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The Future of Hiking Gear? Robotic Pants That Power You Up the Side of a Mountain

Motorized hiking pants from Arc’teryx and Skip, a startup born out of Google, are designed to propel you forward and upward.

man hiking up a mountain with robotic pantsSkip
Jack Seemer

By Jack Seemer

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Some products are so disruptive that they create a clean break between the present and the past. The iPhone. The light bulb. The wheel.

A new offering may have the same effect for hiking gear. Only the product isn’t a boot or a bag or any type of waterproof jacket. It’s a $5,000 pair of pants designed to propel you up the side of a mountain like an e-bike.

Meet the Mo/Go

The device is called the Mo/Go — short for mountain goat (one of the best climbers in the world). And it’s a collaborative effort between Arc’teryx and Skip, a startup born out of Google’s innovation lab, X.

man wearing an exoskeleton in the outdoors
The Mo/Go is an exoskeleton that attaches to the user with a special pair of Arc’teryx Gamma pants.
Skip

Though exoskeletons have been around for decades, the Mo/Go will be one of the first examples that goes beyond the commercial and rehabilitation sectors.

Perhaps the best-known exoskeleton was the Hardiman, a full-body suit developed by General Electric in the 1960s to help users lift heavy objects. Ironically, it never got off the ground.

The Mo/Go instead focuses on users’ lower limbs and, unlike the Hardiman, you’d have to look closely to even notice it was there.

an exoskeleton equipped to a pair of hiking pants
You’d have to look closely to notice the Mo/Go at all.
Skip

In short, its a pair of technical pants based off the Arc’teryx Gamma, which come equipped with battery-powered motors located at the knee. Adjustable carbon-fiber cuffs keep them in place, and they augment the user’s quadricep and hamstring muscles to propel them forward and upward.

“The steeper and longer the climb or descent, the more they do for you.”

According to Skip, the “motors are most helpful when tackling elevation — the time your knees would normally be working their hardest … the steeper and longer the climb or descent, the more they do for you.”

Price and availability

Unlike exoskeletons aimed at people with disabilities or injuries, the Mo/Go casts a wide net. It’s for hikers or all stripes and simply designed to help people move more. Skip calls the category movewear — a play on outerwear and sleepwear.

an exoskeleton equipped to a pair of hiking pants
Skip is offering $80 day rentals, however, they’re only available in Arizona, Colorado and British Columbia for now.
Skip

The company is taking reservations for shipments next year, and early adopters will receive a $500 discount. The Mo/Go will normally cost $5,000.

For skeptics, or simply hikers who want to take a little test ride, the company will also be offering $80 day rentals — available in Arizona, Colorado and British Columbia, with more locations on the way.

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