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Colorado Trail thru-hiker Julianne Mahoney knew she was on to something when fellow backpackers started offering to buy her pack right off of her back. It’s an odd proposition to receive on-trail, but not surprising: Mahoney’s self-made pack, ultralight in construction and plastered with an eye-catching purple floral pattern, was hard to miss.
If you’re a dedicated ultralight hiker, chances are your gear closet is heavy on shades of black, gray, and brown. Ultralight gear is, by and large, a serious affair. Mahoney, 27, found the lack of color and personality boring.
“I usually look like a walking box of crayons. I like things to be fun and joyful,” she says. So when she started her own cottage gear brand, Wild Brush, she knew that earth tones weren’t the answer. Fresh out of college, Mahoney set about crafting hip packs, chalk bags, and climbing packs in the bright colors that she preferred. Soon, her products were selling out. She hired a few local sewists to keep up with demand.
Mahoney’s Colorado Trail thru-hike served as an entry point into designing ultralight gear. After two years of tweaks and prototyping, a fully-fledged trekking pack, the Glow 45, was born. There are seven different prints on offer, each inspired by the natural world and created by artist Lauren Echo. The new pack retails for $350.
“I wanted landscapes of mountains and flowers, something that is bright and soulful,” Mahoney says. One bright orange print is inspired by California poppy fields. Another is a watercolor-esque reproduction of a landscape in Capitol Reef National Park.
For Mahoney, bold colors aren’t just an aesthetic choice, but a source of confidence and comfort. “I wasn’t raised in the outdoors, so when I started backpacking I felt really out of place and uncomfortable,” she says. “If you feel good in what you have, or you’re wearing a sun hoodie that’s your favorite color, you just relax a little bit more and enjoy yourself.”
Mahoney says she had reservations about joining the ranks of the cottage ultralight community. “I definitely had doubts. [The ultralight community] is like, all men. I’ve had experiences where men would come up to me and ask: ‘Why would anyone want this?’” she says. “But I always sell out. I do really well at markets. I have so much support from people of all gender identities.”
Although the splashy prints are front and center, Mahoney’s gear-making ethos goes beyond aesthetics. At the top of the priority list is what she calls an “anatomical” fit, and one that is specifically designed for hikers that other ultralight brands might not serve very well.
“I personally am trying to focus on creating packs geared towards people with curvy bodies, people with more feminine bodies,” she says. “A lot of packs just don’t fit our bodies well.”
One example that Mahoney cites is sizing. When prototyping her pack, Mahoney surveyed more than 300 potential gear testers and found that a majority of them needed a pack with a torso length shorter than 16 inches, which is the smallest size many brands offer.
To dial in fit, Wild Brush packs are made-to-order. Customers provide torso, bust, and hip measurements to determine sizing. There are two shoulder straps options; Mahoney recommends the S-straps for people with larger chests. Other options include an array of pockets, ice axe loops, and a few novel features, like reinforced hipbelt loops to attach a dog leash and a snap to affix a Kula Cloth. Gram-counters can opt to forego most features, including the hip belt and side bottle pockets.
Wild Brush doesn’t skimp on the technical chops that ultralighters look for, either. The packs are made from EXP200, a fully recycled laminate fabric from Challenge Outdoors that’s similar to X-Pac (the bottom panel is EXP400, for extra durability). The stretch pockets use Eco Venom mesh, which uses a UHMWPE ripstop to avoid tears.
In Mahoney’s view, the Glow 45’s technical features aren’t at odds with the bold color schemes. Everything is rooted in practicality.
“Cute is a function,” she argues. “Gear is way more functional if it’s something that I actually enjoy wearing.”
Wild Brush’s growing popularity is proof that Mahoney isn’t the only one happy to stand out on the trail. “We all want to fit in and be taken seriously,” she says. “But I’ve realized that I don’t care if people don’t think I’m a serious hiker because I have a purple backpack with matching purple shorts. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone—on the trail or behind the sewing machine.”