It’s hard to throw away gear that kept you alive. Whether it’s a climber’s broken carabiner or a backpacker’s ruined boots, many outdoorsy folks romanticize their gear because it reminds them of past adventures — and got them home safe.
That’s never been more evident than with the recycled hip packs from an emerging San Diego brand called OutspireX. Founded by a married couple who fell in love with paragliding, the brand doesn’t just remake old wings into one-of-a-kind packs — it also tells the stories of how people used them to soar over vast landscapes.
“Paragliding is such a unique sport. Pilots trust their lives to some nylon and string, which in itself makes for an incredible experience,” OutspireX co-founder Priya Saran told GearJunkie. “But when you’re up there in the sky, you experience something that’s hard to put into words. We want to share these stories to show people how much this gear really means to us.”
7,000 Pounds of Wings
OutspireX was launched in fall 2025 by Saran and her wife, Priya Patel (yes, they both have the same first name). Their goal was simple: to take retired paragliders, or “wings,” and remake them into fashionable gear. That in itself is hardly unusual within the outdoor industry. These days, most brands try to incorporate sustainability or recycling into a broader business plan.
But “the two Priyas” wanted to take this idea a step further.
Instead of merely accepting old wings, they ask the original owners to provide a mini-biography of the wing’s life in the air. Most of the packs on the OutspireX site include links to a “Pilot Legacy” page that shows where the wings were flown, the pilot’s name, favorite places, a quote, and even photos from actual flights.
“Over the years, [this wing] gave possibly more than 2,000 people the opportunity to experience flight, with many of them seeing the sky in a completely different way afterward,” wrote pilot JC Perren, who donated a wing used for commercial paragliding flights at San Diego’s Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
Torrey Pines is also where Saran and Patel first tried paragliding in 2024. They immediately fell in love with the sport but quickly realized that the gear has a short lifespan. Most wings are only made to fly for 300-500 hours before UV rays degrade the material and make them unsafe for human flight. According to Saran and Patel’s research, that means about 7,000 pounds of paragliders become unsafe each year in the U.S. alone.
With no options except the landfill, many pilots just end up keeping their retired wings. One of the wings donated to OutspireX came from a pilot who held onto it for 27 years.
“As a pilot myself, I know I wouldn’t want to throw my wing away when it comes time to retire it, so I know just how much it means to others to have their wing transformed, their stories memorialized, and their legacy shared,” Saran said.
From Sky to Hip
Each of the hip packs sold by OutspireX is handmade in California. They’re made entirely from retired climbing ropes and the nylon wings donated by pilots. By adding YKK zippers to the high-performance aviation nylon, OutspireX’s hip packs are ultralight and weather-resistant. They weigh just 3 ounces, but have enough room for your phone, wallet, and keys.
Moreover, each pack is made from a different fabric blend, so they’re visually unique. There’s a large variety of pack designs from OutspireX, all of them sporting a patchwork of colors that’s reminiscent of brands like Cotopaxi that also use recycled fabrics.
“We want to encourage people to shift away from thinking that upcycled goods are lesser,” Saran said. “Just because they’re not safe for one purpose, doesn’t mean they’re not perfectly suitable for something else. By connecting Pilot Legacy stories, we hope to show people the value, history, love, and care attached to these products.”
So far, the work of Saran and Patel has clearly resonated with the paragliding community. They’ve already run out of storage for all the wings that pilots want to donate, so they’re asking for patience while they look for more space. Meanwhile, the brand’s sustainable business has also been recognized by the California State Senate for its “circular innovation.”
At the moment, OutspireX only makes the In-Flight Sidekick Hip Pack, which sells on the website for $69. However, Saran and Patel have big plans. They want to make more products from retired gear in other sports, like climbing ropes, sails, and kites.
“We really want to share these incredible stories from the paragliding community,” Saran said. “These wings have flown over the Dolomites, Japan, over the Pacific Ocean. Paragliding is a pretty niche sport and we want to encourage people to give it a try — it’ll change your life!”
