Words and photos by Pete Anderson
E-commerce has made life easy for men previously imprisoned by the selection of local, domestic brick and mortar shops. Want shoes from Northampton? Order ‘em up from the comfort of your basement! It’s easier than ordering a pizza. Really, a frightening prospect for our collective financial well-being. British shoes, Australian boots, Swedish jeans—all are a couple of clicks away. But one country’s marketplace remains frustratingly impenetrable to American and European shoppers—Japan’s. Particularly exasperated are the Americana gear heads, who have seen American companies manufacture one-offs exclusively for Japanese buyers. Those special-make-up mountaineering boots are made close to home, then shipped across the Pacific and put under virtual lock and key by shops accessible only via proxy buyers.
Some companies have heard the fleecéd masses clamoring for their goods, and begun to offer Japanese-market-specials to retailers in the United States and elsewhere. Danner, Kelty, and Sierra Designs, all classic recreational outdoor gear makers, are now letting granola gear heads in on their secret stash (we’ll have some pics of the Danner “Stumptown” collection up soon). So if you’ve been craving the feel of 60/40 fabric, or the look of olive drab Cordura, hunger no longer.
The Panamint jacket in rust orange.
Sierra Designs was one of a handful of initially tiny, garage-based firms started in California and Colorado to cater to the technical needs of backpackers and climbers in the 1960s. Partially thanks to the advances in weatherproof gear made by companies like Holubar, Great Pacific Iron Works/Chouinard, and Sierra Designs, America experienced a backpacking boom in the 1960s and 1970s and technical outdoor gear has been a fixture on the trails and a powerful antifashion statement off them ever since.
The 60/40 color wheel.
As gear evolved, though, old designs and fabrics fell out of favor, despite decent performance and aesthetic appeal. Sierra Designs, founded in 1965, soon developed a cotton/poly blend that was relatively light and breathable, and water resistant: the famed 60/40 (originally 58/42, and in some cases, 65/35). The parkas they began selling in 1968 became an icon of outdoor gear. In the last few years, the secondary market for vintage 60/40 shells exploded, and Sierra Designs began making the jackets again in the USA but selling them only in Japan. Now you can pick up the parka, short parka (a more modern, but arguably less functional cut), Panamint jacket (my favorite; a short jacket with a standup, corduroy lined collar, but no hood), and down-filled pieces in classic trail tones--pine green, rust, and bluestone, among others.
Kelty's 60s-era logo on a cargo drum duffel.
Kelty was likewise a pioneer in outdoor gear, and began selling homemade packs made from salvaged milsurp fabric in 1959. Kelty continues to make some of the best packs in the world today, but like other outfitters, stopped selling archaic 1960s designs years ago. But again, the Japanese market made demands, and Kelty obliged, making special edition packs for Beams and others. Although the new Kelty heritage packs are not made in the United States, they are styled closely after the classic designs of the 60s and 70s, with added modern conveniences. The Mockingbird pack, made of water resistant nylon 500D Cordura, has a large internal compartment with a laptop sleeve and zip pocket inside (old packs were often one big space), and another zip pocket that folds over the drawstring closure. It has leather lash points and comes with two separate, removable zip cylinders, perfect for a water bottle, thermos, or packable rain jacket. I’ve been using a Mockinbird as an everyday work bag on and off for 6 months or so, and while it’s not perfect--the combo drawstring and flap over the main compartment is not easy to get open or closed in a hurry--it has a ton of useful space and is quite comfortable.
The Kelty Mockingbird.
For more on the 20th century history of backpacking gear, visit Bruce Johnson’s history of gear pages.
Sierra Designs and Kelty are available direct from the companies themselves, and at other retailers, such as Boston's Wilderness Workshop, which will be carrying SD.
