Made in the USA

To name a few:

ULA, UltraLight Adventure Equipment
MLD, Mountain Laurel Design
Western Mountaineering
Titanium Goat
Oware
Wildthings
Tarptent
McHale Alpine Packs

Thanks.

Many items by MSR, Cascade Designs (Thermarest) and Platypus are made here in Seattle.

For small items:
Minibull Design stoves and White Box Stoves are US made.
For myself, every cozy I produce is made by me, with US produced fabrics. Our books are printed in the US as well.

ye olde backpacker has a technical tee that is made with in 45 miles of port clinton PA

tees are wicking, anti microbial and made to last a 1000 miles. they where made by a guy who designed doufolds products. but good old outsourcing cost him his job

http://www.yeoldebackpacker.com

Please don't take offense, but how does one make a shirt that lasts 1000 miles, or why would they want to claim that?

JACKS R BETTER has a Made in the USA tag. This is one of the reasons I chose their quilt.

There's also Nunatak, Six Moon Designs, Some (not all) New Balance Shoes….

I left off Gossamer Gear from my list of USA companies.

I think Cilogear is making many if not all of their packs in New York now…
Also, Equinox, Mystery Ranch and Feathered Friends.

Some portion of the goods from Princeton Tec, Patagonia, New Balance, Leatherman, Gerber, Buck, Black Diamond, Nalgene, Meridian Design, SMC and Camelbak are made in the States. I believe a good deal of climbing hardware is made here as well.

I was disappointed to find out that some of the BPL gear is made in China, specifically the cocoon products. I have a UL 60 pullover and it is a fine garment, but come on BPL! For a high end niche gear manufacturer I would expect more; pretty much all of the cottage industry UL stuff (ULA, SMD, MLD, Oware, GG, etc etc) seems to be made in the states. Thanks to all of the manufacturers who are making their products here, i try to support them whenever possible.

Also- Integral Designs gear is made in Canada (close to the US) and they make some darn nice stuff!

BPL was started by backpackers that did not make their own gear, IIRC. For BPL to also hire people that sew (what are they called?..seamstress) would jack up the price big time.

All of those listed companies are run by people who had a primary interest in sewing their own stuff before they started a company.

Hypothetical Question:

You are comparing two pieces of nearly identical gear that cost the same. One is made in the USA and the the other is made in China. Somehow you know that the Chinese factory meets US environmental standards and treats its workers well.

Do you prefer the USA or China made item?

Everything being equal. or close to equal, I will try to buy USA made every time. Clothing seems the most difficult with some of the more known names like Arcteryc and Patagonia being not USA made.

For me its less about environmental standards and labor practices and more about local economies. I would rather see my money going to help a small businessman who is more likely to invest in his own community than to send part of my money overseas.

Everything being substantially the same, I too will buy USA.

For reputable cottage gearmakers, I am willing to pay a bit more for their products. I want these folks to be around!

For mainstream gearmakers, I won't cuddle US manufacturers just because they happen to be US. I'll buy the product that has the best mix of price/quality/durability/features/service, etc. regardless of where the products are made. I suppose one can call it "tough love". Gear makers need to stand on their own — and not be addicted to or dependent on consumer patriotism.

I was disappointed to find out that some of the BPL gear is made in China, specifically the cocoon products.

Hmmm, I guess the gist of this thread is that anything not made in the US (and by extension, Canada) is inherently badly made, or shouldn't be trusted, hmm? I guess all we "other people" here at BPL just don't know what we are doing or have any interest in quality or innovation? Sure, I'll just sit here and nod my head vigorously in dumb agreement…

Exactly how many times are people going to bring up this subject? When was the last time you saw a thread here started specifically to show off the Brits touting their lines or the Japanese telling everyone here how much better their stuff is or the Australians saying that no American stuff is worth it?

If you like the China-made BPL-made stuff and didn't even notice a difference until you happened to notice the tag, why should it make a difference to you? If you don't like the way jobs are being shifted over to China, okay, that makes sense, but don't just out-and-out accuse the Chinese of not doing quality work. There is no reason at all why their manufacturing is not just as good as anything made in the States. They are not inherently stupider or less skilled or less meticulous, or, by associatIon, more unfair. Most Chinese people work very, very hard, and do very good work. They need their local economies supported just as much as people in the States.

We all live in one world and the way manufacturing and resources are distributed today there are no longer any societies which live in isolation, not even the US. If we can all gather with mutual respect and peace here at BPL, why not in our dealings with and opinions of others around the world?

If I (and many other non-North Americans here) can buy stuff made in the US (I buy from wherever I feel the gear does what I want or where the innovation is happening, regardless of the country in which it is made) and be happy with it, why cannot people in the US open their minds more to things outside their own country?

Miguel,
The jist, for me any way, is not that non USA manufactured products are evil and/or of poor quality. I can name numerous non USA manufactures, or USA companies that out source there manufacturing, that make great gear. Think Hilleberg, Black Diamond, Montrail, Patagonia and many many more, all of which make products I do or have owned. I will support the small USA companies like McHale, ULA, MLD and others whenever I can but have no problem with the made in China Hardrocks I have on my feet. having said that if Montrail moved their manufacturing back to the USA I would gladly pay more to support USA jobs. But again this is just me.

Miguel,

I posted the question (US vs. China) with your thought process in mind. To put it another way, I hope that we are moving in the direction whereby one considers what is best for "the entire world" rather than their own country or region before making purchases, etc.

Hey OP:

Just noticed that you have signed up brand new here and a whole myriad of other forums besides — asking the same question — and only this one question. Are you on some kind of a "Buy American" crusade or something?

I double-checked whether Ron Moak had a US passport before buying that tent.

I don't know who OP is. If you mean me, since I started this thread, you might wonder why you're imagination is so limited and why you base so much on assumptions.

I've been a member of BPL for months, and a lurker for over a year. I've been a member of other backpacking forums, such as WhiteBlaze and Practical Backpacking, for almost a year and have posted there. Lurker much longer than that. I'm the administrator/owner of http://www.ATHikersOnline.com. I'm not (oh, horrors!) "brand new" here or on them. I am brand new – although not new to – other forums I posted that question on today.

I used to be a journalist. That experience, and my experience with forums, has taught me to cast a wide net. It's foolish to think any small group has all the possible answers to a question. Seeking many sources has always paid off for me. Although I have a lot of experience backpacking – from my youth many, many years ago – I have learned an enourmous amount from these forums. Look at all the answers I got here – I mean the useful, friendly, informed ones – which I am very grateful for.

Sorry, no conspiracy, no crusade. Just curiosity. My wife and I are researching gear for an AT thru(and, again, looking at many sources and many opinions). We are interested in being environmentally responsible, which is what we called being a conservationist when I was a kid in the scouts. We've been discussing how to do that. We're wondering what the environmental impact is of long distance shipping of goods and whether it is more responsible to buy locally – whether for you locally is in the US, or China, or Japan, or wherever. While it is true we are in a global economy, it is also true we still get to choose where we buy from.

It is not about thinking goods made in the US are better quality just because they are made in the US. We like our Subaru better than our Ranger. I have no idea where our current down bags were made, or my trail runners or our water filter…

It is nothing more insidious than curiosity.

And like the man said, assumption is the mother of all screw ups.

.

Uh, yeah. :)