Boy, talk about a pioneer in the backpacking industry. I can remember when the majority of packs I saw out on the trail carried a North Face label. I started out with one of their external frames in the late 70’s,  just like (practically) everyone else in those days.
Tompkins caught the wave at the right time. There was a post 1960’s backpacking boom and he was there to fill the niche. There wasn’t much competition back then either. North Face gear certainly wasn’t ultralight, but nobody even knew what that was until much later. I guess it’s no wonder Tompkins died a billionaire.
I also find it interesting that he met his first wife hitchhiking.
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