About US

 

At finetrack, to say that outdoor activities are a part of our everyday lives is no exaggeration. We perpetually long for the outdoors, the green, the mountains, the earth, the roots and stones. The fresh air, the crystal waters, the glistening powder, spaces where we can deeply feel the elemental forces of nature. Through our outdoor endeavors, we find the inspiration and ideas to create and continuously refine our lines of outdoor wear and gear.

 

 

Nature, however, occasionally reminds us just how furious and unforgiving the natural environment we love so much can be. Faced with humbling conditions, we are reminded of the inescapable requirements of outdoor clothing and gear, and sometimes, with humility, realize the limitations of existing materials. Usually, however, facing the fury of the elements provides us with feelings of affirmation and appreciation for the quality clothing capable of keeping us dry, warm, and safe in extreme conditions. Our trust in the quality engineering of our durable, innovative gear gives us a sense of security and comfort when an unexpected harsh storm sets upon us during a trek. Nature confirms our confidence in the engineering of our products . . . or teaches us about the areas we need to improve upon.

 

Without the benefit of experience, without being occasionally humbled by nature’s fury, we would not be able to create the high-quality outdoor wear and gear that meet the requirements of the actual situations we encounter. Whatever the season, the finetrack staff are dedicated to venturing out into the elements to discover the insights that inspire our relentless drive to innovate.

 

 

From the very beginning, we at finetrack have spent a large part of our time out in nature. The cornerstone of our company culture has always been to do our practical research in the field, from the mountains to the rivers and oceans. Our authentic outdoor experiences are the essential elements of our inspirations and the roots of our insatiable drive to improve. 

 

Instead of relying on measurement devices and abstract data, we gather our information first-hand, through our five senses and our real-world experiences, as we face the elements in our various outdoor pursuits. As nature teaches us, we incorporate every piece of information we obtain from our outdoor endeavors into the ongoing development and relentless refinement of our products.

 

 

On the heels of his experience with one of Japan’s leading outdoor manufacturers, our founder, Yotaro Kanayama, came upon the one simple idea that formed the roots of finetrack: to create products that were fundamentally, elementally, new.

 

From early childhood, Kanayama was interested in mountain climbing; as a young man, he decided that his passion for mountain climbing was worth the potential risk of injury or death. Kanayama’s enthusiasm for the outdoors far exceeds that of the average person, bordering on mania. Rather than treating each outdoor activity — from backcountry skiing to mountain biking, kayaking, and fishing — as a separate entity, rather than restricting himself to specializing in just one or two of them, Kanayama dedicated himself to enjoying them all equally and to their fullest.

 

As Kanayama’s knowledge of outdoor sports continued to grow, so did his experience as a professional in the textile industry. After years of training in Osaka, at the forefront of Japan’s textile world, Kanayama worked his way up to oversee the entire development section of a major textile manufacturing firm, deploying his expertise and experience to train the next generation.

 

Nature taught Kanayama not only that a crisis may always be lurking at the margins of any outdoor adventure, but also the limitations of existing materials and the requirements that the tools available must meet to be safe when facing the elements. Filled with bold ideas and a new sense of purpose, Kanayama came to realize that, as a regular company employee, he was limited on how he could bring his innovations to life. He knew that he had to strike out on his own.

 

 

Filled with sweat equity, ideas, and determination, Kanayama spent two years preparing a business model that focused on creating reliable products based on authentic experiences. From those roots, finetrack’s green shoots sprouted in January of 2004, when we first introduced the Elemental Layer, the foundation of finetrack’s unique, integrated five-layer system and the core of finetrack’s business and philosophy.

 

Over the past several years, finetrack has enjoyed strong, organic growth based on our values of quality, integrity, durability, and relentless innovation, always incorporating valuable feedback from our ever-increasing loyal following in Japan’s domestic outdoor gear market, always learning from nature’s teachings as we test our products in the elements. 

 

Today, we at finetrack are very excited to extend a branch across the Pacific Ocean to introduce our original flagship product that started it all, the Elemental Layer, to our fellow outdoor enthusiasts in North America, and we are working hard to bring many more of our fine products to you in the future.

  

 

Ultimately, when we face the unstoppable forces of nature, we really have no control over the outcome. However, we can control how well we keep our wits, deploy our knowledge, and learn from our experiences, and can choose to equip ourselves with the outdoor clothing and gear that protects us and allow us to enjoy the elements in comfort and safety.

 

We develop all of finetrack’s products based on our actual experiences in the face of nature’s fury. To ensure that we enjoy the outdoors and remember our adventures fondly, we elevate comfort while prioritizing safety above all else. Our unwavering dedication to safety, comfort, and durability always pushes us to develop new materials that meet our high-performance quality standards. When first looking to satisfy those performance requirements, our extensive research and testing of existing materials eventually led to the realization that ordinary materials only allowed us to make ordinary products -- if we wanted to create truly extraordinary high performance outdoor gear, we would have to invent our own materials from the ground up, beginning with the fundamentals.

 

This is one of the reasons we at finetrack proudly ensure that our products are made in Japan.  >> Made in Japan >>