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The following members sell American Made Products in the Luggage & Bags Category
One of the products Homestead Weaving sells is Made in the USA Woven Totes. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Homestead Weaving and its Made in America products see the following:
In 2008, Chris was juried into the Indiana Artisan program, a state-wide program to establish a brand that gives meaning and recognition to high quality, Indiana-made goods.
Her handwoven rugs are wholesaled to shops around the US.
Chris' business is located in a 1,500 sq. foot weaving studio near the house.
It is constructed mainly of native Indiana poplar. Yarns and
fibers are constantly being organized, but Homestead Weaving Studio
also houses looms, spinning wheels, tons of yarn and spinning fibers
along with books and weaving equipment. With the addition of the loom
room in 2007, there is a wonderful classroom space and day
lessons and weaving and spinning instruction are being offered.
Family History
Bob and Chris were married one unseasonably warm and sunny day Dec. 1, 1973, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Chris (Diener) grew up in Lansing, Mich., attended Everett High School and graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism. After trying life in New York City and East Berlin, Penna., she traveled to Boulder, Colo., to teach weaving at a small shop there. Bob grew up in Colorado Springs and met Chris while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also obtained a journalism degree.
Both worked at the Colorado Springs Sun, he as a copy desk editor, she as chief photographer until moving in 1974 to Scottsbluff, Neb., where he was a reporter and later news editor at the Star-Herald. Chris worked as a copy editor at the newspaper before resigning to begin Homestead Gallery, an arts and crafts supply store in downtown Scottsbluff.
Erin was born April 4, 1979, at Scottsbluff, and spent her early days as a shop rat.
The Gustins moved to Evansville, Ind., in 1982. Bob took a job at The Evansville Courier before moving to The Evansville Press in 1986, where he was managing editor until the newspaper closed on Dec. 31, 1998, the victim of an expired Joint Operating Agreement. He retired in 2011 as editor of The Republic in Columbus, Ind. Chris spent some time raising a family and getting her weaving business restarted before rejoining the journalism world with a copy desk job at The Press in the late '80s. She retired from the Press as lifestyles editor when the paper closed.
Andrew was born Aug. 18, 1984, in Evansville, and spent his early days honing his baseball skills with a Wiffle ball in the front yard.
Both Erin and Andrew were excellent students at Marrs Elementary School, where Erin won the sixth grade spelling bee, and Andrew placed fourth in the same contest. Both inherited their mother's singing ability, and have participated in choir and drama activities.
Andrew also excelled in baseball and soccer.
Other members of the family include cats named Abhi, Andy, Smitty, Pike and Blackkitty.
We'd like to hear from old or new friends, or make some cyber-acquaintances. Give us an e-mail.
Email: Bob bgustin@gmail.com
Email: Chris chris@homesteadweaver.com
Email: Andrew derelict17@gmail.com
For more information about Homestead Weaving and its Made in America products see the following:
In 2008, Chris was juried into the Indiana Artisan program, a state-wide program to establish a brand that gives meaning and recognition to high quality, Indiana-made goods.
Her handwoven rugs are wholesaled to shops around the US.
Chris' business is located in a 1,500 sq. foot weaving studio near the house.
It is constructed mainly of native Indiana poplar. Yarns and
fibers are constantly being organized, but Homestead Weaving Studio
also houses looms, spinning wheels, tons of yarn and spinning fibers
along with books and weaving equipment. With the addition of the loom
room in 2007, there is a wonderful classroom space and day
lessons and weaving and spinning instruction are being offered.
Family History
Bob and Chris were married one unseasonably warm and sunny day Dec. 1, 1973, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Chris (Diener) grew up in Lansing, Mich., attended Everett High School and graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism. After trying life in New York City and East Berlin, Penna., she traveled to Boulder, Colo., to teach weaving at a small shop there. Bob grew up in Colorado Springs and met Chris while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also obtained a journalism degree.
Both worked at the Colorado Springs Sun, he as a copy desk editor, she as chief photographer until moving in 1974 to Scottsbluff, Neb., where he was a reporter and later news editor at the Star-Herald. Chris worked as a copy editor at the newspaper before resigning to begin Homestead Gallery, an arts and crafts supply store in downtown Scottsbluff.
Erin was born April 4, 1979, at Scottsbluff, and spent her early days as a shop rat.
The Gustins moved to Evansville, Ind., in 1982. Bob took a job at The Evansville Courier before moving to The Evansville Press in 1986, where he was managing editor until the newspaper closed on Dec. 31, 1998, the victim of an expired Joint Operating Agreement. He retired in 2011 as editor of The Republic in Columbus, Ind. Chris spent some time raising a family and getting her weaving business restarted before rejoining the journalism world with a copy desk job at The Press in the late '80s. She retired from the Press as lifestyles editor when the paper closed.
Andrew was born Aug. 18, 1984, in Evansville, and spent his early days honing his baseball skills with a Wiffle ball in the front yard.
Both Erin and Andrew were excellent students at Marrs Elementary School, where Erin won the sixth grade spelling bee, and Andrew placed fourth in the same contest. Both inherited their mother's singing ability, and have participated in choir and drama activities.
Andrew also excelled in baseball and soccer.
Other members of the family include cats named Abhi, Andy, Smitty, Pike and Blackkitty.
We'd like to hear from old or new friends, or make some cyber-acquaintances. Give us an e-mail.
Email: Bob bgustin@gmail.com
Email: Chris chris@homesteadweaver.com
Email: Andrew derelict17@gmail.com
One of the products Hoohobbers sells is Made in the USA Doll Sleeping Bags. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Hoohobbers and its Made in America products see the following:
In 1979 Bill and Judy Sommerschield and their two young daughters were having Thanksgiving dinner with Bill's parents. One daughter used a bulky booster seat to raise herself up to table size, the other was left with the Chicago phone book having to do the deed. Bill wondered why there wasn't a portable booster seat to solve this seating problem, a compact chair that could be easily carried from place to place.
Over the next year Bill pursued the idea of creating a portable booster seat. Along the way he met Mike Wilson, an industrial designer. Mike designed what is now Hoohobbers' signature product, its junior director chair/booster seat. Focus Groups were enthusiastic. One lady described how she thought the chair was an item her little toddler could easily control all by herself, a legitimate product -not just a fad or piece of candy or some such, that would help develop the child's emerging personality and sense of self-awareness. Wow! Though more than a bit wordy, she hit the nail on the head. This idea of child control and self-fulfillment would be used as a measure for all Hoohobbers products that would be born later.
Over the next 18 months Bill pursued development of the chair, first thinking it a good idea to have someone else bring to market, then determining to do so himself. Reluctantly leaving his advertising career, Bill decided to give the chair a go. In June of 1981 it was ready. Made of solid polypropylene, it just happened to emerge at the same time maturing plastics technology allowed it to be fashioned with a bright, highly cosmetic finish. It stood out. People took notice. Sales passed $3million in Hoohobbers first fiscal year, the vast majority of which were from the little booster.
Rumors soon began to circulate about companies preparing to copy the chair's design (at least 6 ultimately did). To help counter this, added products were developed. These included a director chair for older children, a rocking chair, a combination toddler/adult table, a baby rocker, a toy box, an easel, a laundry hamper, dinnerware, silverware and more. The new products maintained the same high-design motif as the original chair, as well as reflecting its uniqueness in their own way. All the products folded, all were made to be used outdoors as well as indoors, and all were highly portable.
Hoohobbers product uniqueness proved to be a hurdle to overcome, however: there was no established market for this kind of product, and at first appearance the distinctiveness and utility of Hoohobbers products were not totally apparent. Here were items that constituted an entirely new product concept. A concept consumers ultimately adopted, as it was totally consistent with the increasing mobility of American households and an emerging awareness of the tremendous advantage offered by product-compactness.
Accolades followed, including over 75 awarded patents, Best Design Awards from America's Juvenile Products Association, Parents Choice Awards, repeated awards from various juvenile industry magazines, frequent editorial recommendation, even jury-selection into the permanent product collection of MOMA, America's leading modern art museum in New York. As for product quality, Hoohobbers has never had a product recall. And product returns are virtually non-existent.
Beginning in the late 1980's soft goods were developed. These include crib bedding, diaper bags, Moses baskets, cradle, port-a-crib and bassinet linens, receiving blankets, hooded baby towels, lunch boxes and bibs, plus related room decor items such as drapes and valances, ottomans, throw pillows and floor lamps. Later, personalizing services were also added with embroidery becoming a 'must have' product enhancement in recent years.
As the company grew and the product-line expanded, Judy sold a personnel-placement company she had started and moved over to Hoohobbers full-time. As head designer she is now responsible for creating all design collections, which she refreshes with new collections at least twice annually. A notable, recent inspiration: a line of washable linen bedding customers themselves design right here on our web site.
All Hoohobbers products continue to share not only the same high-design commitment but are offered in the same colors or design collections. This creates the ability for a customer to create an entire houseful of childrens products with a single design statement! Today, Hoohobbers offers its products in over 25 distinct, classic to contemporary design collections, products purchased for home use and as gifts by people who appreciate fine design. Indeed, as an interesting side-note, Hoohobbers has many customers who have been purchasing that first chair and other items for decades, some sending 35 chairs and more over the years as their standard, 'go-to' newborn and birthday gift.
Since its founding Hoohobbers has maintained its commitment to generating incomes at home for both its employees and its suppliers by manufacturing in America, at Hoohobbers Chicago factory.
And today, those two girls no longer need boosters at Thanksgiving, though a couple of their children have. The little 1970 toddlers -along with their younger brother- are now intimately involved at Hoohobbers. And if you peruse Hoohobbers web site closely enough you may still spot a picture or two of them from their toddler-modeling days alongside pictures of their own children. Generation to generation, Hoohobbers products continue meeting the real world needs of kids.
We are so grateful for the continuing support of our long-time, dedicated Hoohobbers loyalists as well as all our new customers who hear of us year after year, Judy says. And to have our children now working with us?we have so much for which to be thankful.
For more information about Hoohobbers and its Made in America products see the following:
In 1979 Bill and Judy Sommerschield and their two young daughters were having Thanksgiving dinner with Bill's parents. One daughter used a bulky booster seat to raise herself up to table size, the other was left with the Chicago phone book having to do the deed. Bill wondered why there wasn't a portable booster seat to solve this seating problem, a compact chair that could be easily carried from place to place.
Over the next year Bill pursued the idea of creating a portable booster seat. Along the way he met Mike Wilson, an industrial designer. Mike designed what is now Hoohobbers' signature product, its junior director chair/booster seat. Focus Groups were enthusiastic. One lady described how she thought the chair was an item her little toddler could easily control all by herself, a legitimate product -not just a fad or piece of candy or some such, that would help develop the child's emerging personality and sense of self-awareness. Wow! Though more than a bit wordy, she hit the nail on the head. This idea of child control and self-fulfillment would be used as a measure for all Hoohobbers products that would be born later.
Over the next 18 months Bill pursued development of the chair, first thinking it a good idea to have someone else bring to market, then determining to do so himself. Reluctantly leaving his advertising career, Bill decided to give the chair a go. In June of 1981 it was ready. Made of solid polypropylene, it just happened to emerge at the same time maturing plastics technology allowed it to be fashioned with a bright, highly cosmetic finish. It stood out. People took notice. Sales passed $3million in Hoohobbers first fiscal year, the vast majority of which were from the little booster.
Rumors soon began to circulate about companies preparing to copy the chair's design (at least 6 ultimately did). To help counter this, added products were developed. These included a director chair for older children, a rocking chair, a combination toddler/adult table, a baby rocker, a toy box, an easel, a laundry hamper, dinnerware, silverware and more. The new products maintained the same high-design motif as the original chair, as well as reflecting its uniqueness in their own way. All the products folded, all were made to be used outdoors as well as indoors, and all were highly portable.
Hoohobbers product uniqueness proved to be a hurdle to overcome, however: there was no established market for this kind of product, and at first appearance the distinctiveness and utility of Hoohobbers products were not totally apparent. Here were items that constituted an entirely new product concept. A concept consumers ultimately adopted, as it was totally consistent with the increasing mobility of American households and an emerging awareness of the tremendous advantage offered by product-compactness.
Accolades followed, including over 75 awarded patents, Best Design Awards from America's Juvenile Products Association, Parents Choice Awards, repeated awards from various juvenile industry magazines, frequent editorial recommendation, even jury-selection into the permanent product collection of MOMA, America's leading modern art museum in New York. As for product quality, Hoohobbers has never had a product recall. And product returns are virtually non-existent.
Beginning in the late 1980's soft goods were developed. These include crib bedding, diaper bags, Moses baskets, cradle, port-a-crib and bassinet linens, receiving blankets, hooded baby towels, lunch boxes and bibs, plus related room decor items such as drapes and valances, ottomans, throw pillows and floor lamps. Later, personalizing services were also added with embroidery becoming a 'must have' product enhancement in recent years.
As the company grew and the product-line expanded, Judy sold a personnel-placement company she had started and moved over to Hoohobbers full-time. As head designer she is now responsible for creating all design collections, which she refreshes with new collections at least twice annually. A notable, recent inspiration: a line of washable linen bedding customers themselves design right here on our web site.
All Hoohobbers products continue to share not only the same high-design commitment but are offered in the same colors or design collections. This creates the ability for a customer to create an entire houseful of childrens products with a single design statement! Today, Hoohobbers offers its products in over 25 distinct, classic to contemporary design collections, products purchased for home use and as gifts by people who appreciate fine design. Indeed, as an interesting side-note, Hoohobbers has many customers who have been purchasing that first chair and other items for decades, some sending 35 chairs and more over the years as their standard, 'go-to' newborn and birthday gift.
Since its founding Hoohobbers has maintained its commitment to generating incomes at home for both its employees and its suppliers by manufacturing in America, at Hoohobbers Chicago factory.
And today, those two girls no longer need boosters at Thanksgiving, though a couple of their children have. The little 1970 toddlers -along with their younger brother- are now intimately involved at Hoohobbers. And if you peruse Hoohobbers web site closely enough you may still spot a picture or two of them from their toddler-modeling days alongside pictures of their own children. Generation to generation, Hoohobbers products continue meeting the real world needs of kids.
We are so grateful for the continuing support of our long-time, dedicated Hoohobbers loyalists as well as all our new customers who hear of us year after year, Judy says. And to have our children now working with us?we have so much for which to be thankful.
One of the products Impact Fitness sells is American Made Bags. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Impact Fitness and its Made in the USA products see the following:
Impact Fitness Wear is your leading online source for Women's Workout and Athletic Clothing. Fashionable Workout Clothing styles for your Active Lifestyle -- Yoga, Pilates, Gym / Fitness, Running, Outdoors / Winter Sports, Tennis, Maternity, Crossfit, and Everyday Lifestyle Apparel. Impact Fitness Wear offers the best selection in stylish athletic clothing for women from select partner brands. Exclusive styles that we feel compliment our private label brand line. Impact Fitness is proud to provide Outstanding Customer Service to our clientele. Free Standard Shipping on Every Order, Toll Free Phone Support, and Easy Returns and Exchanges. We accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) as well as Paypal so you can shop with confidence. Looking for the perfect fit in your workout clothing? We are here to help you find workout clothes to fit and flatter your body and make you feel great about working out. Impact Fitness Workout clothing is designed by women who know how to create fashionable styles that flatters and fit many different shapes and sizes of women. Impact Fitness offers a variety of fashion-forward Workout Tanks, Short Sleeve Tops, Long Sleeve Tops, Sports Bras, Jackets, Shorts & Skirts, Capri Pants, Long Pants, and Accessories. Impact Fitness is also the industry leader in stylish Maternity Active Wear for the expecting pregnant woman. We are committed to providing you with stylish, unique, & exclusive design styles of workout wear. What makes our Women's ActiveWear Clothing unique and different from other brands? Our athletic wear can be worn not only at the gym, but outside of the gym as everyday lifestyle wear. Stylish and comfortable clothing, flattering fits, and High End Fabrics that are easy to care for. Shop Impact Fitness for the best workout, athletic, & crossfit clothing wear for women. Check out our sister site MOMentum Maternity!
For more information about Impact Fitness and its Made in the USA products see the following:
Impact Fitness Wear is your leading online source for Women's Workout and Athletic Clothing. Fashionable Workout Clothing styles for your Active Lifestyle -- Yoga, Pilates, Gym / Fitness, Running, Outdoors / Winter Sports, Tennis, Maternity, Crossfit, and Everyday Lifestyle Apparel. Impact Fitness Wear offers the best selection in stylish athletic clothing for women from select partner brands. Exclusive styles that we feel compliment our private label brand line. Impact Fitness is proud to provide Outstanding Customer Service to our clientele. Free Standard Shipping on Every Order, Toll Free Phone Support, and Easy Returns and Exchanges. We accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) as well as Paypal so you can shop with confidence. Looking for the perfect fit in your workout clothing? We are here to help you find workout clothes to fit and flatter your body and make you feel great about working out. Impact Fitness Workout clothing is designed by women who know how to create fashionable styles that flatters and fit many different shapes and sizes of women. Impact Fitness offers a variety of fashion-forward Workout Tanks, Short Sleeve Tops, Long Sleeve Tops, Sports Bras, Jackets, Shorts & Skirts, Capri Pants, Long Pants, and Accessories. Impact Fitness is also the industry leader in stylish Maternity Active Wear for the expecting pregnant woman. We are committed to providing you with stylish, unique, & exclusive design styles of workout wear. What makes our Women's ActiveWear Clothing unique and different from other brands? Our athletic wear can be worn not only at the gym, but outside of the gym as everyday lifestyle wear. Stylish and comfortable clothing, flattering fits, and High End Fabrics that are easy to care for. Shop Impact Fitness for the best workout, athletic, & crossfit clothing wear for women. Check out our sister site MOMentum Maternity!
One of the products JW Hulme Co sells is American Made Duffel Bags. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about JW Hulme Co and its Made in the USA products see the following:
We have been makers since the day John Willis Hulme founded our company in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1905. For more than a century, every J.W. Hulme Co. travel bag, briefcase, backpack, handbag and accessory has been proudly Made in America and crafted to last a lifetime.
Each bag is individually handmade by our skilled artisans using the finest American leathers selected from small craft tanneries in our home state of Minnesota, as well as Maine, Illinois and Tennessee. Our exclusive leathers are tanned using old-school dying and finishing techniques to accentuate the full grain, color variances and natural imperfections of each hide.
Developed with one of the oldest tanneries in the United States, our signature American Heritage leather has become a classic. The cowhide is double-tanned and hand burnished to create a rich patina that gives every bag its unique character.
At J.W. Hulme, we use only the finest materials and meticulous hand craftsmanship to create leather goods of exceptional quality, and we guarantee them for life.
J.W. Hulme Co. Over 100 years of heritage in every bag.
For more information about JW Hulme Co and its Made in the USA products see the following:
We have been makers since the day John Willis Hulme founded our company in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1905. For more than a century, every J.W. Hulme Co. travel bag, briefcase, backpack, handbag and accessory has been proudly Made in America and crafted to last a lifetime.
Each bag is individually handmade by our skilled artisans using the finest American leathers selected from small craft tanneries in our home state of Minnesota, as well as Maine, Illinois and Tennessee. Our exclusive leathers are tanned using old-school dying and finishing techniques to accentuate the full grain, color variances and natural imperfections of each hide.
Developed with one of the oldest tanneries in the United States, our signature American Heritage leather has become a classic. The cowhide is double-tanned and hand burnished to create a rich patina that gives every bag its unique character.
At J.W. Hulme, we use only the finest materials and meticulous hand craftsmanship to create leather goods of exceptional quality, and we guarantee them for life.
J.W. Hulme Co. Over 100 years of heritage in every bag.
One of the products Kifaru sells is American Made Backpacks / Back Packs. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Kifaru and its Made in the USA products see the following:
Gear for Life. Ultimate, long term value.
We've been crafting back country gear since 1978, and as far as we know, all our products, even decades old, are still in service, they just don't wear out.
Being a small company, we keep a critical eye on quality control for the highest performance. No foreign sweat shops, no passing the buck. Every dollar you spend with Kifaru stays right here in the United States, instead of fueling foreign economies. The taxes reaped from our sales and salaries support our infrastructure and communities - not those in Asia or Latin America. This gear will outperform and outlast anything made offshore - period. Drilex thoroughly trumps Coolmax, as genuine 1000d Cordura trumps all
Colorado, once a Mecca of backpacking innovation was home to companies like Lowe Alpine, Gerry and of course, Mountainsmith. Once those shops sent their production offshore, they gifted us a large pool of expert, industrial sewers to choose from, among them, many Mountainsmith pack builders who are long term (decades) staff - that says a lot for a company! Buy this gear with confidence - it's based on three decades of knowing what it takes, and has been thoroughly torture tested.The skill and dedication of our American staff ensures we build the very best gear with a continuity unmatched anywhere.
psig
Being a direct-to-customer firm, there is no need to out-glitz the gear on a dealer's wall - allowing us to design for what actually does the best job of comfortably carrying very heavy loads in trail-less terrain in the middle of nowhere.
Kifaru has succeeded in the marketplace via word of mouth - the offspring of mountaineering technology meeting the demands of hunters and soldiers and Opening the Outback for those who seek adventure on foot.
Integrated Systems Approach.
Coordination is the key to success, so our products are designed to be as versatile as possible, and to integrate with other products you might already own.
Our Integrated Systems Approach lets everything fit everything else, and is expected to function superbly at as many tasks as possible - Modular and Multifunctional is a slogan around here.
This is costly gear. Nevertheless, serious users quickly acknowledge that the cost-to-benefit ratio of their Kifaru gear is quite high - the gear, quite simply, is well worth the investment. Can you buy gear for less money? Absolutely! But, at what cost?
climber2Brains
Patrick Smith continues to be an avid backcountry hunter, fisherman and rambling backpacker, while constantly tinkering, crafting and inventing (Smith has thirteen patents) better ways to Open the Outback.
This real world designer spends a third of the year in the middle of nowhere, and many more days wandering on local mountains evaluating gear. He's been doing it for more than fifty years so he knows a thing or two about living out there.
His town-based office is a place to connect. The real work happens in the Outback, usually in trail-less terrain with everything needed for living and working on his back. Equipped with a special hand stapler, scissors and a kit of raw materials, the man literally designs in the field. Tough testing is done, feedback is immediate, and changes are made on the spot. This process goes on for typically two years, often much longer. When Patrick finally releases a product it has undergone many hundreds of hours of intense field use and modification and is simply as good as it can be for the task it will perform.
The Kifaru legacy has deep roots, starting with a boyhood passion for the outdoors that grew into the founding of the Colorado School of Outdoor Living (nominally a Survival School, but also teaching backpacking and winter ski mountaineering) and later as a Nordic Ski Guide. Patrick found commercial gear inadequate for his Guiding activities and made his own. Clients clamored to buy it so a new company, Mountainsmith, was born. The first product was the Smith Sled--a svelte sure-tracking wilderness sled that solved the first of many challenges. Thousands of those first sleds are still in use today--a testimony to their usefulness as well as durability. Following closely were the first Lumbar Packs, with new-departure designs that focused on extreme comfort and fit in completely new ways. Larger packs followed, all demonstrating body-hugging fit and a unique ability to transfer weight to the hips--instead of shoulders--and therefore the ability to wrangle brutal loads like no other. The fledgling Mountainsmith company became world-renowned in the mountaineering community. Venerable Mountainsmith packs such as the Frostfire, Bugaboo and Tyrol--to name a few--are still in use decades later, and are known for their handcrafted, no-holds-barred durability, modularity and incredible fit. They became a crucial tool in many a quest for the likes of Everest, Denali, and Antarctica. climber2
climber1
The Company was managed so that Patrick could do what he does best and loves most--spending huge chunks of time in the field and inventing better gear for literally living out there. He spent a great deal of the time living off the land with a firearm and fishing rod. His yen for real living in wild places brought the very first man-carryable woodstove-heated shelters into existence. His famous tipis, with accompanying wood stoves, were introduced in 1989, and most are still providing portable homes in wild, cold places around the world.
Mountainsmith provided fertile turf for many groundbreaking ideas--ideas too good not to be brought to the attention of Patrick's fellow hunters, especially for those elite hunters who wanted to hunt up there among 'em--backcountry style. Hunting pack technology was light years behind that of the mountaineering world, so, not too long after selling Mountainsmith, Patrick once again paved the way by creating Kifaru in 1997, and at last attended to his most passionately loved backcountry activity. Prior to that backpack hunting meant modifying an existing mountaineering pack or, worse, making do with antiquated external frame torture racks that inevitably fell apart under the extreme loads and conditions successful backcountry hunting imposes.
Soldiering demands the same ruggedness, fit and huge-load capability from backpacks, but has its own special feature needs. Shortly after the atrocities of 9/11/2001 Mel Terkla approached Patrick about adapting Kifaru Hunting packs to military applications. Mel, a former military man, had exceptional insight into military load-out requirements and is a world class designer in his own right. Patrick's skills--ergonomics, modularity, versatility--blended perfectly with Mel's and the result has been what a great many elite warriors consider the best military pack systems in the world.
packIn large part Kifaru was set up as a Design Shop?no dealers, build gear right here in Colorado, and build what Patrick never could do in a long career of building gear for a more conventional market. Doing hunting packs properly was the first step. Building the first true man-carryable homes for the outback were added from the Mountainsmith mildays. Military packs came along when the nation was attacked.
Since then Patrick has addressed two backcountry essentials in the way he's been waiting to do for decades: sleeping bags that do more than just encase one for sleeping, and clothing that is built specifically to accommodate backpacks and perform optimally in terms of weight-to-warmth ratio and go-anywhere field worthiness. The company rests happily on the simple premise of taking what it selects as very important gear and making it the best in the world.
For extensive backcountry info and articles check our our many essays.
psig
Patrick Smith, President, Kifaru International
Questions? Don't hesitate to call. 1-800-222-6139.
For more information about Kifaru and its Made in the USA products see the following:
Gear for Life. Ultimate, long term value.
We've been crafting back country gear since 1978, and as far as we know, all our products, even decades old, are still in service, they just don't wear out.
Being a small company, we keep a critical eye on quality control for the highest performance. No foreign sweat shops, no passing the buck. Every dollar you spend with Kifaru stays right here in the United States, instead of fueling foreign economies. The taxes reaped from our sales and salaries support our infrastructure and communities - not those in Asia or Latin America. This gear will outperform and outlast anything made offshore - period. Drilex thoroughly trumps Coolmax, as genuine 1000d Cordura trumps all
Colorado, once a Mecca of backpacking innovation was home to companies like Lowe Alpine, Gerry and of course, Mountainsmith. Once those shops sent their production offshore, they gifted us a large pool of expert, industrial sewers to choose from, among them, many Mountainsmith pack builders who are long term (decades) staff - that says a lot for a company! Buy this gear with confidence - it's based on three decades of knowing what it takes, and has been thoroughly torture tested.The skill and dedication of our American staff ensures we build the very best gear with a continuity unmatched anywhere.
psig
Being a direct-to-customer firm, there is no need to out-glitz the gear on a dealer's wall - allowing us to design for what actually does the best job of comfortably carrying very heavy loads in trail-less terrain in the middle of nowhere.
Kifaru has succeeded in the marketplace via word of mouth - the offspring of mountaineering technology meeting the demands of hunters and soldiers and Opening the Outback for those who seek adventure on foot.
Integrated Systems Approach.
Coordination is the key to success, so our products are designed to be as versatile as possible, and to integrate with other products you might already own.
Our Integrated Systems Approach lets everything fit everything else, and is expected to function superbly at as many tasks as possible - Modular and Multifunctional is a slogan around here.
This is costly gear. Nevertheless, serious users quickly acknowledge that the cost-to-benefit ratio of their Kifaru gear is quite high - the gear, quite simply, is well worth the investment. Can you buy gear for less money? Absolutely! But, at what cost?
climber2Brains
Patrick Smith continues to be an avid backcountry hunter, fisherman and rambling backpacker, while constantly tinkering, crafting and inventing (Smith has thirteen patents) better ways to Open the Outback.
This real world designer spends a third of the year in the middle of nowhere, and many more days wandering on local mountains evaluating gear. He's been doing it for more than fifty years so he knows a thing or two about living out there.
His town-based office is a place to connect. The real work happens in the Outback, usually in trail-less terrain with everything needed for living and working on his back. Equipped with a special hand stapler, scissors and a kit of raw materials, the man literally designs in the field. Tough testing is done, feedback is immediate, and changes are made on the spot. This process goes on for typically two years, often much longer. When Patrick finally releases a product it has undergone many hundreds of hours of intense field use and modification and is simply as good as it can be for the task it will perform.
The Kifaru legacy has deep roots, starting with a boyhood passion for the outdoors that grew into the founding of the Colorado School of Outdoor Living (nominally a Survival School, but also teaching backpacking and winter ski mountaineering) and later as a Nordic Ski Guide. Patrick found commercial gear inadequate for his Guiding activities and made his own. Clients clamored to buy it so a new company, Mountainsmith, was born. The first product was the Smith Sled--a svelte sure-tracking wilderness sled that solved the first of many challenges. Thousands of those first sleds are still in use today--a testimony to their usefulness as well as durability. Following closely were the first Lumbar Packs, with new-departure designs that focused on extreme comfort and fit in completely new ways. Larger packs followed, all demonstrating body-hugging fit and a unique ability to transfer weight to the hips--instead of shoulders--and therefore the ability to wrangle brutal loads like no other. The fledgling Mountainsmith company became world-renowned in the mountaineering community. Venerable Mountainsmith packs such as the Frostfire, Bugaboo and Tyrol--to name a few--are still in use decades later, and are known for their handcrafted, no-holds-barred durability, modularity and incredible fit. They became a crucial tool in many a quest for the likes of Everest, Denali, and Antarctica. climber2
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The Company was managed so that Patrick could do what he does best and loves most--spending huge chunks of time in the field and inventing better gear for literally living out there. He spent a great deal of the time living off the land with a firearm and fishing rod. His yen for real living in wild places brought the very first man-carryable woodstove-heated shelters into existence. His famous tipis, with accompanying wood stoves, were introduced in 1989, and most are still providing portable homes in wild, cold places around the world.
Mountainsmith provided fertile turf for many groundbreaking ideas--ideas too good not to be brought to the attention of Patrick's fellow hunters, especially for those elite hunters who wanted to hunt up there among 'em--backcountry style. Hunting pack technology was light years behind that of the mountaineering world, so, not too long after selling Mountainsmith, Patrick once again paved the way by creating Kifaru in 1997, and at last attended to his most passionately loved backcountry activity. Prior to that backpack hunting meant modifying an existing mountaineering pack or, worse, making do with antiquated external frame torture racks that inevitably fell apart under the extreme loads and conditions successful backcountry hunting imposes.
Soldiering demands the same ruggedness, fit and huge-load capability from backpacks, but has its own special feature needs. Shortly after the atrocities of 9/11/2001 Mel Terkla approached Patrick about adapting Kifaru Hunting packs to military applications. Mel, a former military man, had exceptional insight into military load-out requirements and is a world class designer in his own right. Patrick's skills--ergonomics, modularity, versatility--blended perfectly with Mel's and the result has been what a great many elite warriors consider the best military pack systems in the world.
packIn large part Kifaru was set up as a Design Shop?no dealers, build gear right here in Colorado, and build what Patrick never could do in a long career of building gear for a more conventional market. Doing hunting packs properly was the first step. Building the first true man-carryable homes for the outback were added from the Mountainsmith mildays. Military packs came along when the nation was attacked.
Since then Patrick has addressed two backcountry essentials in the way he's been waiting to do for decades: sleeping bags that do more than just encase one for sleeping, and clothing that is built specifically to accommodate backpacks and perform optimally in terms of weight-to-warmth ratio and go-anywhere field worthiness. The company rests happily on the simple premise of taking what it selects as very important gear and making it the best in the world.
For extensive backcountry info and articles check our our many essays.
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Patrick Smith, President, Kifaru International
Questions? Don't hesitate to call. 1-800-222-6139.