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As it turned out, YKK was also look-
ing to market to the U.S. government
and was planning to move production
of its AQUASEAL zipper to its facility in
Macon, Ga.
“We had foreseen a potential for the
AQUASEAL zipper in the U.S. Market
and brought the technology to our
Macon facility in order to offer the best
service and be close to our customers,”
said Mitch Hirose, national zipper mar-
keting manager for YKK.
Hopeful he had found his solution,
Buell submitted a purchase order, and
this past July YKK fulfilled its promise
to deliver the first AQUASEAL zippers
off its production line in Macon to Mad
Water’s facility in Commerce, Ga. The
end result is the fully submersible Mad
Water Waterproof USA Duffels.
“It was just the right time, right
place in Georgia to partner with Roc
Gear,” said Hirose. “They are our
memorial first U.S.-made AQUASEAL
customer, and we are very excited to
see their dream come true of bringing
production back to the U.S.”
Meanwhile, Buell was excited –
and somewhat surprised – that a
large and global supplier such as YKK
was so willing and eager to work with
what many would consider a very
small, niche Mad Water brand.
“They have been extremely accommo-
dating,” he said. “They’ve made the time
to work with me because they want to get
more invested in the outdoor industry.”
Of course, that excitement is some-
what overshadowed by the satisfac-
tion in accomplishing the mission of
manufacturing a waterproof duffel that
is “Made in the USA,” or possibly even
better, what that is “Made in Georgia.”
GO FROM SIDEWALK
TO SUMMIT WITH
CONFIDENCE
Check it out at
MADE IN MAINE, USA
WITH OUR MOST DYNAMIC HIKING CLEAT EVER.
THE NEWSTABILICERS XP
Thermore Unveils Smart Insulation
Similar to static insulations such
as down and polyfills, Thermore’s new
Thermal Booster smart insulation is
engineered to offer a consistent warmth
level under normal conditions. But as
temperatures start falling, the product
offers a thermal “boost” in insulating
value to maintain comfort, says the
company, allowing users to stay in the
comfort zone longer.
Thermore compares its smart in-
sulation to having a “heat pack” as
the temperature decreases, but unlike
a heat pack, Thermal Booster main-
tains its higher warmth for as long as
the temperature’s lower. If the tem-
perature increases, it automatically
re-tunes to the warmer temps, thus
keeping users in the comfort zone,
says the company.
According to Thermore, indepen-
dent test labs show that Thermal
Booster is more than 20 percent
warmer at lower temperatures, in this
case moving from 20 degrees Celsius
to minus-10 degrees Celsius.
InsideOutdoor | Fall 2015 39