BEHIND THE SEAMS

AS A YOUNG BOY GROWING UP IN OREGON, Mike found himself unsatisfied with the poor fit of his backpacking equipment. Taking matters into his own hands, he learned to sew from his mother and created his first backpack. It wouldn’t be his last.

As a young entrepreneur, Mike opened up Santa Cruz Recreational Packs in California where, drawn by word of mouth, backpackers and travelers sought him out for his custom-fitted, made-to-order packs. His reputation would eventually transform the business into the Osprey we are today, but first he’d need some help.

With his business partner/wife Diane Wren, Mike moved to Dolores, Colorado, and began working with a small team of sewers who took over production while Mike’s attention turned more heavily to pack design. These Navajo women, skilled in traditional sand painting and blanket weaving, became experienced in the art and science of constructing Osprey packs. They built upon and scaled Osprey’s vision, contributing to the prosperity and growth that, in 1994, led Osprey to expand operations to Cortez, CO, where it remains headquartered to this day.

The Osprey of today looks a little different than these humble beginnings, with packs that are sold and used the world over. We have offices in Poole, England, as well as design and manufacturing facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where Mike and Diane lived for four years to build relationships and transparency with our employees and suppliers abroad. Besides our headquarters, we have a distribution center in Ogden, UT, and also continue to employ local Navajo sewers at our original warehouse in Cortez, CO, where we proudly deliver on our All Mighty Guarantee.

This growth and development of the company hasn’t hindered our longstanding commitments to innovation and quality, allowing us to tap into global talent and resources that have strengthened the legacy Mike started back when he first sat before his mother’s sewing machine.

Mike continues to work meticulously as Head Designer to push the limits of pack design and what it means to be a sustainable, responsible and integral participant in the global outdoor industry alongside a growing team of over 270 employees aligned around a common mission.