Last week marked another adventure up to the Seattle area to retrieve historic Rivendell Mountain Works materials. After a lovely weekend in Bellingham with a longtime friend, I picked up a cargo van and headed up into the hills. I was happy to be back at Eric and Diane’s cabin- a place that always seems so peaceful. We started by loading up the van with original 1970s backpack patterns and other materials. Marking the end of an era (and beginning of a new one), the original sign came down to return to Utah with me
Eric and I spent some time in the shop where I shared the long list of questions I had for him. The Jensen is a weird pack to construct, after all, and I wanted to be sure I get it rig
Diane was kind to share some of her vintage backpacking gear that will be much appreciated in my small vintage gear library. In the end, I was a little worried by how much stuff was in my van, but I think Eric was pleased with my decluttering help.
Earlier in the trip, I stopped by to see Don, the former owner of RMW, to pick up the original patterns for the Bombshelter tent among a mysterious amount of other stuff. He shared stories and ideas for improving RMW products as we loaded the van.
I couldn’t help myself and had to take a quick peak in each box. It felt a bit like Christmas as I discovered all kinds of treasures, some not seen for decades. I have a nice stack of customer letters to read through, and it seems I’ll need to brush up on my elvish a little.
The most intriguing box was the one labeled “Original Jensen”. Hmm, I wonder what could be in there…
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In 1974, I purchased a used Jensen backpack from a co-employee at West Ridge sports, in Los Angeles. A few years later I purchased a new Giant Jensen. I hiked and climbed with those packs for many years, mostly in California’s Sierra Nevada, and as far away as the summit of Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba Citlaltépetl).
I owned Rivendell Mountain Works for 43 years, and Eric Hardee made the packs happen, but we’re both getting old (I turned 80 in May 2026), and it was time to pass the torch to another generation. I’m very happy that Mark is taking it over; Rivendell couldn’t be in better hands. I’m encouraging Mark to bring back the Rivendell tent, and also to adapt the YakPak shoulder strap system to the Jensen Pack or a new pack design, although neither of these things will happen quickly. Until you’ve actually run a small outdoor gear company like RMW, it’s hard to appreciate how difficult it is, and how much time it takes, to get new things done.
So cool to see all of the original gear, including the Kelty Serac that matches mine.
Also saw a top loading pack hanging on the wall in one of the photos. Hope that makes its way into the new lineup.