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Image courtesy of TEREN
The Chattanooga-based brand delivers far-reaching adventure appeal.
“Trail-to-town” is more than a styling concept with a catchy name — it’s an approach to clothing that celebrates minimalism and versatility. It translates into financial prudence, storage and travel economy, and a reduced carbon footprint. Many brands attempt it, yet only a select few deliver.
Let’s get Unpacked with TEREN to see how the Tennessee-based clothing line makes it easy to transition from nature to the nightlife, even in some of the most adventurous places on Earth.
TEREN sets out to create the best general outdoors gear on the market, clothes that are seamless to wear for hiking, camping, climbing or fly fishing. The small size of the company allows it to be nimble when bringing innovation to market.
Casey Hyde, marketing director for TEREN, describes the brand’s mantra as: “We’re smart about design, smart ass about everything else.”
Casey Hyde, marketing director for TEREN, during a trip to Italy’s Dolomites. (Image courtesy of TEREN)
An adventure photographer by trade, Hyde details the dynamic evolution of the company, including the growth of the product line and how the company blends its big-picture perspective with a regional Southeast U.S. vibe. This is the kind of gear that allowed Hyde and his colleagues to go from hiking in the Dolomites to dinner in Venice without feeling out of place or reeking of the excessive seams, zippers and vents that many outdoorsy products feature these days.
TEREN’s Origin Story
The idea behind TEREN got rolling in 2018 while fly-fishing guide Chris Loizeaux and motorcycle enthusiast Nick Rader were on a magazine assignment together in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather they encountered was less than favorable — parts of it were essentially a washout.
While taking a break from the rain, the pair were talking about gear, including a very niche brand of shorts that Rader was wearing. In an industry where so many brands set out to replicate what “the other guy” is doing — like bidirectional baffling in a jacket or zip-off leggings — Loizeaux and Rader were stumbling onto something different, something more streamlined and subtle.
They envisioned a nice piece of performance gear that can also function and feel appropriate during the weekdays away from the trails and creeks. They wanted comfort and wearability, without heavy branding or noisy styling.
Chris Loizeaux, who has been a fly fishing guide, is one of TEREN’s founders. (Image courtesy of TEREN)
With that, the Chattanooga, Tennessee, company was born, with the first product, the Lightweight Traveler Pants, launching on Kickstarter in 2019. They incorporated hidden zippers and traded the stretch waistband, a common failure point over time in performance pants, for a magnet design that can slide apart when sitting and clasps back together when the wearer stands up again.
Hyde became associated with the brand as one of the first Kickstarter backers.
“That was a big innovative piece,” he says. “We like to be innovative when necessary. We think that having a performance outdoor piece of gear that doesn’t have a highly visible logo or that doesn’t have seams and zippers everywhere is pretty innovative, too, because you get to wear it in much more diverse and versatile locations.”
The second product the company launched was the Campfire Puffy, a fire-resistant jacket that went viral on Kickstarter.
“How many times have you been around a campfire and a little spark lands on you and ruins your nice puffy?” Hyde asks. “And then you can’t wear that around town anymore, because you have to either put Tenacious Tape on it or duct tape or re-patch it.”
While many people may be proud of the burn marks and the patches on their “Franken-puffy,” it limits the versatility of such a jacket. The Campfire Puffy ended up raising more than $200,000 on Kickstarter, with only minimal ad spend behind it.
The Campfire Puffy is one of the TEREN’s signature product lines. (Image courtesy of TEREN)
“We feel like the little guys. We feel like your neighbors. We feel like a small team with big goals, just really pushing it and having a lot of fun doing it,” Hyde says.
Today, after especially busy years in 2021 and 2022, TEREN is up to 13 products.
Coming Together as a Kit
TEREN’s principles of performance and style play out across its product lines, and the company has seven essentials that it has dubbed “The Kit” — those items that allow you to go almost anywhere.
Best of all, Hyde can pack his Kit into an on-the-go 30-liter travel pack.
The seven-piece Kit consists of a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, a T-shirt, a button-up shirt, a mid-layer, a puffy jacket and a shell.
“You can do anything in the world with this,” he says, “and it works in all situations because there’s minimal branding and a very clean design.”
TEREN may be based in the Southeast U.S., but the team has adventured around the world. (Image courtesy of TEREN)
The Kit has been well-tested, too. Hyde has traveled with it for a spell to a tropical climate in Colombia before quickly shifting gears a few days later to spend two weeks in the Italian Dolomites in a more mountainous environment.
Much of the gear is built to have an athletic fit, and the company has listened to user feedback and made updates. The Campfire Puffy, in fact, is now at version 2.0, with improved stretch, measurements and zippers.
“You can leave the office, go on a hike for sunset and then meet up with your partner or spouse to go on a date that night and still feel dressed up,” Hyde says. “And you still feel super comfortable throughout because of how it breathes on the hike and moves with your body.”
‘TEREN’ is More than Merely a Name
Hyde and his colleagues are proud to have unearthed a brand name that so aptly suits the company culture. Rader’s partner is Romanian, and “teren” is the Romanian word for “land” or “terrain.”
“Romania is one of those places that you don’t hear people talk about much as a place to go to,” Hyde says. “It’s not a very big destination for U.S. travelers. But, for us as a brand, our gear takes you to those far off lands, the places you wouldn’t normally think about.”
He adds, “Romania is beautiful, and the Carpathian Mountain range is stellar. That’s definitely some of the ethos of TEREN.”
Image courtesy of TEREN
This is a brand that is proud to be located in the Southeast U.S., especially in an industry where the culture skews westward. TEREN is authentic, and because of its reach into the adventure travel space, it goes far beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains, embracing excursions that have taken the team bike-packing in the Alps, sailboating in Croatia, and relishing van life in Squamish, British Columbia.
“I think we are at the forefront of the movement of the outdoor industry, being one of very few brands located in the Southeast,” Hyde explains. “It’s gorgeous out here. And here at the city of Chattanooga, I could be on whitewater, a single track, a boulder or even a cliff face within 15 minutes from my office. And those aren’t even the closest ones.”
The staff at TEREN does everything it can to foster excitement for the outdoors. The team has partnered with organizations such as the Southeastern Climbers Coalition, the North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy and the Southern Off Road Biking Association. They have also sponsored the Lookout Wild Film Festival, showcasing outdoor adventure and conservation films.
“We love that we’re here. We’re trying as hard as we can to grow as fast as we can before other people catch on, because it’s so damn good,” Hyde says. “But we still go national and international because our brand is made for that kind of reach.”
Unpacked is a regular feature on ActionHub to help people discover new performance and lifestyle items that will amplify their adventures and outdoor experiences. This article was not sponsored by the brand or any PR/marketing agency, and all opinions are that of the ActionHub writer.
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