OutDry, the marketer of waterproof breathable laminates for gloves and footwear, is exploring new business opportunities for its membranes. At Ispo Munich, the Italian company, owned by Columbia Sportswear, presented a new application designed to make backpacks waterproof. There had been multiple attempts to create this sort of product over the past decades, but their success was limited by constraints in terms of weight and functionality. OutDry promises that it has overcome such problems with new technologies that will be ready for market introduction by spring 2014. The new application will be launched via two models by Mountain Hardwear, which is also a brand of Columbia: the new Italian technology will be used in the BMG 105 model, Mountain Hardwear's largest backpack, as well as in South Col 70, a backpack designed for climbing expeditions.

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