‘Unprecedented Threat': Outdoor Brands to Raise Prices If Trump Tariffs Continue

Yahoo

23-05-2025

Cotopaxi. Wild Rye. Hydro Flask. Adidas. Osprey. What do these outdoor brands have in common? They're all telling their customers that President Donald Trump's tariffs will mean higher prices on outdoor gear.
Since Trump raised taxes on imports from around the world, especially China, the U.S. economy has struggled to adjust to a new trade reality. That includes many of the biggest brands in the outdoor industry, which have begun speaking out about the impact of Trump's ongoing trade war on their bottom line.
Over the last week, all the brands named above have warned their customers to expect higher prices on their shoes, apparel, packs, and other outdoor gear. Many of them make and ship those products from China, where Trump's combined tariffs can reach 145% for U.S. imports.
Several of the brands above still haven't raised prices. But if Trump doesn't pull back on the tariffs soon, prices will have to go up, they said.
'As of today, duties (aka tariffs) for our goods have gone from 30% to 159%,' Wild Rye founder Cassie Abel said in a statement. 'While the exact numbers and timelines are still evolving, the TLDR version is that if these stick, manufacturing apparel will get more expensive in the near future, making it harder for smaller businesses like ours to stay competitive and for consumers to access the quality products they love at fair prices.'
Many brands have announced a future of higher-priced gear. However, few of those companies are willing to say just how expensive things could get. That's because making plans is difficult in such an uncertain political environment, according to adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden.
Despite a 'volatile environment,' adidas reported double-digit growth in the first quarter of 2025, Gulden said in a statement. But he still couldn't justify increasing the financial outlook for adidas for the rest of the year.
'Given the uncertainty around the negotiations between the U.S. and the different exporting countries, we do not know what the final tariffs will be,' Gulden said. 'Therefore, we cannot make any 'final' decisions on what to do.'
'Cost increases due to higher tariffs will eventually cause price increases, not only in our sector, but it is currently impossible to quantify these or to conclude what impact this could have on the consumer demand for our products.'
The impact of Trump's tariffs is much greater on medium and smaller brands than on corporate giants like adidas.
Executives at Helen of Troy, parent company of Osprey and Hydro Flask, have said that the chaotic trade policies of the U.S. mean the company can no longer forecast 2026 fiscal results. As a result, it's abandoning its long-term strategy, according to a news release on the company's website.
Many smaller, growing brands — like Outdoor Element, an outdoor knives and multitool maker — are already reducing their workforce and pausing production, Shop Eat Surf x Outdoor reported. And Jen Rainnie, CEO of Canada-based outdoor brand Malvados, said she's had to pause nearly all wholesale orders from China to the U.S.
'The level of uncertainty right now is overwhelming — especially with the lack of clear, consistent information to help us navigate the situation,' she told Shop Eat Surf x Outdoor.
Outdoor industry executives plan to voice their concerns to Congress this week through a Capitol Summit organized by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). That includes Cotopaxi CEO Lindsay Shumlas. In a letter to customers, she wrote that she would lobby Congress 'to help legislators understand the impacts of tariffs to businesses, products, and people.'
OIA President Kent Ebersole agreed that the 'stakes remain high' for the outdoor industry. In a letter posted on the OIA website, Ebersole wrote that trade instability and threats to public lands represent 'unprecedented threats.'
'The challenges our industry faces are putting existential pressure on businesses,' Ebersole wrote. 'That's why our focus now is urgent and business-critical. Whether we're calling for balanced trade policy, stronger protections for public lands, or a well-resourced federal workforce to steward the places we love, we're not just advocating — we're shaping the future of the outdoor industry.'
Outdoor brands aren't the only U.S. industry calling for immediate changes to Trump's trade policy. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Trump's policies regarding the trade war with China 'unsustainable' and expected a 'de-escalation,' he told The Associated Press this week.
It remains unclear, however, if Trump will actually pull back. And telling customers that Trump's tariffs are raising prices comes with its own risk of reprisals. When anonymous reports surfaced that e-commerce giant Amazon would display the exact cost of tariff-related price increases alongside its products, the White House responded immediately. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it a 'hostile and political act.'
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and a prominent backer of Trump's 2024 campaign, denied any plans to display increased prices from the tariffs.
Outdoor Industry Confronts 'Scary' Future of Higher Tariffs