by Shingo Numata In the fall of 2026, MUNIEQ launched the Open-Back Wind Jacket, an ultralight wind shell built around an entirely new concept. As the name suggests, it's a wind jacket with an open back. The Beginning: A Chilly Trail Running Race The idea came to me during a late-autumn trail running race. The course moved between sheltered forest sections and exposed grasslands swept by cold winds. As conditions changed constantly, so did my need for an extra layer. I fo

From Hiking Dreams to Coffee Innovations By Shingo Numata With the arrival of the so-called third wave, high-quality coffee became easier to find year by year in the late 2000s. I was one of the many who became captivated by specialty coffee. In 2009, my wife and I planned a hiking trip to Nepal. Before the trip, we talked about how nice it would be to drink coffee while looking out over the mountains. So, we started researching gear. Compact, packable outdoor coffee drippers