There are barriers you can’t see on maps, but they absolutely exist. The North Face has decided to break them down, and it does so with the Universal Collection: a line of camping and outdoor gear designed to be truly accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability.
4Outdoor is also on Whatsapp. Just click here to subscribe to the channel and stay up to date.
A project started by the community
The project didn’t start at a design table, but within the community. The collection was co-created with athletes with disabilities and leading figures in adaptive sports—including The North Face athletes Vasu Sojitra and Maureen Beck—with an approach that focused on real needs, not hypotheses. The result is gear where every detail has a purpose: magnetic closures for one-handed operation, wider entrances, tent poles of the same length, self-supporting backpacks. Solutions that simplify the experience for those with disabilities, but also make everything more comfortable for everyone else.
“Great design features should ensure a positive experience from start to finish for all users,” explains Luke Matthews, the brand’s Senior Technical Equipment Designer. This principle sounds obvious, but it’s still too often overlooked in the outdoor industry.
What’s in the collection
The Universal Collection includes five products designed to work together — and to work well alone, too.
The Universal Wawona 3 Tent (€ 410,00) revisits the classic camping tent: interchangeable poles of the same length, quick-release supports, and a lowered and wider entrance that’s also compatible with mobility devices. Easy to set up, even easier to take down thanks to the oversized stuff sack.
The Universal One Bag (€ 260,00) is a zipperless sleeping bag: FIDLOCK™ magnetic closures replace the traditional zipper, and the padded wing design allows for effortless entry and exit. The wings can be used individually or together, depending on the temperature.
The Universal Daypack 20L (€ 135,00) is the backpack you can carry however you want: adjustable straps to adapt to different body types and mobility aids, a one-handed magnetic top closure, and a self-supporting structure so you don’t have to search for the mouthpiece every time.
The line is completed by a convertible hat and interchangeable camping shoes, designed with the same philosophy: intuitiveness first and foremost.
A new standard for the industry
The Universal Collection isn’t a niche project. It’s a statement of intent: the outdoors should be accessible, and better design benefits everyone. The North Face demonstrates this without sacrificing the quality and performance that distinguish the brand—while also maintaining a price range designed to lower another barrier: the economic one.
