The popular outdoor clothing brand has partnered with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, to make a pair of hiking pants that are essentially like an e-bike for hiking. The MO/GO pants increase a hiker’s leg strength and absorb impact on descents thanks to an electric motor at the knee.
The lightweight motor is part of a module with carbon fiber braces for each leg that snaps onto a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants. The battery, which lasts three hours on a full charge, is integrated into the waistline of the pants. The system continuously adjusts the amount of assistance it provides by monitoring gait and leg movement to determine if the wearer is walking or climbing. Users can also manually increase or decrease the amount of assistance they’re getting with the press of a button.
The pants weigh about seven pounds when all the accoutrements are attached. However, they can make the user feel up to 30 pounds lighter. They’re expected to sell at a full retail price of about $5,000, though preorders will receive a $500 Early Bird Discount. The first units are expected to ship in late 2025, but if you want to test them first, you can rent them for eight hours on select trails in the U.S. and Canada for $80.
