After liquidating, going out of business, and then reforming under new leadership, Poler is back. Here’s what you’ll find from the new-look Camp Vibes brand.
At long last and against all expectations, Poler has reemerged from brand death — almost as suddenly as it departed.
Less than a year after going dark with little notice, Poler (somewhat cryptically) announced last month it would return under new leadership, and with new products. But the brand also promised it would adhere to its “fun, quirky, practical, disruptive, and adventurous” roots.
Today, the lights officially went back on, as Poler’s e-commerce site and a single flagship retail store in Portland, Oregon, opened for business. Check out some of the key new products below.
New 2020 Poler Gear
Just in time for the holidays, Poler has a fresh, if small, selection of new gear. Some of it harkens to the brand’s first life (think: the wearable Napsack sleeping bag). But the brand also previously announced the “biggest changes to gear and apparel will come in spring 2021.”
Poler Napsack: $125
This is “one of the best examples of human innovation since sliced bread” — at least, according to Poler. The Napsack was one of the products that initially put Poler on the “outdoor stuff” map. Definitely unusual, this sleeping doubles as a wearable, um … thing.
Zippers at the shoulders let you stick your arms out while the bottom cinches shut — or loosens open — so you can “hike it up to your waist, cinch it, and wear it like a puffy coat around the campfire.”
2+ Person Tent: $200
Poler claims its two-plus-person tent fits two “big people” and a child, or three smaller people. Specifically, it boasts 60 x 85 inches of floor space and 40 inches of headroom.
At 6 pounds, this is no backpacking tent, but that’s not Poler’s wheelhouse anyway. Despite its unorthodox polyhedral shape, it utilizes a single-pole design for easier setup.
Classic Cotton Canvas Rucksack: $60
With a 17L main compartment, two removable 3L side pouches, a laptop sleeve, and waxed canvas construction, you might expect this rucksack to carry a hefty price. But, like all things Poler, its price caters to those without a pension.
Orange Label Camera Backpack: $100
Dyneema ripstop, magnetic buckles, MOLLE webbing, and modular padded interior panels combine to create a respectably specced, modestly priced camera bag. You know, for all those Instagram posts — #campvibes.
Buckeye Jacket: $130
Pockets galore and 60/40 cotton-nylon blend (Poler’s “signature DWR treated Weather Shield Fabric”) should offer up some decent functionality in wet weather. But let’s be honest — that color scheme is almost worth the price alone.
Poler 2.0: New Designs, Old Faces
While the Portland brand has new leadership in CEO Cape Capener, it retained Kharma Vella, one of the original co-founders, as product brand director.
One of the creative minds behind the Napsack, Capener said Vella will help Poler create new innovative designs to “lead Poler back to a leadership position within the outdoor lifestyle category.”
While that remains to be seen, you can check out Poler 2.0 online now. Or, if you’re in Portland, swing by the new retail store at 413 SW 10th Avenue.
