PasteMagazine.com – Yakima SkyBox Pro 12

Well-known—and often parodied—for its hipster, localist reputation, Portland, OR, also hosts a legion of top-notch U.S. travel and outdoor companies. Nike is there, in a sprawling campus in nearby Beaverton. Then there’s the North American hub of New Zealand-based Icebreaker and Adidas, and the future northwestern HQ for the ever-expanding Under Armour. But, true to the city’s more independent spirit, there’s a handful of great, smaller companies based in the Rose City that are doing great things. Here are seven of them, along with a few of their signature products.

Less about something you use while traveling, and more about making it easier for you to travel with all your stuff, Yakima takes its inspiration from the Hood River, just north of Portland. This is the land of biking, paddling, camping, and backpacking—and drinking beer, which is why most of their car racks also come with integrated bottle openers. Your particular passion will likely dictate which product best suits your needs; they make racks for paddleboards, bikes, kayaks, skis and snowboards, and just about everything else. But the roof-top Skybox Pro 12 ($549) will store just about everything, with a high-gloss finish that suits most vehicles.