The Adventure Life with Steve Casimiro The Best Product Names of 2008

Text and photo by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

Pity outdoor industry product managers.
Every spring and fall, they’re required to name 20 new things. Or 30. Or if
they work for the North Face or Columbia,
6,482. That’s 20 or 30 or 6,482 clever, creative, and unique names that
so perfectly embody the pants, packs, and parkas that they sell
themselves. Yeah, right. I’ve actually given a dictionary of
topographical terms as a lifeline to a few desperate cases.

Which might explain sudden popularity of products named “fen” that next spring. Sorry, everyone.

In
any event, let us give props to the companies with enough cojones to
let their goofiest, silliest, and most creative names off the leash and
out of the conference room. These fun little aberrations are a blessed
relief. And, who knows, maybe they even help sell:

“It’s just another messenger bag.”
“No, it isn’t, it’s the Tony Blair Squirrel.”
“Ohhh, cool! I want one.”

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