Our Transparent Sourcing Policy
When we set out to make the Next Gen Narwhals, we were dedicated to sourcing as many components as possible domestically. We believe in supporting American jobs, and building with the highest quality components we can obtain. We also personally dislike when it feels impossible to find out where a product is made, so we want to make every aspect of our sourcing process crystal clear for our customers.
When we say “Built in Boulder, Colorado with Domestic and Foreign Components” – we perform all final assembly of the Next Gen Narwhals ourselves and here is a comprehensive list of of the components and their sources:
Domestic Components
- Plastic handle components (glass filled polypropylene). USA sourced material and injection molded locally in Colorado.
- Rubberized sleeve on the base (TPE). USA sourced material and injection molded locally in Colorado.
- Lid gasket (pure silicone). USA sourced material and Made in USA.
- Cardboard packaging. USA sourced material and manufactured locally in Colorado.
- Internal fasteners and adhesives. Made in USA
- Cool-not-Cold packs (HDPE). Made in the USA and filled with USA sourced material.
- Logo label. Printed and Made in the USA.
North American Components
- Insulating Sleeve (EVA foam). Made in Canada.
Foreign Components
- Vacuum Insulated Base (18/8 Stainless Steel). Made in China.
- Heat Pipes (Copper). Made in China
For those who REALLY want to go down the rabbit hole, here is some more detailed information on our choices.
Unfortunately, currently no domestic or North American manufacturers of vacuum insulated stainless steel containers exist for the consumer market. Virtually every stainless steel container, be it Klean Kanteen, Hyrdoflask, Yeti, etc. are all made in Asia, with the vast majority produced in China. We were lucky enough to partner with a US-based family business that has been sourcing such containers from China for over 20 years, and we have been thrilled with the quality. The containers are not only vacuum insulated, but also lead free, and include a copper coating in the vacuum portion to increase insulation value via reflectivity of infrared light.
Although we have identified a US manufacturer of heat pipes, their main business is supplying the defense industry with specialized production runs. Unfortunately, the cost of heat pipes from this supplier would be prohibitively expensive (nearly 10 times the cost). We use sintered copper heat pipes for maximum thermal conductivity regardless of the pipe’s orientation, and each heat pipe is deburred and polished. We have again partnered with a US company that has delivered amazing quality from their overseas factory.
For our plastic handle components we chose 20% glass-filled polypropylene with a UV stabilizer. This material is incredibly strong and durable. In addition, it can withstand tough outdoor conditions, and does not absorb water. It is legitimately tactical-grade material. The rubberized outer sleeve is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), specifically a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) chosen for its toughness and rubbery feel, as well as its ability to handle the outdoors and an extremely wide temperature range. The local Colorado injection molder we work with to produce these parts is family-owned and has been in business since 1982!
The Cool-not-Cold packs are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), an incredibly tough material that can handle countless freeze/thaw cycles. The packs are sealed with a press fit plug that is permanently glued in place with structural acrylic adhesive. We have drop tested the packs from nearly 2 stories without issue. They are built to last!
The insulating sleeve is custom injection molded XL Extralight EVA foam. This material provided the customization we desired, while being lightweight, durable, and providing excellent insulation. Although plastic injection molding is fairly common, there are very few facilities capable of producing this sort of injection molded foam. Again, we are lucky to have an excellent manufacturing partner based in Canada.
For packaging, we work with Colorado Industrial Packaging. All of this company’s cardboard suppliers are USA companies that source their material from USA forests. Furthermore, they are sustainable forest suppliers, meaning pine trees are harvested responsibly and replanted at the same rate as harvested. This method helps keep the forest healthy by harvesting sick or overcrowded portions of the forest. The long pine fibers used in their material makes it significantly stronger than that of international competitors who use rice fibers.
Finally, a word regarding molds. Often, even when an injected molded part is 100% Made in the USA, the mold in which the part is formed (often called the “tooling”) may actually be made overseas and then used in a domestic facility to produce the part. Where possible, we invested in domestically made tooling. The tooling for the TPV sleeve, the upper section of the Narwhal handle, the silicone gasket, and the Cool-not-Cold bottle was all Made in the USA. The tooling for the EVA insulated sleeve was made in Canada. The tooling for the remainder of the handle parts was made by a trusted shop based in Hong Kong that has worked with the injection molder for over a decade.
We are proud to have found such high quality and thoughtful partners who helped us bring our vision for the Next Gen Narwhals to fruition. If you have any additional questions about our sourcing, please get in touch.
