By admin 
In the last few years, there’s undeniably been a “cool” brand for backcountry skiers. And no, it’s not a ski, binding, or boot brand, it’s a maker of really well-designed backpacks and apparel. Raide, and the man behind the show Kyle Siegel, have really left a mark on the industry with intentional design and extremely high quality (and highly coveted) items that many other brands might consider an afterthought in their product portfolios. We’ve talked about Raide’s products a lot over the last few years, but the brand just released their 26/27 collection, and there’s a lot of really cool stuff in there.
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Perhaps the biggest addition this year is a whole new line of ultralight ski packs, made from the newest cool-guy material: Aluula. It’s a composite material that eliminates the need for stitching and glues in pack construction. Better yet, it’s waterproof, durable, and extremely light. Like the existing LF30, LF40, and EX55 packs, the all-new Raide UL25 and UL35 packs still feature separate avy tool pockets and back panel access. “We believe back panel access is mandatory for any backcountry skiing and snowboarding pack, so we challenged ourselves to create the UL pack series, the lightest back panel access packs in the world,” the brand says.
Aside from packs, Raide is also launching an entire new apparel line that includes new hardshell bibs and insulation layers to complement the existing TourTech kit. The all-new HX Hardshell kit is available in men’s and women’s fits and promises a fully waterproof/breathable lower garment option. These are quite lightweight, but still feature a baggier, freeride fit.
As a midlayer, Raide is offering a new hybrid synthetic insulated midlayer, the men’s and women’s HiO Active Insulator. “We wanted to make an evolution in the category by improving breathability, warmth-to-weight, and durability, which we did through a combination of a micro-perforated liner, insulation infused with NASA Aerogel, the world’s lightest insulator material, and a light and breathable woven face fabric with a Spectra (UHMWPE) ripstop,” says the brand.
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On top of that, new down insulation options come in the form of the men’s and women’s UL DryLoft Down Pullover and UL Dryloft Down Jackets. These are purpose built for backcountry skiing as emergency layers, so they’re extremely packable but ultra warm. “The UL DryLoft Down Jacket is a daily-use, ultralight insulator for ski touring and backcountry riding. It offers the protection of a fully featured, hooded down jacket at a fraction of the weight, with higher loft down, and more packability than most on the market. The tapeless Airy String zipper is the lightest, most packable zipper available. It is seamless to use, increasing the speed and fluidity of taking the jacket on and off. 1,000-fill expeDRY goose down delivers a very high warmth-to-weight ratio while remaining packable enough that you never leave your insulating layer at home,” the brand says.
Finally, Raide is also releasing a pair of midweight ski touring gloves and heavy duty cold-weather down mittens. The leather touring gloves are meant to be light and breathable enough to wear all day on high-output days but not get shredded after only a few days in the backcountry. Like the new down insulation layers, the UL Down Mittens are meant to be extremely packable and come out in an emergency scenario to keep your hands nice and toasty.
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This story was originally published October 20, 2026 at 3:20 PM.