8th Anniversary: A Letter from Founder of Outdoor Master
Dear Friend,
8 years ago, we set out with a vision to make the outdoors accessible for all. Thank you for believing in us and joining us on this journey. Without your support, we wouldn't be where we are today.
We've come a long way since our first snow goggles. Do you still remember the thrill of landing your first new trick wearing our gear? The breathtaking vistas you've admired through Outdoor Master lenses? The personal milestones and adventures we've shared together, season after season?
I vividly remember the immense pride and fulfillment of holding the first snow goggles from our own lab in my hands, the anguish and despair of nearly having to shutter our doors when loans almost got the better of us, and the rush of validation and hope that surged upon hearing our electric pumps hailed as an innovation that would upend the industry. I am thrilled to share some of Outdoor Master’s story on our 8th birthday.
In 2010, I began my entrepreneurial journey, venturing into outdoor gear. In 2015, I founded Outdoor Master to make high-performance gear accessible to all. My motivation was to lower the barrier for quality outdoor gear so more people could experience the joy of outdoor sports. I was determined to provide affordable prices along with premium quality and functionality.
We could not find a manufacturing solution balancing affordable prices and technical quality at the early stages of my business.
So we invested all of our profits and took loans to build our own R&D lab. By researching materials and lenses technologies, we developed ways to reduce costs and thus lower product prices, while pursuing advanced lenses technologies.
2016: Outdoor Master released the most affordable OTG snow goggles.
2017: We found that colors of ski goggles in the industry didn’t fit female customers’ need, then released the PRO ski goggles, with variety of color options to suit different needs.
In March, we released kids’ ski goggles. David Beckham’s daughter Harper Seven Beckham became a customer!
In 2019, loans nearly bankrupted our company. Fortunately, recognized and valued by consumers, our sales revenue helped us overcome challenges.
2021: In November After years of R&D, we released the Ultra ski goggles. We offered high performance and decent technologies at under $100, making advanced gear more accessible. Recommended by Newschooler, Divein, Mountain Weekly and more.
Through perseverance, we now emerged with proprietary technologies like 3x anti-fog, photochromic lenses, color optimization, impact resistance and more. To this day, over 1 million skiers and snowboarders have chosen Outdoor Master's snow goggles.
In 2018 and 2019 we launched Kelvin Snow Helmets and Skateboard Helmets. Although they are extremely affordable, we invested heavily in R&D to ensure premium quality and safety, passing ASTM and CPSC certifications.
In 2020 and 2022, we partnered with MIPS to release Diamond Snow Helmets and Gem Cycling Helmets, while keeping prices between $50 to $100.
Even now, our helmet product line is still operating at a loss, but over 500,000 outdoor enthusiasts have chosen our helmets. The recognition from users gives us faith that all our efforts have been worthwhile.
Let me share the story behind our signature Shark pump. In 2019, we found SUP lacked a key solution—manual inflation was exhausting your adventure time. We knew we had to fix this to fuel your passion for exploring.
Our first Sharks were too loud, inflated too slowly, and even burnt our lab and many car fuses during testing. But your excitement around our vision kept us pushing to do better.
Through tireless effort, we enhanced the Shark's active cooling system and made it the most popular electric SUP pump --- Shark II. The experts at Divein, SUPboard Guide and Stand Up Paddleboards Review all recommend Shark—but you believed in us first.
On August 2021, we released the first SUP pump with built-in battery—the Whale E-Pump.
On March 2023, we lauched the most compact electric SUP pump—Dolphin II.
You've been there through it all, rallying behind each struggle and setback. Your support lets us turn dreams into gear that empowers adventure. We still have a long way to go, but together we've already come so far.
Thank you for inspiring our purpose. Here's to many more years building the future of adventure!
May the thrill of the outdoors never fade,
Leo Liu
