Spring 2017 LAND Trends

BEXAR Goods, the adventure-based lifestyle company, originated as an outlet to create leather products that the founders wanted to use themselves. Their vision is to create carry goods products that can journey the world with you, and develop character and charm from the environment and adventures they experience with you. They believe in ruggedness, simplicity, durability and timelessness. BEXAR Goods is the creative collaboration of a small team of craftsmen based in Bexar County, Texas, the heart of the Texas Hill Country, an area with a rich heritage in leather use for outdoor travel. While their roots are based in Central Texas, their vision and inspiration are drawn from cultures around the world. BEXARGoods.com

In early 2011, Zora’s family started to learn about Gluten-Free, Paleo and Primal food. They just didn’t feel good about feeding the typical sugary, grain-filled snacks on the market to their kids! Jerky proved no better. So many jerky snacks contain nitrites, nitrates and MSG, and all of them are just too tough and too salty. When we’re hungry, our bodies crave lasting energy: something substantial, savory and nutritious. Nothing on the market lived up to that standard. Beginning in 2013, they created their own alternative. At home, they always considered meat and vegetables a complete meal. So they started to mix and dehydrate 100% grass-fed beef from a local rancher along with fresh vegetables from their garden. They discovered that they could make super tasty meat and veggie snacks that their family really enjoyed! Their kids started sharing their beef and veggie snacks with their friends at school. Soon many of their friends insisted they start a business to sell them and they listened! They now make their meat and veggie bars in their own fully USDA-certified kitchen just outside Fort Collins, Colorado. WildZora.com

Matador was born in a 10’x10’ San Francisco bedroom in 2014 when they stumbled on a trend; people sitting outside on their coats or lugging bulky blankets across town to the parks and beaches. Matador felt there had to be a better solution, and that’s when the Matador Pocket Blanket was born. What started as a pocket-sized blanket that unfolds to seat four became a passion for designing and developing packable adventure gear. It’s a totally new category that they’re introducing to the world. Their mission is to make your travels and adventures more convenient through high-quality packable gear. Quickly outgrowing that San Francisco bedroom, the company relocated to colorful Boulder, Colorado, in 2015. Matador believes in staying true to their roots, and Boulder is an adventure mecca. They use the local mountains, rivers and plains as their testing grounds and feel there’s no better place for it. Every team member is passionate about the outdoors, travel and adventure, and this passion translates into well-designed, thoroughly-tested, highly-capable products that you can depend on. MatadorUp.com

Wilderness Coffee was born from a passion for the outdoors and enjoying a coffee in those epic landscapes. They love our planet, and want to always make sure they are doing their part to make it a better place. Because of this, that they promise to plant one tree for every bag sold. At Wilderness Coffee, they are committed to offer only 100% organic, fair trade coffee. All of their coffee is roasted weekly in small batches, and they always guarantee their coffee’s freshness. Whether you are out in the back country or a weekend warrior enjoying their coffee at home, they want you to share your love for coffee and the wilderness with them. Each time you brew their coffee, they want to take you back to your best memories. Wilderness Coffee even allows you to try their coffee for free! Visit their website to order your free bag today. WildernessCoffee.co

Backwoods Decoy Systems (BDS) is a waterfowl company, run by waterfowl hunters, for waterfowl hunters. BDS produces high-quality decoy weight systems at a reasonable price. Their product is field tested and proven under some of the worst wind, rain and snow western Kentucky can throw at you. At BDS they produce tangle-free, easily deployed and retrieved decoy weight systems. No more early mornings of knotted decoy strings, no more frustrating decoy bags and most importantly no more wet, cold hands. BackwoodsDecoySystems.com

Long Hollow Ranch (LHR) is a guest ranch and year-round bed and breakfast with good old fashioned values. The remodeled 110-year-old ranch house welcomes you to historic Central Oregon. The friendly ranch-style atmosphere, the cozy guest rooms and home-cooked meals satisfy and refresh hungry and tired guests. They cater to small groups, business retreats and weddings. Explore the ranch on horseback or hike the bordering high desert rim rock. Fish to your heart’s content in the ranch reservoirs or spend a relaxing afternoon reading on the veranda, pitching horseshoes in the yard by the campfire or practicing your roping skills. Easy to access, yet tucked away off the beaten path, LHR is a rustic oasis waiting to be discovered. The ranch is located on the Sisters to Terrebonnne Cycle Trail. LHRanch.com

The Cowboy Hat Book, written by Ritch Rand and William C. Reynolds, features an impressive array of cowboy hats, showcasing the wide variety of styles, colors and fabrics used to create the cowboy hat, now a symbol of America and western culture that is recognized all over the world. Beginning with a brief history of the cowboy hat, the authors go on to explain the building of the perfect hat, its care and feeding, hat etiquette, hat hair and more. Beautiful photos of real cowboys and movie cowboys sporting their trademark hats illustrate how creases, brims, shapes, and trims are unique to the individual who wears each hat. The Cowboy Hat Book celebrates the history and importance of this unique piece of clothing that hasn’t fundamentally changed in more than 100 years. Ritch Rand’s family has been making handcrafted hats for over 20 years. His hats have rested on dozens of famous heads—from presidents to kings and heads of state to movie stars. He lives in Billings, Montana. William Reynolds is president and CEO of the marketing, PR and advertising agency Banning Company, Inc. The company has a special division that services the western and equine industries. He lives in Malibu, California. RandHats.com/cowboy-hat-book.cfm

Ruffwear’s mission is to build dog gear to enhance and inspire exploration for outdoor adventurers and their human companions. That mission has stood the test of time…and they continually strive to design and build gear for dogs that allows our four-legged friends to accompany us on our shared adventures, all while providing a level of safety and comfort in the great outdoors. Because Ruffwear is inspired by their outdoor pursuits—backpacking, skiing, river running, mountain biking—it’s natural for them to utilize fabrics, hardware, materials and construction processes that have been proven in the environment they live for and play in. Their dogs (as well as inspired individuals, just like you, with “professional” canine testers) put their products through the paces, providing valuable feedback that motivates and drives Ruffwear’s continuous product development. At the end of the day, Ruffwear believes it is the amazing connection with our dogs, and their ability to motivate us to get out and explore, that makes all the hard work worth the effort. Dogs encourage us to follow our nose just to see where the experience takes us. They improve our health, our lives, and our outlook…and ask for little in return. Combine a dog’s appetite for exploration with the right equipment, and you’ll be prepared for yet another grand adventure. Ruffwear.com

Take your camping excursion to the next level with the Hydro Hammock. Made in Oregon, this hammock doubles as a hot tub. “People love lounging in hammocks, and people love soaking in hot tubs, and finally the two have become one,” said Andrew Liszewski at Gizmodo. The Hydro Hammock is constructed with industry-leading, high-quality materials and is designed to hold up to your life’s adventures. The ultra-strong material can handle soap suds, salt water and up to 750 pounds of cargo. The Hydro Heater that’s used to heat the water is just as rad as a portable shower, as it is a heating system for the hammock and they supply you with a shower head too! HydroHammock.com