Ultimate Direction, the company in Boulder, Colorado that popularized the “hydration vest,” is growing its presence in Europe through the appointment of three leading distributors: ABC Distribution for Italy, Snow Factory for Spain and Andorra, and Plein Nord Distribution for France. It had a different distributor for the Spanish market previously. The company already has distributors in the U.K. and Denmark. Ultimate Direction claims to have created the hydration pack category in 1985, ahead of Camelbak's entry into the business four years later through the bicycle sector.