This week we opened one new vendor account at Lotz Outdoors: Kahu Tribe, an ocean-inspired lifestyle brand that makes quick-dry microfiber towel ponchos from recycled plastic bottles. It is a targeted addition to our Watersports and Paddlesports aisles that fills a real gap: the changing robe and quick-dry beach coverup that our kayak, SUP, snorkel, and boating customers used to have to buy somewhere else.
Kahu brings 31 new SKUs to the store across three size lines (Mini for kids, Regular, and Max for taller adults or cold-water use), including a PADI Aware collaboration on select shark-themed prints. Below is the full breakdown, why we added it, what stood out to us, our featured products, and the questions customers ask most often.
Kahu | Protect what we love
Total Kahu | Protect what we love products at Lotz Outdoors: 31.
Brand Overview
Kahu Tribe is an ocean-inspired lifestyle brand that makes quick-dry microfiber towel ponchos from recycled plastic bottles. Founded by "Mu," a scuba diver who wanted a lightweight alternative to the heavy, sandy towel on the boat, the company operates out of Key Largo, Florida and sells across the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean dive destinations (Seaira Dives founder feature, Kahu Tribe privacy policy). The name "KAHU" comes from Hawaiian and roughly translates to "protector" or "guardian," and the brand's poncho artwork uses Hawaiian species names such as Naiʻa (dolphin), Lelewaʻa (whale shark), Pololia (jellyfish), and Anuenue (rainbow turtle). Kahu is privately held and founder-led, and its ocean-first positioning includes a PADI Aware collaboration on select shark-themed prints (Kahu Tribe about page).
Product Categories
Kahu ties directly into four active collections at Lotz Outdoors:
- Watersports for divers, snorkelers, and open-water swimmers
- Paddlesports for kayak, SUP, and canoe buyers who need a changing robe on the water
- Boating for cold-ride coverups after time in the water
- Apparel for the broader ocean-lifestyle audience
Featured Products
Best Seller
$69.99
|
Staff Pick
$59.99
|
Best Value
$39.99
|
Most Unique
$59.99
|
Why We Added This Brand
Kahu fills a real gap in our watersports and paddlesports catalog. Customers building a kayak, SUP, snorkel, or boating kit at Lotz Outdoors have historically had to source a quick-dry changing robe or dry towel elsewhere, and cotton beach towels are a poor fit for anyone who cares about pack size, dry time, or sand management on a boat. Adding Kahu gives us a lightweight, packable, ocean-themed option that pairs naturally with the gear we already stock in Watersports and Paddlesports. The RPET material story and the 10 percent-of-purchase conservation pledge also match the buying signal we see from our watersports customers, who increasingly ask for gear made from recycled inputs when the performance is competitive.
What Stood Out To Us
Every Kahu poncho is made from 20 recycled plastic bottles processed into premium suede microfiber, and Kahu says the fabric dries roughly three times faster than cotton and packs down to about the size of a water bottle (Kahu Tribe fabric guide). The construction is a hooded pullover with a side-button design that opens flat into a full beach towel, so the same piece works as a changing robe, a coverup for cold dive boats, and a sand-free mat (Seaira Dives). Kahu directs 10 percent of every purchase to marine conservation targeting reefs, sharks, turtles, and marine ecosystems, and the PADI Aware collaboration prints put a recognized conservation partner directly on the shelf (Kahu Tribe home). Art direction is a real differentiator: instead of generic surf graphics, Kahu commissions species-specific illustrations named in Hawaiian, which appeals to divers and ocean lovers rather than surf-culture buyers.
Best For
Divers, freedivers, snorkelers, kayak and SUP paddlers, and open-water swimmers who need a quick-dry changing robe that also opens into a beach towel. Families who want matched adult and kids' sizing (Regular plus Mini). Boat owners who want a compact, sand-free coverup for cold rides back to the dock. Travelers who want to keep a poncho in a dive bag or carry-on without adding weight.
How It Fits Our Catalog
Kahu sits alongside our existing Watersports, Paddlesports, and Boating categories and gives customers a natural add-on to a kayak, SUP, snorkel, or dive purchase. The Mini size cross-sells to kids' life-vest and paddlesports pages, and the Max fits customers already buying cold-water gear. Because the ponchos ship compact and light, they also make sensible add-ons to travel and boating orders without meaningfully changing the shipping profile.
Brand FAQ
Customers frequently ask about Kahu | Protect what we love:
What are Kahu ponchos actually made from?
Each Kahu poncho is crafted from 20 recycled plastic bottles processed into premium suede microfiber (RPET). Kahu says the fabric dries about three times faster than cotton and does not trap sand (Kahu Tribe fabric guide).
Which Kahu size should I buy?
Mini is designed for children under 12. Regular is the standard adult size with full coverage. Max adds extra fabric for taller adults, cold-water use, and anyone who wants more coverage on a dive boat (Kahu Tribe fabric guide).
Does Kahu actually give money to ocean conservation?
Yes. Kahu directs 10 percent of every purchase to marine conservation and community-based initiatives that fund protection of reefs, sharks, turtles, and marine ecosystems, and it runs a PADI Aware print collaboration on select shark-themed ponchos (Kahu Tribe home, Seaira Dives).
Staff Picks From This Week's New Brand
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Best Seller
$69.99
The PADI Aware collab print is the most editorially recognizable piece in the launch and carries the conservation story visibly. |
Staff Pick
$59.99
The whale-shark illustration is our favorite piece of the launch art and captures why Kahu sits in Watersports, not Apparel. |
|
Best Value
$39.99
The Mini size at $39.99 is the entry price for the whole Kahu lineup and the natural add-on to a kids' life vest. |
Most Unique
$59.99
A jellyfish illustration is an unusual print choice and gives the lineup a piece that will not be confused with generic beach graphics. |
This Week in New Brands at Lotz Outdoors
One brand, 31 new SKUs, week ending September 20, 2026. Kahu Tribe adds a quick-dry, recycled-microfiber towel-poncho lineup that lands in Watersports, Paddlesports, Boating, and Apparel. Each poncho is made from 20 recycled plastic bottles processed into premium suede microfiber, 10 percent of every purchase goes to marine conservation, and the PADI Aware collaboration prints put a recognized conservation partner directly on the shelf. The story of the week is simple: our watersports customers now have a compact, sand-free changing robe and beach coverup with a real sustainability backbone that ships as an easy add-on to a kayak, SUP, snorkel, or boat-day order.
About Lotz Outdoors. Lotz Outdoors is an outdoor gear retailer offering thousands of SKUs across archery, hunting, fishing, camping, marine, and shooting sports categories. We add new brands each week as our catalog grows, and this weekly post is how we tell you what showed up on our shelves. Sign up for our email list to catch new arrivals and staff picks as they land, or explore all our collections to see what else we carry.
