History (1965-2007)
George Marks and Bob Swanson started Sierra designs 40 years ago to design outdoor equipment that enhanced the wilderness experience. Over the years, we've created mountains of new products and technologies that have traveled to the highest peaks, withstood 230 mph winds, stood in the face of horrendous downpours and beat the odds of mother nature. Why? Because we know that better products make the outdoor experience so much more enjoyable. Here's a brief look at our path and innovations along the way.
1965
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Our founders George Marks, Bob Swanson, Point Richmond, CA 1965 |
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60/40 Mountain Parka One of the most phenomenal products of all time for mountaineering, 1965 |
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Double Mummy Sleeping Bag The logical choice for maximum togetherness, 1968 |
1970
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Team Work "Let the good times roll!" Berkeley headquarters, 1971 |
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Airflex Tent The toughest, most-spacious, 2-person dome tent of its time. First tents to utilize a combination of bent and straight poles, 1979 |
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Cloud Series Down Bag First bag in the U.S.A. filled with 700 goose down, and to feature a contoured hood, 1979 |
1980
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Flashlight Tent A tent that's still recognized by its name, it was the first 2 person,"ultralight" design to drop below the four-pound weight, 1983 |
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Swift Clip™ Sierra Designs stakes new ground by inventing the first-ever Swift-Clips, designed for a faster set-up, and allows the tent to be staked out before erecting in high winds, 1982 |
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Meteor Light Tent Light, fast, and often imitated, the Meteor Light debuts, winner of Backpacker's 2001 Editor's Choice Gold Award, 1987 |
1990
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Emeryville Water Tower Sierra Designs moves to Emeryville, California, expands lab and R&D facilities, 1994 |
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Womens Specific Sleeping Bags A revolutionary idea, bags tailored to fit a woman's shape and warmth needs, 1995 |
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Clip-Locks Another patented and exclusive design that locks poles at the intersection to improve tent strength by 60%, 1996 |
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Flex Bags After a comprehensive sleep study, we launched the Flex sleeping bags allowing unrestricted movement from side, belly and back, 1999 |
2000
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Jake's Corner Yes, another Sierra Designs patent and exclusive, increases tent strength by 40% and eliminates pole rotation that can lead to failure, 2001 |
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Hercules Tent Wind tunnel tested, expedition proven, its two-pole design provides the simplest set-up available in extreme conditions, 2002 |
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New Mountain Mothership Sierra Designs relocates, the Rocky Mountains become home, 2003 |
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Tent Guard with Ultra Fresh™ Sierra Designs exclusive! Prevents the growth of odor and stain causing fungus, mildew and bacteria on tent fabric, extending the tent life, 2004 |
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SuperSeal Floor This Sierra Designs Exclusive maintains a tighter pitch while guaranteeing waterproofness and distributing stress evenly throughout the structure, 2004 |
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Reverse Combi New and exclusive in 2005 the Reverse Combi tent technology completely revolutionized the future design of tents, 2005 |
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DAC Featherlite NSL Poles A pioneering event in pole technology! A unique insert between pole sections increases flexibility, reduces breakage, saves weight and adds incredible strength - and they're the most environmentally friendly anodized tent poles available, 2006 |
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Awards, Awards, Awards The Sierra Designs equipment category raises the bar with numerous awards from Blue Ridge Outdoors, Outside and National Geographic Adventure magazines; see our awards page for details, 2006 |
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Quick Pitch Swivel Hub Designed for the fastest and easiest pitch the Quick Pitch Swivel Hub locks poles in place and increases the overall tent strength, 2006 |
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RCT Swift Clip An evolution of the Swift Clip, the RCT Swift Clip is used on Reverse Combi Technology and larger-diameter poles for a fast and easy pitch, 2006 |