An Interview with Stone Glacier Founder Kurt Racicot

We take our gear severely at F&S, whether or not it’s for searching, fishing, or tenting. Our alternatives are primarily based on many elements, like high quality, worth, and function—simply to call a number of. However typically there’s extra to a fishing jacket or searching knife than what you see.

By means of my years of overlaying the most effective outside gear, I’ve found some actually cool manufacturers with some actually cool tales performing some actually cool issues. In our new “Behind the Model” interview collection, we’re telling these tales by way of the phrases of the founders themselves.

Most hunters, once they have bother discovering gear they like, simply conserving purchase issues till they discover one thing that works. Kurt Racicot just isn’t most hunters. When he had bother discovering a superb pack for his alpine sheep hunts, he didn’t purchase a brand new one—he purchased a stitching machine to make his personal. And in that second, Stone Glacier was born.

We have been fortunate sufficient to get an opportunity to take a seat down with Kurt for an unique interview. The longtime hunter and now entrepreneur opened up about how Stone Glacier grew into the model it’s at the moment, what makes a superb pack, and what drew him to mountain sheep searching within the first place. Plus, he revealed his favourite hunt so far and, spoiler, it was along with his daughter.

Discipline & Stream: Begin at the start. How did you get into the outside, and particularly sheep searching?

Kurt Racicot: I used to be born and raised in Montana, so I grew up across the outdoor, searching and fishing. That was all the time part of our life-style as a household. After I went to varsity at Montana State College, I needed to go to Alaska and stay up there—extra alternatives, wilder nation, all of that.

So I obtained a instructing diploma and moved to Alaska, the place I used to be a instructor for six years. That was once I began to turn out to be extra serious about sheep searching and the alpine-style hunts which can be so prevalent up there.

I then ended up switching careers to the ability trade and going into the oil area. It supplied a bit bit extra time to have the ability to hunt and fish, and what I discovered I loved probably the most was the longer sheep and goat hunts that have been sometimes 10 to 14 days within the wilderness.

How did these hunts ignite your ardour for good gear?

You’d backpack every little thing in in your again for no matter time period you have been going there and you then’d should pack all of it again out. Generally that began from a truck, typically it began from an airplane. There’s solely a lot you’ll be able to take with you.

At the moment, the ultralight backpacking neighborhood was the driving pressure behind numerous the light-weight gear that was on the market. There have been fairly a number of of us into backpack searching that began to take a look at what they have been doing. We realized we may have a lighter sleep system or we may carry completely different stoves and several types of meals to scale back weight and quantity.

That was actually the place my curiosity in gear started, principally out of necessity. I began taking a look at what kinds of gear I may modify to make them a bit bit lighter and performance a bit bit higher for searching particularly.

What obtained you into backpacks particularly?

Just about every little thing you wanted was out available on the market—apart from a light-weight searching backpack. And so I obtained a stitching machine and taught myself how you can sew.

How did you design your first pack?

I started modifying the present backpacks I used to be utilizing. It began with simply modifying the surface of the bag by including pockets or zippers or taking off one piece of material and changing it with one other one simply to make it extra usable in a searching sense.

Then it obtained to some extent the place I figured, properly, if I make a totally completely different body, I may make it a bit bit taller. And numerous the backpacking frames weren’t made to hold actually heavy hundreds. And so I may reinforce it and use completely different stays.

I did this time and again for about two years, taking part in with completely different designs, and actually ended up with a wholly new backpack.

What was your testing course of like?

It was numerous trial and error. I’d provide you with an concept and make a change. After which, as a result of I’ve all the time both lived in Alaska or Montana, I’d take it out and go searching the following day to strive it out. If I didn’t prefer it, I’d come again that evening, take it aside, and repair it. That’s one of many nice issues about working with cloth and stitching—it’s fairly fast to make modifications. And I believe that’s the enjoyable a part of it, too.

Then as soon as I discovered one thing that labored, I’d preserve testing it to verify it was good and that it will carry out over the course of time. That’s primarily been the best way I’ve gone about it.

How did you go from modifying your individual backpack to promoting it to different folks?

I began excited about how I may carry my new design to market. I believed if I wanted a product like this, there should be different folks on the market who may use it, as properly.

However once I began down that path, I didn’t have any intentions of beginning a enterprise. I had my profession, I used to be set going that manner. I simply had put numerous effort and time into it. And once I confirmed it to my buddies, they mentioned I ought to make them, however I didn’t have the time.

I talked to a number of outside and searching firms, however all of them had their very own designs and their very own path they have been already. Ultimately, I noticed that if I needed it to go to market, I’d should do it myself.

I talked to my spouse, Nicole, and I mentioned, “Hey, right here’s my plan. I’m simply going to seek out somebody who could make 60 of those. I’ll solely take $15,000 out of our financial savings. That’s all we’ll put money into it. Both we promote these and we get our a reimbursement and by no means do anything, or we enable it to develop.”

That was actually the way it began.

And it should’ve labored, proper?

I began Stone Glacier, made these 60 backpacks, and offered all of them within the first couple of months. It was principally by way of phrase of mouth. I put collectively a web site however I used to be removed from an online designer—it mainly simply had my contact info and some photographs. Most likely all the first 60 packs offered went to buddies or buddies of buddies.

And since I had my profession on the opposite facet, I didn’t ever take something out of the corporate. So I simply took the cash and rolled it again in and made 100 packs the following time, offered these over the following a number of months, after which we simply saved transferring up.

How did you provide you with the identify Stone Glacier?

One of many locations I used to be searching in Alaska had this small unnamed glacier that was tucked away again up on this valley. It had a few rock options that got here out of it. I began calling it Stone Glacier as a result of it’s essential have a degree on the map. As soon as I began the corporate, it simply appeared like a logical alternative for the identify.

What makes a Stone Glacier searching pack distinctive?

I actually designed our first pack round a function known as the load shelf, the place the again separates away from the body and you’ll carry the heavy portion—just like the animal bones, meat, or quarters—proper subsequent to the body, which is closest to your middle of gravity. The thought is that you just’re making an attempt to attenuate the quantity of leverage that heavy portion of the load creates in your physique, so that you don’t should lean ahead and have interaction your core as a lot.

One other factor that’s particular about our backpacks is our weight to carrying load ratio. We’ve got a few packs that weigh simply over 4 kilos however are rated to hold over 150 kilos. We attempt to hit the candy spot of a light-weight body that may nonetheless maintain lots.

Why did you select to go along with all strong colours? Why not embrace any camo?

There are two causes behind this. First, while you take a look at the value level on our backpacks, particularly being made within the U.S., it’s actually costly. And most of the people who backpack hunt are additionally doing issues all summer season. They may be backpacking into a spot the place they’re going to fly fish or going climbing. So I actually needed to make a bit that wasn’t camouflage that may cross over and that you possibly can use nearly anyplace.

And typically folks don’t like to make use of camo. They don’t put on camouflage items in the event that they exit to dinner with their household. Some do, some don’t. However I might say most don’t. So whether or not it’s a jacket or a backpack, I figured if you happen to’re going to make that funding in a bit of drugs, you must have the ability to use all of it yr spherical for no matter you need.

Second, while you add a camouflage to one thing, it turns into a little bit of a style piece. Individuals both just like the camouflage or they don’t. It may be the most effective rain jacket on the earth. But when they don’t just like the camouflage, they’re not going to purchase it. So at Stone Glacier, we offer the strong colours that may go together with your favourite camo, no matter it’s.

What are your three favourite Stone Glacier merchandise proper now?

Terminus Looking Pack

The Terminus backpack is one among my favorites. More often than not, we develop items primarily based off buyer suggestions. However this one was my very own concept. I simply needed a special kind of backpack. And so I made it.

I figured if I preferred it, there needed to be a minimum of a number of folks on the market who preferred it, too. That’s the way it began. It’s tremendous light-weight, developed for sheep searching and different alpine-style hunts.

Sentinel Bino Harness

I’m a extremely huge fan of our bino harness. I’ve been testing the Sentinel for the final three years and I like that it’s modular. You possibly can simply change out the pockets on it. So if I’m simply occurring a tenting journey with my household, I add additional pockets for carrying all the youngsters’ snacks and my binoculars. Then if I’m searching, I can have my magazines and that entire package.

M5 Jacket

The M5 is our rain jacket and it’s all the time in my backpack. It’s mainly the final line of protection. I actually prefer it.

What’s subsequent for Stone Glacier this yr?

One of many issues I’m very enthusiastic about is our archery line, which we’ve been engaged on for some time and which is lastly popping out this yr. A number of our attire and backpacks work properly for archery however we’ve got fairly a number of prospects who’re serious about extra archery-specific items. So we’ve spent the final couple years specializing in that and creating 4 or 5 merchandise for that new line.

We’ve additionally had much more curiosity from our U.S. navy in our merchandise for mountain warfare and operations. That’s only a actually rewarding piece for me to suppose that our service women and men are selecting our gear. I’m happy with that.

On to a couple enjoyable questions. What’s the most effective hunt you’ve been on?

Oh, man. I really feel actually lucky to have been on as many hunts as I’ve thus far. However in all probability my favourite hunt was this final yr when my 12-year-old daughter and I went on our first backpacking hunt collectively. We lived out of a backpack for 4 days and he or she obtained a deer. It took us two days to pack it out. I believe that was one of the enjoyable hunts I’ve ever been on.

What’s your favourite species to hunt?

I actually take pleasure in sheep searching (and goat searching is an in depth second). It’s fairly restricted nowadays. There aren’t numerous alternatives to go that always. However once I do get to go, I actually take pleasure in it. It takes you into these distant areas the place the animals that you just wouldn’t get to expertise in any other case.

What do you’re keen on most about searching?

You simply unplug. You unplug from expertise. You unplug from the fixed inputs. It all the time appears to take a pair days to essentially get into that spot the place you’re simply targeted on the second. I joke that it’s nearly like a compelled mindfulness train. You simply get to the purpose the place you’re not checking your cellphone otherwise you’re not excited about what it’s essential do tomorrow. I believe that’s my favourite half.