In the mountains of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, my story began.
I packed too light.
Shivering in my hammock, with totally inadequate gear, I had a realization: my backpacking kit should be comfortable at camp AND ultralight.
That night, everything changed. I needed to make my own gear, a better kind of ultralight.
I was fascinated. Initially by the impressive specs of the different textiles, but then for their potential.
Like any Redditor, I started using LighterPack to determine my base weight weight. I started calculating just how light I could and should.
Yet... I was in college and broke. So I purchased a simple home sewing machine, which was promptly destroyed. I realized that ultra-durability was not just a marketing slogan.
Five years later, I've moved to Boulder, Colorado with a happy family of industrial sewing machines, hundreds of packs emerging from their steely finesse.
My own skills have improved enough to make those first packs nearly unrecognizable to me— even though I still have all of them. I've cherished every little frustration and triumph on my journey to mastering the world of sewing, textiles, and bag design.
I know that I have the greatest customers in the world.
I befriend so many of my customers, granting me the best privilege of all: seeing my handiwork survive and thrive thousands of miles in the backcountry.
You, dear reader, have enabled me to take my craft and make it into a career, a full-time-and-a-half job as well as a business.
I've gotten to share my skills with others, both on YouTube and with great friends. Miraculously, I’ve managed to connect my passion of sewing and the outdoors. I’m grateful to share those experiences with you, embodied in every pack I make.
Thank you! I can't express how great it is that you've found my little shop and gave me the time of day. I hope you'll look around.