Erin O’Toole founded Oterra Designs with a vision of creating unique, expressive, and high performing gear for the climbing community. Erin worked for many years as a product designer and developer in the outdoor industry where she honed her technical skills and fed her creativity on the side by making personalized chalk bags and buckets for friends. As these gifts started to be seen around crags, gyms and over social media, she was overwhelmed with responses of ‘why don’t you sell these?!’ And as time went on, Erin felt more and more drawn to the craft of making gear that went beyond its function and into the realm of a usable piece of art. In the start of 2020 (pre-covid shutdown as luck would have it), she took the leap, left her ‘real’ job, and Oterra was born.
The name Oterra translates to ‘of the Earth’, chosen because all of Erin’s designs are inspired by the environment around us, and also because the brand is committed to sustainability and doing their part to take care of the planet, using recycled and repurposed materials whenever possible. She believes that your gear is an extension of you, and you shouldn’t have to choose between a piece that reflects your style and values or one that always performs reliably, you deserve to have both. Based in southern Maine, Erin is an avid rock climber and mountain runner with an intense passion for all things wild.
