Best Unknown Brands of outdoor equipment?

Simple question: What is your favorite brand of outdoor equipment that most people have never heard of?

I'm in the process of updating a lot of my camping equipment, so I've been doing a lot of researching of different brands and reviews on the web. Although the internet has made researching and comparing prices 100x faster than before, there's also the problem of information overload. Not only are we able to instantly compare all the specs we ever need, but there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of items I never would have known about.

One thing I'm beginning to realize is that there are a lot of brands that I've never heard of, since they're not sold in the regular chain stores or even in the discount outfitters. I think the term "garage business" might be appropriate for a lot of these companies, or maybe they're just overseas and not poplular in the US yet. These are the types of companies that I'm looking to buy from, a company with excellent quality, but may not be the most well known. Something like the Mclux flashlights of the camping world, may not have the brand recognition of a Surefire, but equivilent quality with more daring designs.

To give a few examples, when researching backpacks, here are a few names I've run across

BACKPACKS

Jandd
Mchale Packs
Mountain Laurel
LuxuryLite

Jandd's been around a while, I've had one of their shoulder bags for about 10 years, but that's one brand I've never seen sold in stores. They seem to have very simple designs, with excellent quality. The other two I just heard about, but maybe they're more well known to other people.

TENTS

Stephensons
Wanderlust
Dancing Light
hikinlitegear

SLEEPING BAGS

Feathered Friends
Gossamer Gear
Integral Designs
Stephonsons
Valandre

OUTDOOR CLOTHING

????? - Last time i checked, Ex-Oficio was just starting out, but it looks like they've got a pretty decent following
thepacka - just found this and thought it was unusual

I know some of these companies like Stephensons have been around for 30+ years, and a few backpackers might know about them, but for someone who's not constantly researching, it's hard to hear about these companies. I just want to find alternatives to North Face or Patagonia, who's clothes are more likely to be found on people in Starbucks, than people out on the trail. It's not that these companies don't make decent stuff (or at least they used to), but it seems like they're charging more for the marketing hype than the actual equipment.

Most of my stuff is pretty mainstream.

I have a pair of Woolrich wool cargo pants that are great for camping. They are a bit warm for hiking unless it's cold but they are really nice for wearing around camp. Unlike modern fibers they don't smell bad after a few days and are more resistant to damage from burning. Best of all I got them cheap from one of the big online camping outfits, Campmor I think. $20 for a pair. If you can find them for that price buy them!

But don't make the mistake I did. I wasn't completely sure of the inseam length I wanted (like it really matters for camping pants) so I bought them un-hemmed. I could have gotten them hemmed for the same price. I paid as much to get them hemmed as I did for the pants!

My down mummy bag is Marmot Mountain.... They were a tiny "Mom & Pop" Colorado manufacturer back when I bought it, but apparently have grown a lot since then... Even Campmor sells their products now.

I have no idea who made my amazing little Gore-tex tent... It is "sterile" in military parlaince... But it is still a pretty impressive item; 25+ years ago, it was the envy of everyone who saw it..... That sucker has been through hell, in arctic, desert and jungle, lived in for months at a time, and still about as, good as new.

Everything else is pretty much Walmart, REI "mainstream" or homemade.

In no particular order:


Western Mountaineering
Lafuma
Valandre English website
:: PHD Mountain Software :: Down Sleeping bags, down jackets, mountaineering clothing & accessories ::
Integral Designs Product Guide
Rab - for the most extreme conditions in the world
Russi Mountain Works / Madden Mountaineering - Backpacks, Baby Carriers,
Carbon Fiber Poles. Tent Poles.
KIFARU HUNTING & MILITARY GEAR
New Products in Portable Shelter, Dome and Tent Design and Hardware
::CRUX::
Terra Nova Equipment Ltd Corporate Information
Macpac - New Zealand Outdoor Clothing and Equipment
Ferrino
Vaude
Force Ten, return of a legend
welcome to mountain-equipment.co.uk
Vortex Back Packs
NEMO Equipment
Indigo Equipment
Nunatak

Klattermusen, a very small Swedish brand based in the north. They use eVent fabrics on their waterproof jackets and pants Simply amazing quality and innovative details. They do a lot of threadless welded seams and stretch panels.They even have a sweater for climbing that's covered entirely in Kevlar! From the garments I've handled, I'd rate the quality at least as high as Arcteryx, if not better, and eVent is a better fabric than Gore-Tex.

The only reason I don't own one is their hideously high prices, all their jackets costs around $600-$700.....

Thanks for the replies.

The Nemo tents looks really interesting, I've never seen a tent like that from any other manufacturer. The tents have been getting pretty good reviews, I wonder if we'll start seeing more of their stuff in the future. I wish there were some stores that carry this type of equipment so I can check it out in person.

I should have included the most underrated brand of outdoor equipment also. There are plenty of companies who don't target the high end backpacking market, but have pretty decent stuff that work well at a decent price. I never really considered Woolrich when shopping, because the only things I've seen from there were the cotton flannels at dept stores, but I'll start looking at their other stuff. Another company that I've run across is Pacific Trails, their jackets seem pretty well designed, and usually 1/3 the price of a comparable "high-end" outdoor jacket.

InTheDark said:

The Nemo tents looks really interesting, I've never seen a tent like that from any other manufacturer.

Click to expand...

Wow! Those are cool! I have to admit I was overwhelmed by sloegin's list so I didn't look at any of them. I need to go back now and check out the rest of that list.

i have a Wiggy's bag and have used it for 6 or 7 years and it is still as good as new...
very nice, but the prices have gone up considerably since i bought it.

I'm sorry for overwhelming you guys. I was excited to share; I'm a gear whore.

There were a couple of stores that carry Nemo.

I own lot's of known brand things. I really dig TNF's warranty and their customer service is still great;I haven't cared for the company in many years, though, since the bought A5.

A few more for you:

Beyond Fleece
Wild Things
Mystery ranch (this is Dana from Dana Designs)
Wookey
Go Lite (but they are getting more and more credit)

Anyone tried a Bibler tent?

They seem super rare (and expensive of course that's the way it goes I guess)

I'm reading very mixed reviews of these single-wall tents, and I can't tell exactly whassup. Seems to be model-specific good/bad but they all use same materials. It'd be a lot of money to spend on a custom order if it's not fantastic.

For raingear, I'm a big fan of Arc'teryx. They make loads of other gear but I only know their raingear so far. All the pockets are in the right place for backpack use, the hood is great fit and rotates with my head as it should when I look around, etc.

One manufacturer that we have come to like very much is Alps Mountaineering. The make tents, packs, pads, bags, some furniture. We have used their tents with our Boy Scout troop and love them. They give a GREAT discount to Scout organizations. So if we compare a Eureka that is similar, but somewhat inferior to the Alps tent, we get them for way less than half the cost of the Eureka model.