The U.S. business community is challenging President Trump’s tariffs — and many outdoor brands are joining the ranks. More than 1,000 businesses have now filed lawsuits over Trump’s increased taxation of goods produced overseas, Forbes reported last week.
Many U.S. companies rely on materials produced abroad, even if the products are ultimately assembled in the U.S. That has led to increased costs, which many brands have passed on to consumers by raising prices.
Many CEOs told GearJunkie in 2025 that they were waiting and hoping for the situation to resolve itself. But as Trump’s tariffs continued into 2026, more companies have taken legal action. In the last few months, outdoor brands including YETI, GoPro, and Peloton have filed suit against the U.S. government, claiming that Trump’s tariffs are illegal, according to legal documents obtained by GearJunkie.
These brands join juggernaut companies like Reebok, Puma, and many others that have filed lawsuits through the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Moreover, many of these outdoor brands — including YETI and Peloton — have also demanded the U.S. government refund them for the cost of paying the tariffs. At the same time, few business leaders have been willing to make explicit comments against the Trump administration, primarily because they’re worried about retaliation, a trade expert told the Austin American-Statesman this week.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision this week on the legality of Trump’s tariffs, which may affect these brands’ ability to pursue legal action.
Most Brands Decline to Speak Out
YETI, Peloton, and the other brands suing Trump have largely landed on the same legal argument — namely, that Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify the tariffs is illegal.
Trump issued executive orders to implement the tariffs almost immediately after taking office last year. But the IEEPA does not give Trump the legal authority to issue those tariffs, the brands argue, pointing to past decisions from federal courts. YETI and Peloton are also seeking “complete refunds” of the money they’ve paid out due to the tariffs.
However, neither YETI nor Peloton has specified how much in additional tariffs they paid out in 2025. Neither brand responded to GearJunkie’s requests for that information on Wednesday.
In GearJunkie’s past reporting on how tariffs have impacted outdoor brands, few CEOs have been willing to speak on the record about the issue. Even fewer divulged how much they were paying out.
Ford’s CEO Jim Farley has been a rare exception, revealing the $1 billion in tariff duties the company paid out in 2025. And in another legal filing, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Supreme Court that approving Trump’s use of tariffs would give all future presidents “unprecedented authority to upend the domestic economy through taxation.”
In the meantime, it looks like more and more brands are taking legal action over the tariffs — without publicly discussing the issue.
And even if the Supreme Court rules that Trump can’t levy tariffs via the IEEPA, that doesn’t mean tariffs will end. Despite widespread pushback from the U.S. business community, the White House has already announced plans to continue with the tariffs through other means.
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