Compass: Charting the Evolution of Outdoor Gear

Wilderness Experience History

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1970

Brothers Jim and Greg Thomsen work as joint managers of The Mountain Store in Tarzana, California

established a guide service, called Wilderness Experience, taking teenagers into the Sierra's climbing, skiing, and backpacking

1971

Jim's wife Laurie, driving force behind the kids trips is killed on a solo climb

Greg teaches himself sewing, make sleeping bag straps to sell in the store

1972

receive order from Eiger Mountain Sports for gaiters

receive order from Eiger Mountain Sports to make replica of French Millet canvas packs, but order falls through

but Westridge Mountaineering shop takes the packs instead and the brand is off and running

1973

launch a new manufacturing company with the same name as the outdoor courses: Wilderness Experience

rent 1,000 sq ft shop for their one sewing machine. Outdoor classes pay the rent.

1974

Kris McDivitt, CEO of Patagonia, helps create a Wilderness Experience pack catalogue

enter joint venture with Bill Simon's Snow Lion and independent sales reps, to provide packs to Snow Lion's tents and sleeping bags

1975

use the advertising tagline "We only make backpacks and that's why we're the best."

1978

100 employees and sales reps in 50 US states

convince retailers to switch orders from the now bankrupt Snow Lion

thus moved immediately into manufacture of tents, sleeping bags, technical apparel and sportswear

made this line of non-pack products under the Solo label for several years, before bringing them all under the WE brand

were the third company in the outdoor industry to begin using Gore-Tex

1980

250 employees with three factories (including the 75,000 ft production plant in Chatsworth, California)

1981

completed a public stock offering and listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, a first for a US outdoor company

1983

put $50,000 of R&D into their 1983 Everest Expedition Suit

Jim Thomsen leaves the company

1984

sell 2,000 Expedition suits at $600 each

1986

Greg Thomsen leaves the company, and later helped launch Nike's All Condition Gear (ACG) line, later as Nike's Director of Marketing

Greg sells his Wilderness Experience shares to Garry Wennick

1990

Greg forms new company American Sports Group as a third party contract design and production facility for outdoor industry

1994

Jim Thomsen works for Downers to consolidate their acquisition of Jansport, a brand later purchased by VF Foundation

1995

Greg Thomsen designs a daypack for Jansport to test offshore production, Jansport subsequent move all production to China

1996

Wilderness Experience brand bought by K2 Inc

1997

Dana Gleeson of Dana Design (also owned by K2) has a hand in Wilderness Experience packs,

the K2 Wilderness Experience Moraine pack is selected by Backpacker Magazine for its '97 Editor's Gear Award

1999

Jim Thomsen moves to Europe to expand VF's outdoor brands (particularly Eastpak and Jansport) on the continent

2001

Greg sells American Sports Group to Brentwood and Associates

2002

Greg founds new business, Pacifica, and buys the assets of pack brand Mountainsmith from Chase Bank

2005

Jim retires from VF Foundation

2007

Pacifica is merged with Blackstone Investment Group, Inc.

2008

Greg sells remaining shares in Pacifica to Blackstone

2010

Greg becomes Managing Director of Adidas's new Outdoor division in the USA

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