Help Hurricane Helene Victims by Shopping Black Friday for Quality Outdoor Gear

Shop Black Friday for outdoor gear until Dec. 6th and help support North Carolina communities that were devastated by Hurricane Helene.

Almost There / photo by Vicky Katrin

The small rural towns in North Carolina that were devastated by Hurricane Helene are still struggling to get on their feet. Chimney Rock, a mountain town, was nearly wiped off the map. This isn't an exaggeration, buildings, businesses and homes were literally torn from their foundations by flooding, to where there was nothing left except ruble. Haywood County faced powerful floods from the Pigeon River, with many residents and business owners losing everything. Buncombe County tragically suffered the majority of the storm's fatalities.

Yesterday's News

While the news coverage has moved on, people and businesses are still suffering and in need of help. The basics like clean water, electricity, housing, and passable roads are scarce in these hard hit communities.

Up for The Fight

The Watershed Drybag company, makers of world-class waterproof bags and packs, are located in Asheville, NC, near the French Broad river. They were hit hard by flooding after 30 inches of rainfall drenched the surrounding mountains. The floodwaters did major damage to their operations and things had to come to a stand still until they were able to take stock of their situation, and make sure all their employees were safe.

Helping Others While Helping Themselves

Watershed is working hard on their recovery, and while doing so, they have taken it upon themselves to also help in the recovery of the local Appalachian communities that are still in dire need of help.

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Here is how they are getting it done.

Watershed is offering digital gift cards during Black Friday through December 6th, with 10% of each sale going to BeLoved Asheville, a local non-profit providing essentials like food, housing, and healthcare access to those affected by Hurricane Helene. By choosing a gift card, shoppers can support both Watershed’s recovery and the broader efforts to help the struggling communities of Western North Carolina. 

Keeping the camera gear dry. / photo by Peter Amend

Watershed Drybags for the Outdoor Lifestyle

If I had just invested $300 in a drybag, I could have prevented the irreversible water damage of $5000 worth of camera equipment. Coming down a river in Alaska, I miss judged a turn and ran my jet boat up onto a log. The back end of the boat went under as the bow went up. The boat took on water and as I scrambled to get the passengers out of the boat, my backpack full of camera gear tumbled out of the boat, and sank. Losing 5K worth of camera gear taught me a hard lesson about the true value of a $300 dry bag.

Along for the ride. / photo by Katie Cahn

Watershed Drybags Supply the Best With the Best

Watershed Drybags have a reputation amongst military special forces and elite kayakers and canoeists as a proven and reliable choice for waterproof protection. These aren't casual users; water damage cannot be afforded in their line of work, so they go with a proven track record. Watershed simply makes the most dependable and user-friendly dry bags on the market.

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Hurricane Helene Tore Them Down, You Can Help Them Up

It's a win-win-win with Watershed's latest initiative. With buyer's support, Watershed can begin to recoup their losses due to Hurricane Helene, while also extending a helping hand to their neighbors in need. These small towns have been overlooked so the help has to come from within. By purchasing a Watershed digital gift card, you can pump life back into communities that were knocked down, but not knocked out. And the third "win" is the purchase of premium quality gear for yourself or as a gift. Everybody wins. KB

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