In case you were wrapped up in hiking resolutions when the calendar turned to January, let me be the first to remind you: It’s officially an election year. And one outdoor retailer wants to help you get away from it all. On Monday, Eastern Mountain Sports launched its “Politics Escape Pack,” which the brand claims “offers the resources people need to hike as far away as possible from the stress of today’s political climate.”
A TV commercial aired by the northeast-based retailer features an office worker donning her pack and hiking boots in order to escape a watercooler lecture from her mouthy pundit of a colleague. The kit itself, sold as a bundle on EMS’s website, includes the brand’s own Sector 25L Pack, Approach Trekking Poles, and a collapsible camp chair.
“EMS fully supports people learning about the candidates and issues that will be on the ballot, and exercising their constitutional right to vote! But, let’s face it, election years are stressful,” Kerry Muricchio, executive vice president and general merchandise manager at Eastern Mountain Sports, said in a statement. “Right now, people feel extremely divided, anxious and frustrated, and just about the only thing we can all still agree on is that getting outside feels good.”
It’s a sentiment that’s sure to resonate with hikers no matter how they vote. Many of Backpacker’s loudest social media followers have told us time and again (when we publish stories about meaningful issues like climate change and racial justice): “We go hiking to get away from all that political crap!” We know that in reality, the trails are not exempt from the big issues we face as a country. But we can get behind spending time as far away as possible from cable news and the TVs it plays on.
“EMS reminds you that in today’s extremely divisive, volatile climate, when someone starts down a conversation path you don’t have the time or energy for, all you need to do is grab your Politics Escape Pack and start hiking as fast as you can in the other direction,” the company said.
If you need one more reason to stop doom scrolling and hit the trail, EMS is offering 30 percent off the gear bundle with the code “ESCAPE.”
Our take: If you really want to hike away from American politics, you’re going to need a bigger pack.
From 2024
