Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Mystery Ranch brings back original pack - Kletterwerks is back

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/economy/article_007aa930-b130-11e1-b754-0019bb2963f4.html

This is interesting. Most of those designs are still active in the Mystery ranch line, so this must be an attempt to get into the hipster, archival clothing/boutique gear market with those designs prior to their contemporary advancements. I have a Kletterwerks Terraplane, and it was already a great pack in the 70s. Maybe the success (I assume success) of the rebirth of Rivendell Mountain Works (Jensen pack) is giving cause to these older companies to diversify and tap into different demographics.

http://www.archivalclothing.com/ (scroll a couple pages, and you'll see why this could be the type person who would by a Kletterwerks pack)

Sort of like Merrel brought back their original shoes. These packs with those shoes will be perfect

So, my knee jerk reaction when I saw your post was "I met Dana and his son this year at SHOT, and his son is a total hipster. I'll bet he had something to do with this." Then I actually read the article, and it all fits.

I know I'm preaching to the choir (at least with ZenoMarx), but a lot of the older gear was better than the newer stuff. Somewhere along the line the backpack industry was largely taken over by a clothing designer ethos. Original designs executed in modern materials and manufacturing methods could well be a superlative choice.

That's honestly funny.

There's a TON of money in archival/retro clothing and accessories, especially if they do it right, i.e. limited editions, special "traditional" patterns, niche advertising in Japan, Honk Kong, and possibly greater China. A lot of people don't know it, but Dana Design was an active company in Japan beyond what it was here in the States. It might still be today. I'm not sure. I don't think Dana Gleason had anything to do with it, though. Marmot probably recognized how highly Dana Design was regarded, and collected, by the Japanese. My assumption there was that they licensed, or sold outright, to yet another party that was operating solely out of Japan. I haven't looked for a year or more, but there used to be a Dana Design Japanese website with new products.

Mountaineering is/was a big deal in Japan. People collect gear there because of its strong cultural presence and familiarity. Certain companies managed to build a collector market behind them, just like certain high fashion designers have all over the world. It isn't uncommon here in the States, but it's been around a lot longer in Japan. A lot of the nicest Dana Design packs on eBay are won by Japanese buyers. And they're serious about their collecting. They know their [bleep], and they have money to spend.