained on a certain type of gear and want to continue using a brand that they trust as they move on from operating and into more casual hobbies or enjoying time in the mountains with their family.

The Tactical Team at OR feels incredibly lucky to have the relationship we have with our community , and we look forward to continuing to grow together.

Same Outdoors. Different Mission.