Under Armour has taken the shirt off your back. Now it wants your feet.
The active–wear behemoth unveiled its new line of innovative light hiking “Fat Tire” boots on the opening day of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market expo in Salt Lake City.
“It’s an all-terrain vehicle for your feet,” Under Armour marketing director Steve Metcalf tells us.
Built with hikers and hunters in mind, the distinctive boot brings together a slew of new technologies, he says.
A special copper-infused liner is said to kill foot stink before it even starts by literally slaughtering bacteria before they get nose nasty. A Gore-Tex shell provides breathable waterproofing, while Under Armour’s new Charge midsole is designed to provide shock absorption and energy return with a “near zero” heel-to-toe drop.
But the knobby-lugged, Michelin-made outsole is where the Fat Tire really makes its mark.
The thick rubber “Wild Grip’r” tread is inspired by Michelin’s mountain bike tire of the same name.
Partnering with the tire-making giant, Under Armour is carving out more than just a new look; it’s drawing a line in the sand, dirt and mud in the battle for your feet.
Indeed, for the first time, the company’s booth at the Outdoor Retailer expo invades the Vibram-dominated boot-country section, an in-your-face shift from its home turf in previous shows’ apparel land.
“To say it plainly, we are taking on ‘outdoor,’ in all facets,” says Metcalf. “Even here at Outdoor Retailer, we changed our location to be embedded in the footwear section. So, just like we’ve been expanding into the more traditional running and sportswears, we are planting our flag here in the outdoor market as well.”
Available for $199 in August — in time for hunting season.
