A cottage industry backpacking gear company is one that designs and manufactures their own products. They’ll often customize them for a fee, as well. Cottage gear companies often make gear that can’t be obtained from mainstream manufacturers because it’s very specialized and relatively few people need it. They’re often at the forefront of many fabric or material innovations in their respective industries because they can make one piece of gear at a time and don’t need to inventory large amounts of raw materials. Most can’t anyway because they don’t have the cash reserves or credit lines of larger businesses.
Please purchase directly from these manufacturers. Covid-19 has made it even more challenging for these small manufacturers to stay afloat. If you’re interested in sponsoring the innovation they provide and purchasing their products, we’d encourage you to buy them directly.
Cottage Backpacking Gear Directory
- 2QZQ Hammock Specialties: After-market add-ons and features to existing hammocks and tarps.
- Aarn Packs: Balanced backpacks that distribute pack weight across the front and back of your torso.
- Adotec – Dyneema Backpacking Gear made in Canada.
- allmansright: Assorted ultralight gear from packs to stuff sacks.
- Alpacka Rafts: Major packraft manufacturer.
- Alpen Fuel: High calorie breakfast meals made with wholesome goodness.
- Alpha Pak: Dog backpacks and trail gear.
- Alpine Fit – Alaskan-based baselayers and garments for wilderness expeditions.
- Alpine Luddites: Custom backpack maker specializing in classic alpine and climbing backpack reproductions.
- Alpine Start Foods: Outdoor instant coffee.
- Amok Equipment: Manufacturer of a unique horizontal hammock.
- Anti-Gravity Gear: Small retailer, mainly focused on the Appalachian Trail, that makes their own products and sells maps, guides, ultralight gear, and other essentials.
- Appalachian Gear Company: Alpaca fiber performance apparel and gear.
- Appy Trails: Inexpensive-shaped tarps.
- Arrowhead Equipment: Hammock gear and quilt manufacturer and one of the few to offer synthetic insulated quilts.
- As Tucas: European ultralight quilt and clothing manufacturer.
- Atlas Guides: Makers of Guthook’s Trail Guides.
- Atom Packs: UK ultralight backpack manufacturer.
- BearPaw Wilderness Designs: Custom shelter manufacturer.
- Bear Vault: Bear canisters.
- Blizzard Survival: Emergency blankets and bivy sacks.
- Bight Gear: Outdoor apparel.
- Big Sky International: Ultralight tents.
- Borah Gear: Ultralight tarps and bivies.
- Borealis Wool Company: Wool apparel.
- Brasslite: Ultralight brass stoves.
- Buffalo Systems: Outdoor jackets and apparel.
- Bushbuddy: Backpacking wood stoves.
- Bushka’s Kitchen: Scrumptious backpacking meals
- Butt in a Sling: Hammocks and accessories.
- Campcraft Coffee: Instant coffee.
- Cascade Wild: Lightweight camping furniture.
- Cascadia Coffee Roasters: Instant coffee.
- Cave Creek Hammock: Hammocks, tarps, and quilts.
- Cedar Ridge Outdoors: Hammock quilts.
- Chairbuddies: Footpads for camping chairs that prevent sinking in soft ground.
- Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear: Ultralight backpacks.
- CiloGear: Mountaineering backpacks.
- Cioch Outdoor Clothing: Custom outdoor clothing.
- Clickstand: Backpacking stoves and windscreens.
- Cloud Gear: Ultralight dry bags.
- Cloudline Apparel: Outdoor clothing.
- Cnoc Outdoors: Water reservoirs and trekking poles
- Cold Cold World Backpacks: Climbing and mountaineering backpacks.
- Cooke Custom Sewing: Tarps, backpacks, and canoeing supplies.
- CragDog – Custom dog equipment.
- Cumulus: Sleeping bags.
- Dandee Packs: Ultralight backpacks, bags, and accessories.
- DD Hammocks: Tents, hammocks, and shelters.
- Deliberate Life Designs: Custom minimalist sport sandals.
- Dirty Girl Gaiters: Gaiters for running and hiking.
- D.I.Y. Gear Supply: DIY Fabric and component supplier.
- DIY Packrafts: Packraft kits
- Dragontail Tenkara: Ultralight fly fishing gear for backpackers.
- Dream Hammock: Custom hammocks and tarps
- Dutchware Gear: Offer a wide range of hammock gear.
- eclipse: Sun protective clothing
- Elemental Horizons: Lightweight backpack manufacturer.
- Emberlit: Wood stoves and flints.
- Enlightened Equipment: Backpacking quilts and apparel.
- Epiphany Outdoor Gear: Fire-starting tools
- Etowah Outfitters: Ultralight stoves and tarps.
- Feathered Friends: Down sleeping bags and quilts.
- Fibraplex: Carbon fiber tent poles.
- Flat Cat Gear: Ultralight stoves and accessories.
- Flowfold: Minimalist wallets and PPE, including faceshields!
- Food for the Sole: Interesting gourmet dehydrated trail meals.
- Forty Below: Neoprene insulation for mountaineering.
- Fox River: Socks.
- Frau Fowler: Oral tooth care for the trail.
- Freelight: Ultralight backpacking gear.
- Frye-Bake: Backpacking cooking pots.
- Four Dog Stove: Backpacking and camping stoves.
- Give’r: Leather gloves.
- Glacial Gear: Wool clothing and accessories.
- Good To-Go: Gourmet dehydrated camping meals.
- Goose Feet: Down apparel.
- Gossamer Gear: Ultralight backpacks and shelters.
- Grand Shelters: Igloo building equipment.
- Greenbelly: High-calorie meal bars for thru-hiking.
- Green Goo: Hand sanitizer and skin lotions.
- Gryphon Gear: Down quilts and sleeping bags.
- Hammock Bliss: Hammocks.
- Hammock Gear: Hammocks, tarps, and quilts.
- Hanchor: Lightweight backpacks.
- Hawbuck Wallets: Minimal ultralight wallets.
- Hawk Vittles: Backpacking food.
- Heather’s Choice: Lightweight packable meals for camping and backpacking.
- Hennessy Hammock: All-in-one hammock tents.
- High Tail Designs: Funky ultralight clothing and accessories.
- Hilleberg: Fantastic tents.
- Hill People Gear: Backpacks and hunting accessories.
- Himali: Mountaineering layers and clothing.
- Hoffman Outdoor Gear Supply: DIY Materials and accessories.
- HydroBlu – Water filter that’s better than a Sawyer.
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear: Ultralight backpacks and shelters.
- Imlay Canyon Gear: Canyoneering Packs and equipment.
- Injini: Toes socks for blister prevention.
- Insect Shield: Insect shield (Permethrin) your clothes.
- Jacks ‘R’ Better: Hammocks, quilts, and tarps.
- Kammok – Hammocks, quilts, tarps.
- Katabatic Gear: Backpacking quilts.
- Kates Real Food: Yummy food bars.
- Kifaru International: Hunting backpacks and shelters.
- Klymit: Sleeping pads mainly.
- Kokopelli Packrafts:Packrafts.
- KS Ultralight Gear: Custom ultralight backpacks.
- KUIU – Backpack hunting packs, tents, and clothing.
- Kula Cloth – Pee cloths for women
- Lawson Outdoor Equipment: Cordage and accessories.
- Lawson Hammock: Popular bridge-style hammock
- Light Heart Gear: Ultralight tents and apparel.
- LiteAF: Ultralight backpacks.
- Lite Outdoors: Titanium stoves and tarps.
- Liteway Equipment: UL Packs, Mids, and Apparel
- littlbug: Backpacking stoves
- Locus Gear: Ultralight tarps and tents.
- Loco Libre Gear: Hammock quilts.
- LoopAlien: No knot hardware
- LuminAid: Solar powered lanterns and lightning
- McHale Alpine Packs: Custom backpacks.
- Mayfly Ultralight Equipment: Ultralight sandals.
- Maven Optics – Super high-quality binoculars and scopes made in the USA.
- Melanzana: Clothing.
- Miles Gear: Bivy sacks.
- MMCRGear: Ultralight backpacks and tarps.
- Molly Mac Gear: Hammock accessories.
- Morsel: Sporks
- Mosquito Hammock: Hammocks.
- Mountain Laurel Designs: Ultralight backpacking gear.
- MPowered: Luci solar-powered inflatable lanterns and accessories.
- Mystery Ranch: Backpack manufacturer.
- Nanga: Down Sleepings Bag, Quilts, and Clothing
- Nashville Packs: Ultralight Backpack
- Northern Lites: Ultralight snowshoes.
- Northern Sled Works: Sleds and pulks.
- Northern Ultralight: Canadian Ultralight backpack manufacturer.
- NWAlpine: Hiking and climbing apparel.
- Nunatak: Ultralight quilts.
- The Original Bugshirt Company: Insect proof clothing.
- Outdoor Herbivore: Vegetarian backpacking food.
- Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics: DIY Fabric and component supplier.
- Oware: Tarps and shelters.
- PacerPole: Trekking poles.
- Pa’lante Packs: Ultralight backpacks.
- Peter Limmer and Sons: Custom leather hiking boots.
- PHD: Down clothing, quilts, and sleeping bags.
- Purcell Trench: Camping grills.
- Purple Rain Adventure Skirts: Hiking apparel.
- Ragged Mountain Equipment: Hiking and climbing apparel.
- Ray Way Products: DIY Tarp Kits.
- RBH Designs: Vapor barrier clothing.
- Ripstop by the Roll: DIY fabric supplier for small lot manufacturers and individuals.
- Rivendell Mountain Works: Backpacks.
- Ruta Locura: Ultralight backpacking accessories.
- Seek Outside: Backpack manufacturer that specializes in lightweight external frame backpacks for backpacking and hunting.
- Sheltowee Hammock Company Insulated hammocks.
- Sierra Madre Research Hammocks and shelters.
- simBLISSity Gaiters.
- Simple Outdoor Solutions Ultralight backpacking accessories.
- Simond: Climbing and mountaineering gear.
- Simply Light Designs: Hammocks and tarps.
- Six Moon Designs: Ultralight backpack and tent manufacturer.
- SlingFin: Innovative lightweight tent manufacturer.
- Snowtrekker Canvas Tents: Canvas tents.
- Suluk 46: Ultralight backpacking accessories.
- Supai Adventure Gear: Ultralight packrafts.
- Superior Hammock: Insulated hammocks.
- Superior Wilderness Designs: Ultralight backpacks.
- Tarptent: Ultralight tents.
- Tentpole Technologies: Replacement tentpoles.
- Tentsmiths: Historic tents for re-enactors.
- Terra Rosa Gear: Ultralight tarps and sleeping bag covers.
- Ticket to the Moon: Hammocks and tarps.
- Tier Gear: Tasmanian Ultralight backpacking gear.
- Timmermade: Insulated clothing and quilts.
- Trail Designs: Manufacture stove windscreens that optimize fuel efficiency.
- Trailheads: Hats.
- Tread Labs – Innovative replaceable insoles going head-to-head against Superfeet.
- UGQ Outdoors: Hammock quilts and tarps.
- ULA Equipment: Ultralight backpacks.
- Ultimate Direction: Trail running and fastpacking gear.
- Ursack: Lightweight bear-resistant bear bags.
- Warbonnet Outdoors: Hammocks, tarps, and quilts.
- Waymark Gear Company: Ultralight backpacks.
- Whoopie Slings: Hammock suspension systems.
- Wiggy’s: Climashield sleeping bags and cold weather gear.
- Wild Ideas: Ultralight bear canisters.
- Wilderness Thread Works: ultralight backpacks
- Wintergreen Northern Wear: Apparel.
- YAMA Mountain Gear: Ultralight tents and tarps.
- Yonah Packs: Tenkara fishing packs and bags.
- Zimmerbuilt Custom Backpacks: Ultralight backpacks.
- Zpacks: Ultralight backpack, tent, quilt, and sleeping bags.
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