"The SITKA Gear story started on a September morning several thousand feet up from the tent, soaking wet from sleet and sweat, cold, and completely fed up with gear that was clearly not up to the task.

Under the shelter of a gnarled Whitebark Pine on that remote ridge, surrounded by a chorus of bugling bull elk, the question was achingly clear: why was hunting gear so inadequate?

We knew it wasn’t because hunters don’t require technical gear. We were living proof, and we knew there were many more like us across all climates and pursuits. From the hottest to the coldest conditions and through constant and extreme changes in activity levels, hunting demands much from our bodies, minds and the gear we take with us into the wild.

The obvious parallels were climbing, mountaineering and skiing. If we had been wearing mountaineering gear, the experience would’ve been completely different. But we also knew it wasn’t that simple. In addition to facing extreme weather and terrain, hunting includes a major X factor: it requires testing our human mettle against wild animals in their domain.

We started with the biggest problem: hunting big game in extreme mountain environments, which required advanced fabrics and designs that could stand up to dynamic external conditions while also keeping the hunter dry from within. It was soon obvious that the need for technical hunting gear solutions crossed all pursuits. Waterfowl gear never did justice to what duck and goose hunters required. Whitetail gear never gave deer hunters the tools they needed to minimize scent and stay quiet and warm enough in the stand to effectively hunt throughout the season. Traditional camouflage was always based on how humans saw the world instead of scientifically understanding animal vision and learning how we can exploit it.

And because the life of a hunter is not defined by any given season, we now offer gear to serve the hunter year round. Whether or not we have a tag in our pocket, there is no off-season for the SITKA Tribe. We dream about it all year. We prepare for it fanatically, and we need gear that will support our passion and allow us to push our limits, to immerse ourselves in wild places and to interact with the natural world on a deeper and more meaningful level.

Innovation became an obsession, and we continue to approach our mission methodically, one problem and one solution at a time, constantly refining, constantly questioning ourselves in an effort to enhance every aspect of the pursuit.

While we believe our gear fundamentally improves hunter safety and success, our ultimate mission at SITKA is to solve these problems so hunters can focus less on their gear and more on the extraordinary experience hunting provides."

https://www.sitkagear.com/experience/our-story

"Stone Glacier is a result of 15 years of solo sheep hunts from the Dall country of Alaska to the unlimited districts of Montana’s Beartooth Wilderness. Minimizing pack and gear weight increases usable load, which in turn extends your range in the backcountry. My quest for ultralight backpacking gear began 15 years ago and has been a slow and organic process of development, testing, and refining. The goal has been straightforward: build the lightest, most durable gear using only the toughest technical materials available. After hundreds of miles of testing on the trail, years of research and design, this goal has been accomplished. Stone Glacier...redefining the capabilities of ultralight. "

https://www.stoneglacier.com/pages/about-stone-glaicer

"In this world, there are people who live the strenuous life—long, hard days outside in punishing conditions—and there are companies that make their gear. From the battlefield to the backcountry, from the edge of a raging wildfire to the top of a 15,000-foot peak, MYSTERY RANCH supplies these stalwart souls with backpacks to match their boldness.

Conceived in the Rocky Mountains and used all over the world, MYSTERY RANCH packs have always had a single purpose: to minimize the burden on your back. Which in turn maximizes your strength, speed, and overall performance—as a soldier, firefighter, hunter, skier, climber, or whatever bold and strenuous activity you call your own.

This much we know: how you spend your time is who you are. At MYSTERY RANCH, we spend our time making the best load-hauling backpacks in the world—and using them, ourselves, every day. Sewers set out at lunch for a quick lap at the local trailhead, while designers gather to plan the next day’s dawn patrol. Weekends are spent in the mountains; we return to work with broad smiles, stories to share, and worn-out dogs that snooze at our feet. Our enticement is alpine air and adrenaline; our reward, flushed faces and lactic acid in the legs. We embrace the strenuous life, and outdoor adventure is our passion.

With great passion, of course, comes great power—which in our case means the power to improve backpack design. And, that’s precisely what we’ve been doing since 2000, when MYSTERY RANCH was born in the burgeoning outdoor oasis of Bozeman, Montana. Founders Dana Gleason and Renée Sippel-Baker brought decades of industry experience to bear, furthering their longtime goal of making backpacks better, stronger, more flexible and durable—and, above all, more comfortable to carry when loaded.

Built on the bedrock of Dana Design and other renowned outdoor brands, MYSTERY RANCH has since become a bastion of load-bearing R&D. From the first Navy SEALs who placed a custom order to the thousands of elite soldiers who now rely on us to keep their loads as secure, stable, and pain-free as possible, it’s always been about doing the best for the best. Because as far as we’re concerned, nothing else is worth doing.

Moreover, nothing else so strongly drives our central imperative: the pursuit of perfection. The best fabrics. The best frames. The best technology. The best people and the best ideas. We listen to our customers’ problems and then do everything we can to solve them. We do this with a potent admixture of collaboration, creativity, and audacity. Not to mention hard work—and lots of it. We make backpacks, after all, and we make them for the long haul.

As the old saying goes, quality is never an accident—it is always the result of intelligent effort. With a synergistic blend of pack-building prowess and exacting customer demands, we produce simple, practical designs that are inherently purposeful: tools, not toys. Another unassailable adage: form follows function. Our packs have a job to do, and we make damn sure they’ll do it right—all day, every day.

At MYSTERY RANCH, our mission is to support your mission—whatever that may be. Our customers are the rough and rugged ones of this Earth, those ambitious men and women with a lust for adventure and an affinity for struggle—be it occupation or recreation, perilous profession or ardent pastime, daily duty or weekend escape. They’re discriminating people in demanding conditions; they must haul more and hurt less; they cannot—and will not—fail. And, if we have anything to say about it, neither will their gear."

https://www.mysteryranch.com/mystery-ranch-history

"From 1921 to this day, Hanwag stands for traditional handcrafted workmanship combined with technical expertise, continuous innovation, durability and tradition. For 100 years, we have been making high-quality, functional mountaineering and trekking footwear at our headquarters in Vierkirchen near Munich. Together with experienced professional athletes – alpinists, trekkers and mountain guides – our shoe designers and developers create innovative footwear for outdoor use that is perfected down to the smallest detail."

https://www.hanwag.com/us/en-us/our-story

"Since 1986, we have been and remain an American-owned, veteran-owned, family-owned and operated business of hard-working folks headquartered next to our friendly neighbors in Barneveld, Wisconsin.

The Hamilton family—starting with Dan and Margie, and followed by their sons Joe, Dave, Sam, and Jimmy—founded Vortex® to change how business is done by putting customers at the center of everything we do. From tagging your first whitetail, to hitting the range with your friends, to using the right optic to get closer to the outdoors and your family, our team thrives on serving you, and on your success.

Now over 300 American team members strong, we work diligently to give you the best optics, apparel, and service in any industry, all delivered with our legendary VIP Warranty: Our unlimited, lifetime promise that if you ever have a problem, we have your back."

https://vortexoptics.com/about-you