For brands capitalizing on this niche, this has meant an arms race to “innovate”, with increasingly specific trail gear that ranges from the ridiculous to the ridiculously awesome. HOKA broke the billion-dollar mark in sales in 2022, and saw sales grow by 59% YOY in 2023, with trail and hike products helping lead the way. “HOKA was born on the trails and a notable amount of our growth can be attributed to our line of trail-specific footwear and apparel,” noted Jared Smith, the Global Product Line Manager for Performance Footwear at HOKA. Further, Henrique Nigro, of On, told me that their 45.5% increase in net sales last year was heavily driven by their Performance Outdoor vertical.
And it’s not just the juggernauts leading the charge. Smaller brands, like SATISFY and Ripton, have helped establish a sort of bizzaro dirtbag trail identity—premium products with a grungy ethos—in which one can fly the flag of their diehard dedication to their sport in the guise of a ripped cotton running tee, or performance denim bike pants. In the same way that surf culture helped popularize the sport in the mainstream eye, there is a rapidly emerging trail culture that is generating interest on both the fashion and performance front. Sell enough gorpcore and at least some folks are bound to use it for its intended purpose.
But there is also something about the allure of trails that the numbers can’t quite capture. There is, for lack of a better word, a vibe to trail sports that may be appealing to those looking for an earthier, hardier, more equitable exercise experience. “Sports like trail running and gravel cycling feel like the new frontier in the endurance world, and I think this is something that a lot of athletes are naturally attracted to,” explained Dirk Friel, the founder of the TrainingPeaks platform. “In many ways, gravel riding and trail running events offer a shared experience from the front of the pack to the back.”
