Collection: Built with Purpose Series: Inside OR Tactical Product Design: A Conversation with Product Manager, Adrian Pydych

The tactical team is dedicated to developing products through the lens of the elite professional, focusing on solving the problems and engineering mission specific capabilities across all categories: handwear systems, apparel, and accessories.  

It’s essential to have a product manager at OR who can leverage the full resources and expertise under the wider OR umbrella through the lens of the elite military end user. The smallest details can determine whether a solution meets operational demands or fails in the field. Today, we’re speaking with Adrian Pydych, Tactical Product Manager, to understand how he ensures every product is purpose-built for mission success.    

Tell us a little bit about how you found your way into this industry.  

After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, I started my career at Outdoor Research on the manufacturing side of the business, first supporting the manufacture and supply of surgical facemasks to the State of Washington during COVID, then transitioning into our cut and sew business making Berry Compliant gloves and other accessories for the DOD (Department of Defense).  

I provided manufacturing engineering support for existing products, as well as helping design and develop new products to meet contract requirements and specific customer needs. This was my first experience in the product side of the business, and I found my engineering background really helped in creating technical product to solve our customer’s problems. I really loved it, and eventually was able to leverage the experience I have making product for military contract customers into our TAA compliant product line that we have continued expanding year over year.  

How would you define the core value proposition of ORs Tactical side, and how do you align both design mentalities to maintain a consistent brand identity? 

The Tactical side of OR combines the lessons learned in the mountains with lessons learned on the battlefield. We have always been connected to the needs of the core military end user that may be issued our gear, and that’s allowed us to incorporate real time feedback from guys on the ground doing this day in and day out, on a very quick timeline. Having the ability to leverage the manufacturing expertise and industry knowledge here at OR into something that also incorporates finely tuned details brought to us by end user feedback is what separates us.  

It also means we can utilize that knowledge to create products with a somewhat broader appeal and use case, more accessible through retail channels. Regardless of the supply chain, my goal is to supply product solutions that keep all our customers protected and able to focus on their mission, in any environment.

How do you prioritize features for different mission profiles — e.g., arid vs. alpine environments, Kinetic vs. Static roles?

We always strive to create products that perform well in a wide range of applications, but these performance characteristics will always have trade offs depending on the scenario. Understanding those tradeoffs and identifying the intended end use is key when selecting materials, features, and designs. We collect extensive user feedback and test the product in the field ourselves to determine what characteristics to more heavily favor. In extreme cold environments, staying warm means regulating the moisture your body outputs, so we consider the breathability of an insulated parka more so than the waterproofness from external moisture. On the flip side, if we were focusing on a more packable layer meant to be a emergency layer to take out only when needed, features like pockets and adjustable cuffs are convenient, but add bulk with the velcro, zippers, and additional fabric needed to construct them, so a packable shell could forgo those features to be more suited for its end use case. 

We want to provide the pieces for somebody to build a kit suited to their own preferences and mission set.

You recently visited Norway, a key hub for extreme cold weather training, where you observed exercises and tested gear firsthand. Can you walk me through how you turn field testing feedback into actionable product changes? 

My trip to Norway was a great way for me to A/B test product in the field and collect feedback from true military end users in real time. Spending a week where the temps ranged from -10F to -25F meant quickly identifying what works and what doesn’t in those environments. There’s a big difference between testing zipper pulls in the office, vs with a heavy pack, in the snow, with cold hands and limited visibility.   

To action feedback from field testing, it's always good to have experienced the specific environments that end users are operating in, and what scenario they might be providing that feedback from. This makes it easy to identify the problem, potential solutions and how they will impact the user and product. In my zipper example, a larger zipper pull can solve the problem but so can eliminating the zipper pocket in favor of a buckle or snap closure, and it's my job to determine what solution is best. 

OR is well known in the DOD for our gloves, how do you balance durability, packability/weight, Weather proofness, breathability and cost when designing tactical gloves? 

There is no single solution that will work for every scenario, but this also works in our favor when balancing key performance characteristics. The intended end use of the glove will help determine which ones to weigh more heavily. For example, a combat glove will favor durability and breathability over weather proofness, and by nature of it’s more fitted design will also be lighter than a heavily insulated mitten. Cost is often one of our biggest challenges to balance. Creating high performance product means expensive materials, but we want to provide a product that isn’t out of reach of our core end users, which can ultimately be done with innovative design, material selection, and efficient manufacturing partners.

Taking it one step further into the government contracting world, OR works closely with the military procurement and SOF program offices — how do you manage compliance while still driving innovation? 

The supply chain for contract product is more limited in the US, but we have some amazing fabric suppliers that are key to our material innovation, and our US factories are constantly improving their manufacturing resources, machines, and processes. We also take inspiration from our Outdoor product line for new features and designs to keep increasing performance and the user experience. We are always innovating, and it typically looks like small, continuous improvements rather than a huge change all at once. Our relationship with SOF program offices allows us to test innovative new product, features, and materials with elite end users, and that feedback loop and end user base has always helped both sides of OR to keep innovating. 

What metrics do you use to measure success for a tactical product line? 

Every time we get to sit down with end users or attend a tradeshow, men and women will tell us stories about how the OR gloves they were issued or bought saved them in the field. Those kinds of moments are music to my ears.    

OR was started by Ron Greg because a simple gaiter completely derailed his meticulously planned approach. It is often the smallest things that result in compounding issues across a battlespace. My goal is to provide customers with products that will keep them on mission in any environment. We want to remove the elements as a factor, allowing the end user to focus on the real task on hand. A successful tactical product line allows you to move faster, and further while remaining dry, warm, and comfortable without mishaps that could cause mission failure.  

Okay, last question. What trends do you see shaping the future of the tactical outdoor gear industry? 

There’s been a lot of innovations in the outdoor industry around sun protection and cooling treatments. These products make a significant difference in hot environments, keeping users cooler, drier, and less exposed to the sun. This will be a real benefit to tactical end users in the field for long periods of time, and I think we will see this trend move from outdoor into tactical product over the next few years.