LUNA Sandals was named the overall winner of the fifth-annual American Made Outdoor Gear Award. The award was announced during a ceremony at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Conceptualized and hosted by U.S. paddlesports manufacturer Kokatat Inc, the American Made Outdoor Gear Awards were open to all American manufacturers with a compelling story.
“We had another year of fantastic entries, but LUNA was a clear standout,” said Jeff Turner of Kokatat. “Like so many great brands, LUNA started in a garage, and they have embraced domestic manufacturing as a way to support their local community while growing their greater community.”
LUNA Sandals handcrafts its adventure sandals in Seattle, Wash.
“We are so proud to make the best sandals we can right in Seattle,” said Ted McDonald, LUNA founder. “As such a small company, we hope that winning the Sassy will inspire others to follow their passions because if you follow your heart anything is possible.”
As winners of the American Made Outdoor Gear Award, LUNA Sandals will take one-year ownership of the “Sassy” travelling trophy – a two-foot tall, hand carved, redwood Sasquatch from Humboldt County, CA.
Kokatat’s hosting of the awards is rooted in its own history, as the brand’s founder and president, Steve O’Meara, recognized from the start that keeping production local was necessary in order to control quality and continually develop the finest and driest paddling apparel in the world.
In addition to the overall winner, winners in several categories based on company size were also awarded. The category winners received a miniature version of the Sassy award during the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market celebration.
Category winners of the 2016 American Made Outdoor Gear awards include:
Under 10 Employees
Cleverhood of Providence, RI, a cycling cape manufacturer.
10 to 50 Employees
Frost River of Duluth, MN, a bag and durable goods manufacturer.
50-100 Employees
Rock Exotica of Orem, UT, a rock climbing gear manufacturer.
100+ Employees
Exxel Outdoors (www.exxel.com) of Boulder, CO, an outdoor gear manufacturer.
In the five years of the program the American Made Outdoor Gear Awards has received more than 300 entries from domestic manufacturers. Past overall winners have included Liberty Bottleworks, Benchmade Knives, Sterling Rope and Hyperlight Mountain Gear.
This year’s awards were presented in the Stormy Kromer booth during the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, Utah. The statues presented to the winners are hand carved by a local artisan near Kokatat’s headquarters in Arcata, Calif.
Pictured: Kokatat’s Jeff Turner presents Sassy to Luna Sandal’s Ted McDonald and Scott Suing
