Editor’s note on April 2, 2018: Alas (or thankfully?) the ZipAll isn’t a real product, just a little April Fools’ Day fun. For now, the REI Co-op Sahara Convertible pants and more REI Co-op brand gear will have to tide you over.
How do you make the perfect piece of gear? It’s a challenging, time-intensive process of addition and deletion, finding what works and what doesn’t. From the new REI Co-op Drypoint GTX jacket to the iconic REI Co-op Quarter Dome tent, the co-op has created hundreds of products over the years, seeking that perfect balance between needs and dreams. But, for the first time ever, we’ve designed a piece of apparel so versatile and customizable it almost defies common sense: the REI Co-op ZipAll.
More than a year in the making, our new adventure jumpsuit was inspired by one of our customer favorites, the REI Co-op Sahara Convertible pants. They’re comfortable and attractive, with a zip-off design that takes them from pants to shorts. But why stop there? Why not four zippers per leg for even more adjustability? For that matter, why even stop at pants? We asked ourselves: What would the world look like if you could have a single piece of hyperlight, super-breathable and ultra-warm apparel?
And thus, the concept for the ZipAll was born.
To design what is possibly our finest masterpiece yet, we started with the best attributes of the Sahara Pants—the comfortable, breathable fabric and intelligent zipper functionality. True to our collaborative design philosophy, we listened to feedback from members and staff to understand key features they wanted, like more customizability and a single piece of apparel for multiple climates. The end result is the ZipAll, because who doesn’t want the ability to wear a leotard on trail and who doesn’t need a roasting-stick holster, for all of those long hours by the campfire? We also used a miracle fabric, which wicks moisture and sheds water while being breathable, lightweight and heavy duty all at the same time.
“Everyone on the team pitched in. Anything they thought was a limiting factor in their adventures or a must-have, we put it together in the ZipAll. Everybody has a little piece of themselves in this piece of apparel,” said Adam Kurth, prototyper and chief designer of the ZipAll.
With more than 30 zippers spanning the entire body and an array of thoughtful details (hello, movable pockets!), the possibilities for personalized adventure are endless.
Key Features
- 1,001 unique wearing modes including sleeveless, crop top, romper, short shorts and more
- Removable hood with ethically sourced, recycled, biodegradable, genuine faux jackalope fur
- Detachable front zipper that peels off to reveal five V-neck depth options, including the Deep Deep-Vee
- Modular, technical, stick-anywhere pockets (Who are we to tell you where your pockets should go?)
- Shoulder pocket with deployable, tethered beanie
- Roasting-stick arm holster
- Deployable rear bum-bag stuffs into own pocket (an actual fanny pack!)
- Easy-scratch access (That upper-calf itch? Just unzip and have at it.)
- Variety of color options—so you can mix and match with friends
- For convenient portability, the ZipAll packs into a 5″ x 3″ stuff sack
- ZipAll weighs just 4.1 oz.
That’s not all: “The cape is my favorite feature. There have been so many times I’ve been snowboarding and going for a big drop, and I thought ‘I left my cape at home,’” Adam said. Plus, the cape doubles as a bib for those messy camp meals.
It’s truly the one piece of gear for anyone, anywhere. You can hike, run, climb, snowboard and ski in it (to name a few activities). It’s up for every adventure, from city to suburbs to countryside.
Simply put, its versatility is its greatest feature. The ZipAll has you covered.
