Our History
Over 50 Years of Outdoor Innovation
The first chapter of the story of Rivendell Mountain Works began in the Pacific Northwest around 1970. After a period of time managing The North Face store in Berkeley, California, Larry Horton founded Rivendell Mountain Works in 1971 in Snoqualmie, Washington. Soon after, he moved the small company to a little white church in Victor, Idaho, at the western foothills of the Teton Mountains. This was the golden age of Rivendell Mountain Works when most of the products were developed and tested in the rugged Teton Mountains. The frameless ultralight Jensen Pack and super durable Bombshelter Tent were the iconic products that were developed to satisfy the needs of all-season climber and mountaineers.
The ownership of Rivendell Mountain Works passed in 1983 to Don Wittenberger, former co-owner of Yak Works of Seattle, Washington, who developed the innovative shoulder strap design of the Yak Pak. At one point in the 1980s when Don was trying to load an industrial sewing machine into the back of his car, Eric Hardee, a regular customer of Yak Works stopped to help him. The two struck up a conversation and friendship that led to Eric producing Rivendell Mountain Works out of his hand-built log cabin in the hills near Monroe, Washington, for over 40 years. Through Eric’s tireless work, Rivendell Mountain Works not only survived but thrived at various points in the following decades. During this time, Eric developed new products like the Little Elf, the cutest little kids’ pack, and the Baguette Pacquet, a handy everyday tote bag.
In 2025, ownership of Rivendell Mountain Works transferred to Mark Larese-Casanova, a longtime resident of Logan, Utah, and professor in the Outdoor Product Design and Development program at Utah State University. As an avid enthusiast of classic outdoor gear, Mark is excited to carry Rivendell Mountain Works forward into the coming decades. Mark spent about a year establishing Rivendell Mountain Works in Logan where he works with a small bag design company to produce Rivendell products. When he’s not teaching in the summer, Mark sews all of the Jensen packs himself and designs new products for the company.
For more details and photos about the history of Rivendell Mountain Works, have a look at our blog- In the Works. Additionally, Bruce Johnson has written a wonderful five-part series about Rivendell Mountain Works on his History of Gear website.
Throughout its long history, Rivendell Mountain Works has always captured the spirit of the adventurer who appreciates lightweight, highly functional outdoor gear. To this day, Rivendell Mountain Works remains a cottage industry and its backpacks are still 100% Made in the U.S.A. from durable, hard-wearing materials and hardware. Rivendell Mountain Works has always been a quiet company known only to a small community of outdoor enthusiasts in the U.S. and Japan. Consider owning a bit of our history that will serve you well for years to come.
