GEAR | Klettlerwerks

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago just a few miles away from a store called Erehwon Mountain Outfitter—a place that in all honesty was the reason I wanted to go to camp. I loved going in the store and visually taking in all the shiny mountain gear and cool packs and imagining what they might be used for. Erehwon Mountain Supply was co-founded in 1972 by Dana Gleason, who just a few years later moved to Bozeman, Montana to start Kletterwerks (“Kletter” meaning climbing and “werks” meaning factory in German). Near the end of the 1970s Gleason sold his share of the company, but today his son Dana Gleason III has relaunched the 1970s alpine pack company with the intent to renew the ideals and designs that his father started over 35 years ago. These packs and backs and sacks really nail the essence of the original design and era, and they're still made here in the U.S.A. with an strong emphasis on high quality materials and solid manufacturing.