Arc’teryx’s new powered pants could make hikers feel 30 pounds lighter
![A hiker on a high ride wearing Arc’teryx’s new powered MO/GO pants.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IqcQoW0Ix1043MKgBy4i-Q7D_ic=/0x0:2400x1600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73488410/arcteryx.0.jpg)
Strength-boosting exoskeleton suits can help make jobs with physical labor feel less strenuous, but Arc’teryx has partnered with Skip, a spinoff of Google’s X Labs, to bring the technology to leisure time. The powered MO/GO pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that can boost a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent.
The MO/GO (which is short for mountain goat) pants weigh around seven pounds with the power-boosting module and three-hour rechargeable batteries attached. That module snaps onto the hiker using a pair of carbon fiber braces for each leg hidden beneath a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants to make the apparatus easy to get on and off.
Marketed as a...