Kelty (company)

Last updated
KELTY
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry Outdoor equipment
Founded1952;72 years ago (1952)
FounderAsher Kelty
Headquarters6235 Lookout Road Suite B Boulder, CO 80301, US
Parent Exxel Outdoors, LLC
Website www.kelty.com

Kelty is a manufacturer of backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags owned by Exxel Outdoors, LLC. The business is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Contents

History

The company was started in 1952 by Asher "Dick" Kelty (September 13, 1919 – January 12, 2004), who was one of the first gear designers to produce and market an external-frame backpack designed specifically for civilian use. [1] He is considered to be the inventor of the aluminum-framed backpack. [2] Kelty was also the provider of gear in the 1970s cult classic TV series The Land Of The Lost.

Products

Kelty products are widely sold by large outdoor outfitters such as Eastern Mountain Sports and REI, and Kaviso, among others. Kelty is one of a few companies that still specializes in external-frame backpacks for outdoors use. Kelty released approximately 170 products / 253 models with annual catalog updates. Tents are one of the core products of Kelty. Kelty tents are made of high-quality materials. Kelty tent fabrics are made of Polyester, which is longer-lasting than Nylon, and the poles are made of lightweight aluminum. Kelty's focus as a brand remains budget friendly outdoor gear for camping and backpacking. Kelty also maintains a tactical / military spec division for government supply needs.

Product categories

Competing Company

Dick Kelty's son, Richard Kelty, became one of the founders of Sierra West, a competing company. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backpack</span> Bag carried on ones back

A backpack—also called knapsack, rucksack, pack, booksack, bookbag, haversack or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders; but it can have an external or internal frame, and there are bodypacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camping</span> Outdoor recreational activity

Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp, or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or in a form of educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REI</span> American retail and outdoor recreation consumer cooperative

Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, fitness, snow, travel equipment, and men, women and kids clothing. It also offers services such as outdoor-oriented vacations and courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JanSport</span> American backpack manufacturer

JanSport is an American brand of backpacks and collegiate apparel, now owned by VF Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies. JanSport is the world's largest backpack maker, and together, JanSport and The North Face, also owned by VF Corporation, sell nearly half of all small backpacks sold in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Diamond Equipment</span> Manufacturer of equipment for climbing, skiing, and mountain sports

Black Diamond Equipment is a manufacturer of equipment for climbing, skiing, and mountain sports, based in Utah, United States. The company also has a global office in Innsbruck, Austria. The company is owned by Clarus Corporation, which also owns Pieps, ClimbOn! Skincare, and Sierra Bullets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backpacking (hiking)</span> Outdoor recreation of carrying gear on ones back, while hiking for more than a day

Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain huts, widely found in Europe, are rare. In New Zealand, hiking is called tramping, and tents are used alongside a nationwide network of huts. Hill walking is equivalent in Britain, though backpackers make use of a variety of accommodation, in addition to camping. Backpackers use simple huts in South Africa. Trekking and bushwalking are other words used to describe such multi-day trips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campmor</span> Equipment retailer established in New Jersey

Campmor is an outdoor recreation equipment retailer established in Bogota, New Jersey in 1978. The company sells outdoor camping gear and camping equipment. Campmor's warehousing and order processing facilities are located in Paramus, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bivouac shelter</span> Improvised shelter

A bivouac shelter or bivvy is any of a variety of improvised camp site or shelter that is usually of a temporary nature, used especially by soldiers or people engaged in backpacking, bikepacking, scouting or mountain climbing. It may often refer to sleeping in the open with a bivouac sack, but it may also refer to a shelter constructed of natural materials like a structure of branches to form a frame, which is then covered with leaves, ferns and similar material for waterproofing and duff for insulation. Modern bivouacs often involve the use of one- or two-person tents but may also be without tents or full cover. In modern mountaineering the nature of the bivouac shelter will depend on the level of preparedness, in particular whether existing camping and outdoor gear may be incorporated into the shelter.

Mountain Safety Research, or MSR, is a producer of camping, hiking and mountaineering equipment, such as portable stoves, water filters, snowshoes, and tents. While specializing in lightweight and technical equipment, MSR's gear is designed for a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts from novice to expert mountaineers. It is located in Seattle, Washington and owned by Cascade Designs.

Macpac is a brand specialising in outdoor recreational equipment. It is best known for camping and travel equipment including backpacks, sleeping bags and technical clothing. Macpac was originally a New Zealand company but is now owned by the Australian company Super Retail Group. Macpac was founded by Bruce McIntyre in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fjällräven</span> Swedish company specialising in outdoor equipment

Fjällräven is a Swedish brand specialising in outdoor equipment—mostly upscale clothing and luggage. It was founded in 1960 by Åke Nordin (1936–2013) from Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden. The company went public in 1983 with an over-the-counter listing in Stockholm. Since 2014, Fjällräven has been a subsidiary of Fenix Outdoor International AG, which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The group also includes the Tierra, Primus, Hanwag, Brunton, and Royal Robbins brands. The CEO of Fenix as of March 2018 was Martin Nordin, the oldest son of Åke Nordin.

Karrimor is a British brand of backpacks, outdoor and sports equipment, and clothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultralight backpacking</span> Style of hiking

Ultralight backpacking is a style of lightweight backpacking that emphasizes carrying the lightest and least amount of gear. While no technical standards exist, some hikers consider "ultralight" to mean an initial base weight of less than 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Base weight is the weight of a fully loaded backpack at the start of a trip, excluding worn weight and consumables such as food, water, and fuel. Base weight can be lowered by reducing the weight of individual items of gear, or by choosing not to carry that gear. Ultralight backpacking is most popular among thru-hikers.

Holubar Mountaineering, established in 1946 by Roy and Alice Holubar, designed and sold mountaineering equipment. The company pioneered the use of lightweight down sleeping bags made with nylon fabric, which became popular in the 1960s. Holubar manufactured many of its own products and offered high quality climbing and camping equipment and supplies for retail sale. Local design and manufacturing also lent itself to introducing a line of "sew-it-yourself" kits which became a popular, if short-lived, offering during the 1970s. Starting in Boulder, Colorado, the company grew to ten stores in Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and other Colorado Front Range cities and a few out-of-state locations in addition to a sizeable mail order business.

GoLite is an outdoor hiking and backpacking gear company that relaunched as an apparel manufacturer under new ownership in 2018. Humanitarian and environmental initiatives are a key part of the new ownership. As of 2018, GoLite has donated 14,000 uniforms to help health care workers in Uganda and Guatemala using company fabric resources. The new sustainable clothing collection is intended to combine outdoor performance and athletic functionality. GoLite is headquartered in Seattle, WA.

Eureka! Tent Company is an American company that sells Eureka! Brand outdoor recreation products. The brand, part of outdoor recreation company Johnson Outdoors Inc., is headquartered in Binghamton, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survival store</span>

A survival store, outdoors store, preparedness store, or wilderness store is a retail outlet where survival or preparedness equipment can be purchased. Typically survival stores stock camping and backpacking equipment, long-term storage food, fishing equipment, and occasionally bicycles.

Outdoor Research is a Seattle-based manufacturer of technical apparel and gear for outdoor sports, including alpinism, rock and ice climbing, backpacking, paddling, and backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jetboil</span>

Jetboil is an American manufacturer of lightweight gas-fueled portable stoves used primarily for backpacking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outdoor retailer</span>

An outdoor retailer or outdoor store is a retail businesses selling apparel and general merchandise for outdoor activities.

References

  1. "Kelty Packs and founder A.I. Dick Kelty are huge in the History of Outdoor Gear".
  2. 1 2 Elizabeth McGowan (March 1985), "Behind the Label: Sierra West", Backpacker , p. 20