Granite Gear

Over three decades ago, friends, Dan Cruikshank and Jeff Knight, ventured into the Boundary Waters and Quetico wilderness, much like friends have been doing for centuries. But this trip was different.

“It turned out to be a really epic trip,” said Cruikshank. “Sitting around the campfire one night, we were pondering what to do with our lives . . .” The ideas they shared didn’t just go up in smoke.

Dan and Jeff thought there might be a market for a portage pack with a modern suspension system and a hip belt instead of a tumpline. After learning that the canoe market was relatively small, fueled by their passion for backpacking, they developed the Rock Solid Compression Sack. “That was our launch into the backpacking market,” said Cruikshank.

Over the years, Granite Gear has developed all sorts of products in the outdoor industry. “It’s a wonderful place to be and have a business,” said Cruikshank.

Go where you gotta go.

Granite Gear’s Two Harbors production facility is made up of two buildings, a small octagonal building in the woods and a larger building near the road. We were told bears visit the small patch of woods between the buildings.

Inside these buildings, we found pride. We saw it on the walls in photos of adventurers whose quests were powered by Granite Gear. We saw it in the faces of hard-working craftspeople sitting at sewing machines. We saw it in Dan, as he told us stories about the people in the photos and greeted the folks at the sewing machines.

The folks at Granite Gear make well-made, intelligently-engineered gear for almost any backcountry adventure.

“We make going into the wilderness easier and safer for everyone,” said Cruikshank. “If we can make a pack that’s more comfortable so people can hike longer and further, or enjoy themselves more, that’s what it’s all about.”

The ultralight thru-hiking community has really embraced Granite Gear’s packs. After using the Crown 60 on several trips, we can see why.

When we left Granite Gear, we left with its Crown 60 ultralight pack and put it to the test on several adventures.

We love how light and simple this pack is. Adding only two pounds to your load, it doesn’t cramp your style when navigating challenging terrain. And we really appreciate the simplicity of the design, which provides adequate space for gear without pockets and zippers everywhere.

With other packs, we’re constantly playing the game “where did I put that?”

Oh yeah, it’s in the other, other pocket.

I called Dan the morning of our shoot when call time was approaching. His response: “That’s today?”

He showed up about 10 minutes later on a bicycle, a little wet from the rain and a little winded.

Dan was soft-spoken and friendly as he led us on a tour of Granite Gear, Two Harbors’ granite shoreline, and his new bike/coffee shop (Spokengear / Cedar Coffee Company / Cedaero), where he gave us free coffee and offered us lunch (unfortunately, we had to take a rain check because we had another shoot to get to).

Dan is an entrepreneur but doesn’t seem too interested in the money. In fact, he could have opened Spokengear on Highway 61 but chose to be off the beaten path, chose not to have a drive-thru window. He wants this place to be more than a quick cup of coffee. He wants people to come inside and connect.

We think he also likes that his shop backs up to the wilderness. After all, that’s where his journey began.

“We want people to go into the wilderness, recharge themselves, get away from some of the hectic things of our modern age and just embrace the wilderness,” Cruikshank said. “The trees. The cedars. The smell. Everything. Campfires.”