Founded in 2010, Hill People Gear has become a household name when it comes to back country gear. Founders (and brothers) Evan and Scot Hill bring decades of experience in everything from forestry and fire fighting to wilderness training and, of course, sewing. They’re supported by a team of specialists like Kevin McDowell, operations manager,
Ultralight hiking packs are seemingly everywhere nowadays, and that would have never been the case if it weren’t for the dedicated thru-hikers dissatisfied with off the shelve offerings. Brandon McIntyre and Ashley Thick were two of those people, and that led to them starting Superior Wilderness Designs. Everything that comes out of SWD’s Michigan based
Granite Gear are something of a force in the American outdoor market. Not as ubiquitous as Osprey or as intensely followed as Mystery Ranch, but gently getting on with their own thing: making strong, lightweight packs for long distance hikes for over 30 years. Their Crown2 is a ‘thru-hike’ staple, for backpackers spending weeks or
Drop, formerly MassDrop, has catered to the ultralight crowd for a while now, dedicating one of their communities to it. From time to time, Drop also releases collaborations with manufacturers, including everything from a run of the Granite Gear Crown X60, to Kylmit sleeping pads, and custom mechanical keyboards. These runs are usually tweaked versions
Khard 30, Assault Pack 30, Big ‘Ol Kitchen Sink. Call it what you want but the 30 liter pack from Arc’teryx is one of those standard bags to which many others are often compared, so when I got the chance to add a lightly used and pre-loved wolf grey version to my closet, I jumped
Brand Introduction Mention the name Triple Aught Design and very few people in the EDC or backpack community won’t know who you’re talking about. Founded by Patrick Ma (now of Prometheus Design Werx) the brand originally centered around military inspired clothing and backpacks, with the epicenter of their pack range being the tactical Fastpack line.
Brand Introduction Mystery Ranch is a world renowned brand known for their comfortable, tri-zip packs built for everyone from the military to city dwellers. The brand’s designs also caught the eye of the US Navy SEALs, as they designed custom packs from them back in the early 2000s, leading to the adoption of their 3
Brand Introduction Here at The Perfect Pack, we like Mystery Ranch. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re a Montana-based manufacturer with a pedigree in the outdoors/mountain industry, who have grown to make packs for the military, fire service, and more recently towards the ‘everyday’ market for urban commuters and students. If you’re a regular
Brand Introduction The last few months have been a time of great Kickstarter hype. Boundary Prima System, Remote Equipment ALPHA 31, and Evergoods have been promising high-quality, backer-funded bags and as their campaigns have closed and backers have (not so) patiently played the waiting game, we’re finally getting to see some of these guys deliver.
Brand Introduction Mystery Ranch has long been a name synonymous with quality, comfort, and innovation. They’ve been doing their thing since 2000, and are owned by industry veterans Dana Gleason and Renee Sippel-Baker, formerly of Dana Design; pioneers in the load bearing industry. Mystery Ranch might be best recognized by their signature Tri-Zip packs, which
