Hiking isn’t for everyone. It’s a great pastime, but it requires persistence and a consistent means of transportation. At the very least, hiking is one of the least expensive ways to experience that elusive feeling of green peace. MO/GO Exoskeleton Hiking pants are making mountain walking more mechanical (and more expensive): the Turbo Pants will set you back $4,500 if you get them early, or a whopping $5,000 if you buy them later.
MO/GO (short for “Mountain Goat”) is a collaborative project between outdoor apparel manufacturer Arc’teryx and technology startup Skip. Samsung’s exoskeleton pants conceptThese are similar, but Skp and Arc’Teryx’s first commercial products will cover them all. Visible metal pieces Pair this with already expensive designer hiking pants, and the MO/GO puts 40% more strain on your feet, according to the company. What does this mean? Fast Company I wore them while hiking and rolled around and found that the exoskeleton significantly reduced pressure on my knees, cushioned my feet, and helped me kick my feet forward when tackling an incline.
Just two weeks ago I climbed the short but tough Breakneck Ridge Loop. Apple and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra By comparison, not once on this hike did I think, “I really need a wearable exoskeleton.” At first, it seemed like the company was trying to market it as a product that would literally help older hikers or those with foot problems who still want to hike. But it’s expensive. Instead, it’s described as a “range extender” to help experienced hikers do better at what they’re already doing. Skip says it’s developing another related product, one “designed to help people with neurological disorders.”
These pants will turn you into the world’s most efficient cyborg hiker, and anyone who meets you on the trail will notice. With two braces attached to each leg and a three-hour power pack positioned on your belt line just above your hips.
The MO/GO is designed to engage the quads and hamstrings by fastening Skip’s carbon fiber exoskeleton thighs to the outside of each leg in the Arc’teryx Gamma Pant. Each ligament weighs 2 pounds, and the entire pant weighs 7 pounds, but instead of adding weight, the arms absorb the shock of every step, making the wearer feel 30 pounds lighter.
Incidentally, the company’s website states that the regular men’s Arc’teryx Gamma Pants cost $200, so you can already guess how much of the MO/GO’s price is down to the technology. Skip’s site gives you an inside look at the motor spinning every time the user lifts their knee. The pants are supposed to have on-board algorithms that handle stairs and steep hills differently. They can’t be controlled through an app, either. The pants have three buttons: an on/off switch and toggles for “less assist” and “more assist.”
Skip’s founders are originally from Google, Skip CEO Katherine Zealand said: TechCrunch By late 2023, “it was starting to become clear that this just didn’t make sense as a project within Alphabet,” she said. She was originally the lead for Google’s “X” project, which included several exoskeleton leg armatures. These were primarily Increase the number of workers to do manual labor Or helping people with mobility issues. Bloomberg report Zealand raised $6 million to spin off Skip from Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
Arc’teryx rents the MO/GO in Canada and the western United States for $80 for eight hours. demo The event will be held on August 23rd and 24th. There are currently 10 sizes available, and those who want one will need to tell Skip their height, weight, and size requirements when preordering. If the hike isn’t too strenuous, you can get more. Preorders come with two batteries. Those who want to get it early will need to pay a $100 deposit. Preorders are expected to ship in December 2025. At least, MO/GO is Most expensive consumer exoskeleton We have seen it.
