JanSport

Last updated
JanSport
Jansportlogo.jpg
Product type Backpacks
Owner VF Corporation
(1986–present)
Introduced1967;55 years ago (1967)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Previous owners Blue Bell Overall Company
(1967–1986)
Website jansport.com

JanSport is an American brand of backpacks and collegiate apparel, now owned by VF Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

History

JanSport was founded in 1967 in Seattle, Washington, United States by Murray Pletz, his wife Janis "Jan" Lewis (for whom the company is named), and his father Norman Pletz. [3] [4] [5] JanSport innovated with a panel-loading daypack, unlike traditional top-loading packs. [6]

In 1975, JanSport introduced the first convertible travel pack, as well as its signature daypack. [6]

In 1972, the founders began inviting their friends to join their climb on Mount Rainier to what is now known as the longest consecutive group climb. [7] To this day, Jansport still holds the record of the most consecutive annual group climbs. [8] In 2018, was their 46th annual Jansport Mount Rainier climb consisting of a team of 16 employees, retailers, international distributors, non-profit partners and media. [8]

In 1986, VF purchased JanSport's then parent, Blue Bell. [9]

JanSport's corporate headquarters is in Denver Colorado, at VF Outdoor headquarters, where it shares offices with divisional siblings The North Face, Smartwool, Altra Running, Icebreaker, and Eastpak. A distribution facility in Everett, Washington, which had opened in 1971, closed in March 2012. JanSport's collegiate apparel warehouse in Appleton, Wisconsin closed in 2017. [2] [10]

An early 1990s JanSport D-3 Jansport D-3 backpack.jpg
An early 1990s JanSport D-3

JanSport started by developing the external frame backpack which used a metal frame with a cloth packsack attached to it. The products made include technical day packs and internal frame backpacks. Up until the early 1990s all JanSport packs were made in the United States. [11]

Related Research Articles

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A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag,rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag 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 frame, internal frame, and there are bodypacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webbing</span> Strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube used instead of rope

Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres, often used in place of rope. It is a versatile component used in climbing, slacklining, furniture manufacturing, automobile safety, auto racing, towing, parachuting, military apparel, load securing, and many other fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOLLE</span> Load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by a number of NATO armed forces

MOLLE is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by a number of NATO armed forces, especially the British Army and the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet pack</span> Device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air

A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. Real jet packs have been developed using a variety of mechanisms, but their uses are much more limited than their fictional counterparts because of the challenges of the Earth's atmosphere, gravity, the low energy density of utilisable fuels, and the human body not being suited to flight, and they are principally used for stunts. A practical use for the jet pack has been in extra-vehicular activities for astronauts because of the apparent weightlessness and lack of friction-creating atmosphere in orbit. The term jet suit is used for a system incorporating a jet pack and associated jets attached to the arms to increase manoeuvrability.

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References

  1. "Lizzie Jagger teams up with Wrangler for Denim Spa moisturizing jeans". Daily News. New York City. January 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
  2. 1 2 Horovitz, Bruce (2007-08-20). "New 'badge' of cool: High-tech, high-fashion backpacks". USA Today . p. 1A. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  3. Netherby, Steve (December 1973), "Who Is Jan Sport?", Field and Stream, 78 (8): 116–118
  4. Rachel Abrams (October 17, 2015). "Skip Yowell, JanSport Co-Founder Who Blazed Trail for Backpacks, Dies at 69". New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  5. "JanSport: Unique and Fun, a Company with Personality" . Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "JanSport, Inc". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  7. "About Us - Company History | JanSport". www.jansport.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  8. 1 2 "45th Annual JanSport Mount Rainier Climb". www.jansport.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  9. Schmitt, Eric (1986-07-28). "Vf and Blue Bell Agree to $378 Million Merger". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  10. FOX 11 News (April 4, 2017). "JanSport facility in Appleton closing". WLUK . Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  11. "JanSport Backpacks into Cost-cutting era". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2018.

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