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CoupÕs Scoop HeÕs
the co-founder of GoLite and the man credited with popularising ultra-light
hiking. Simon Willis meets a
human whirlwind. He is a
self confessed ÒType AÓ achiever, yet it still came as a surprise to learn
that Demetri Coupounas devised a wife-picking test. ÒSo I wouldnÕt marry someone who, however sexy, was
boring, I decided long in advance that our honeymoon had to be climbing
KilimanjaroÓ, says Coup. He chose this mountain because he didnÕt want to
limit his choice to technical mountaineers, just adventurous women. On his first date with a young woman
called Kimberly, he had the temerity to outline this pre-requisite. ÒIÕd love to honeymoon on KilimanjaroÓ,
Kim told him brightly, then added, Òbut I still donÕt know whom IÕll go withÓ. Three years later they reached the
summit as Mr and Mrs.
Kim & Coup Together
Kim and Coup run GoLite, arguably the most innovative and influential outdoor
equipment manufacturer in the United States. At a time when most companies were adding features, GoLite
was stripping them off. They
didnÕt invent ultra-light, but their evangelistic approach is still
persuading thousands of hikers to lighten up. The business came about because Coup, like many hikers,
was sick of carrying a heavy rucksack but unlike all the others, he decided
to do something about it. He and
Kim had succeeded in reaching the highest points in each of the fifty United
States, but realised they were always complaining about the weight of their
backpacks. And so was everyone
else they met on the trail. ÒI donÕt
sew well, so the simplest way to get light gear I wanted was to go into
business making itÓ, says Coup.
ÒHowever, we saw the big picture from the start. WeÕre both Harvard MBAs, and we
researched this coldly as a business proposition. I learnt thereÕs a dealer at the start of the Appalachian
Trail who mails home 8500lbs of hikerÕs gear each year. Everyone who actually uses their
outdoor gear outdoors starts lightening-up. No one deliberately adds weight. So if we do our marketing right, we can sell to all of
them.Ó The sheer
force of CoupÕs personality can be overwhelming, were Kim not there to
moderate the sensation. I first
met them with my partner at their offices in Boulder, Colorado and realised
immediately Coup is engine that drives GoLite, while Kim is the one who
steers, keeping it on the rails.
Later the same day, as the four of us were on our way to see an Imax
film in Denver, I discovered Coup is a dedicated Star Wars fan. For most of the journey, he and I
argued whether the later films have any redeeming merits, and even on this
apparently trivial subject, Coup had unshakeable views, which he expressed
with the faltering diffidence of a speeding locomotive. I left Boulder with the distinct
impression that Coup was not only convinced Star Wars was the best series of
films ever made, but also that ultra-light was unquestionably the best way to
hike, so it would be a simple matter to convince the planet he was right. Or rather,
that he and Ray Jardine were right.
As regular TGO readers know, Ray Jardine is the guru of ultra-light
backpacking. He hiked the
Pacific Crest Trail, with his wife Jenny, in record time in 1995 using
homemade packs, clothing, sleep system and shelter. Ray encouraged people to make their own gear, and printed
designs in his Pacific Crest Trail Hikers Handbook. Coup had the idea of commercially manufacturing those
products under licence, a move that immediately made all aspiring light
hikers sit up and take notice.
The relationship between Ray Jardine and GoLite came to a somewhat
acrimonious end, but while the company no longer makes those products, Coup
insists GoLite has stayed true to its roots. Coup laughs
when I tell him I thought he was trying to convert the world to his way of
hiking. ÒIÕm often asked
internally, why we donÕt just package and sell the perfect, ultimate
ultra-light system, and I say Ôthere isnÕt oneÕ. ItÕs about several interconnected systems, many ways to do
this, a smorgasbord. We always
intended to expand into light-weight gear rather than just ultra-light, so we
now have over two hundred products.
And yet half a dozen, some our best sellers, are still from our
original twelve productsÓ.
Nevertheless, some things have changed radically. GoLite now makes light but conventional
sleeping bags, very different to their early, Jardine inspired sleep
system. It was little more than
a quilt that lay on top of a sleeping hiker and fastened, with Velcro, onto
the sleeping mat that provided insulation underneath. I used it once and didnÕt like it,
but Coup still insists it kept him and Kim warm for two nights at -22F on
Aconcagua. ÒWe quickly found the
600 people in North America who wanted it. After that, sales trickled to just a couple each
month. Now weÕre getting calls from
people whoÕve finally worn out their originals and they are mystified weÕve
discontinued it, because they think itÕs the best product theyÕve ever usedÓ Adventure
Racing took GoLite by surprise.
Coup didnÕt even like the sport, which he felt was expensive,
complicated and contrived. ÒI
could think of few things that sounded stupider that adventure racingÓ, he
says. Then he watched the
Eco-challenge on TV and saw his gear being used by many of the top
teams. It didnÕt take a Harvard
MBA to spot that business opportunity, and after tailoring equipment to a
sport in which competitors run, bike, climb and hike, he realised that was
exactly what other people wanted too.
Increasing numbers were doing several outdoor sports in different
seasons, and demanded kit suitable for all of them. ÒIf gear works for adventure racing, then itÕll work for
the all rounder who can use it cycling one day and backpacking the
next.Ó Coup tells
how he was at a gathering of long distance hikers earlier this year, and was
struck by how all the experts were all still cutting their pack weight. CoupÕs own overnight base pack
weight, excluding food and water, is down to 6lb with another 4lb worn. A poncho tarp has replaced his
shelter, waterproof and pants.
He acknowledges this leaves no safety net, but insists most people
need not go to such extremes, certainly not in the UK. ÒThe Jam is a great pack for people
to start with as it carries 30lbs.
So you get your base load to 20lb with 2lb of food a day, and you can
have a great, light weekend. As
you lighten up, leave the second and third fleece at home, and you extend
your range. Get your base load
down to 15lbs, which is easy, and you can walk for a week.Ó ItÕs around
this point that Coup is still evangelical. Too few people go walking in wild places, and this, he
argues, is largely the reason for the current obesity epidemic. ÒBy God weÕre getting fat fastÓ, he
says. Obviously heÕd like to
increase his market. But on this
subject Coup talks with the passion I once mistook for arrogance. HeÕs convinced lightweight hiking can
encouraging more people into the outdoors. ÒWhen we trotted out our huge old packs, people would be impressed,
but ask if they wanted to come with us and theyÕd say, ÔHell noÕ! Now when I show people a 6lb load
theyÕre astonished, and actually want to come. TheyÕll add 3 or 4lb of creature comforts, but thatÕs
it. Just imagine if more people
really got it; if they understood that going overnight in the wilds could
weigh you down less than the bag with the notebook computer you take home at
night. How many people would
come?Ó Well, he built it. Now letÕs see if they come. |
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