HOWL at Milosport | Why We Love the Brand

We've been carrying HOWL since the beginning, so we've had a pretty good view of where this brand has come from and where it is going.

And honestly, HOWL just makes sense at Milosport.

They are a small company, like MILO. They are focused on snowboarding, like MILO. They have their own style, like MILO and they make stuff that snowboarders actually want to wear, also like MILO.

That's pretty much what we look for.

Style Matters

Let's be honest. We care about how snowboard gear looks.

We always have, even when we say we don'.

HOWL has always had a look of its own. Their gloves, mittens and facemasks have personality, and they have never felt like they were just following whatever everyone else was doing.

That's part of what caught our attention when we first started carrying them.

The other part is that the stuff actually works.

That's a pretty important combination.

We don't want gear that looks great but doesn't hold up, and we don't want gear that works great but looks like it came from a company that has never been on a snowboard.

HOWL has always found a pretty good middle ground.

A Small Snowboard Company

One of the things we like about HOWL is that they are still a relatively small snowboard company.

These guys can make decisions based on what they think is right for snowboarding instead of trying to make everybody happy. They can try different things, work with riders and keep their focus on the people who are actually going to use the gear.

We've watched them grow quite a bit since we first started carrying them, but they still feel like HOWL.

That's not always easy to do as a company gets bigger.

The Riders

The rider connection is another big part of why we like the brand.

HOWL was started by shredders Darrell Mathes and Nima Jalali, and riders have been part of the brand from the beginning.

There are a bunch of good snowboarders around HOWL, including Joe Sexton, Ben Bilodeau, Danyale Patterson, Darrell Mathes, Kennedi Deck and Ryo Aizawa.

We've known Joe and Ben for a long time, and we've crossed paths with a lot of these riders over the years. That makes the brand feel a little more personal to us.

We like knowing that the people riding the gear actually have a say in what gets made.

You can tell when a product has been through that process.

Someone rides it. Something needs to change. They change it. Then they ride it again.

That is how snowboard gear should get better.

The Gear

At the end of the day, none of this matters if the gear isn't good.

That's why we still carry HOWL.

Their gloves and mittens have always been a big part of the line for us, and the accessories have the same personality that drew us to the brand in the first place.

But the thing that has really caught our attention lately is the outerwear.

Outerwear

HOWL has been working on outerwear for a few seasons now, and it has gotten better every year.

We like where they are going with it.

The fits are good. The styling is good. They are using better materials and putting more thought into the technical side of the product without making the gear feel overly complicated.

The Heritage Jacket and Pant are a good example. They have a roomy fit, a lot of useful storage and a tactical influence that gives them a look of their own. They also have 20K/20K waterproof breathable construction and fully taped seams.

The Workwear line goes in a different direction. It is a little more straightforward and rugged, and the Public Snowboards collaboration gives it another connection to the snowboard world that we really like.

Then there is the Insulated Cargo Pant, which makes a lot of sense for those really cold days. It has a baggy fit, 60G insulation and plenty of pocket space.

There is a lot more going on with HOWL outerwear now than there was when they first started making it.

And this season they are taking another big step with GORE TEX.

HOWL has partnered with GORE TEX and added the waterproofing technology to five of their essential outerwear styles.

That's a pretty significant move for the brand.

What we like about it is that they have not lost the HOWL look while making the gear more technical.

It still looks like snowboard gear.

That's important.

The Nowhere Pant

The Nowhere Pant is probably the best example of what we like about HOWL.

It is simple, it has a good baggy fit, it has the features you need and it does not try to be something it isn't.

It's also become one of their best sellers and a team favorite.

We've seen that with our customers too.

This year we get to do something pretty fun with it.

We are working with HOWL on a special makeup insulated Nowhere Pant made specifically for Milosport.

This is one of those projects that we really enjoy.

We've carried HOWL since the beginning, so we know the brand and we know the people. We also have a pretty good idea of what our customers like.

Being able to take one of their staple products and work together on a version that makes sense for Milosport is much more interesting to us than just picking another product out of a catalog.

We're making it insulated, keeping the baggy fit and adding the cargo setup we like.

And it is going to be pretty limited. We are expecting only around five other dealers in the country to carry it.

We're pretty excited about this one.

Why HOWL?

So why do we carry HOWL?

It's really not that complicated.

We like the people. We like the style. We like the product. We like that they are still focused on snowboarding.

And we've been with them for a long time.

We've watched the brand grow from a small company making gloves and accessories into a brand making some really interesting outerwear, and they have managed to do that without losing what made us want to carry them in the first place.

That's what we like about HOWL.

It still feels like a snowboard company.

And that's exactly where it belongs.

Planet Tested. Milo Approved.