Outdoor Retailer: Alite Preview

Alite—founded by a The North Face designer—is wholly focused on one thing: making it easier for people to get outside.  They’ve already initiated a wildly successful loaner program for camping gear in San Fran (their home town), and their current products are some of the most playful and inventive outdoor items to hit the market in a long time (reviews coming soon!).

In spring 2013, they continue down the path they’ve carved thus far, introducing playful, utilitarian, stylish products like a three-in-one fork/spoon/knife set and a set of camp spoons that also become tongs (both pictured).  They also have recruited SF-area chefs to provide camp-friendly recipes for a new cookbook.

But we’re really looking forward to the Mayfly chair, which is a hybrid of their Mantis and Monarch chairs (four- and two-legged designs, respectively).  The Mayfly will have three legs—two in the back, with a central cross bar in the front.  The spin? If you want to go light, the front support comes off, transforming the chair into the Monarch.  We jokingly refer to it as a training wheel for the two-legged chair, which does require a bit of balance to sit in for long stretches.  The full version of the Mayfly will weigh 1.15 pounds.