From canoe country identity to lifestyle brand
Dave Zentner still uses a weathered, olive-drab #2 Duluth Pack he bought in the 1960s that hangs from the rafters in his garage.
The long-time Duluth angler, hunter and outdoor adventurer said the oversize, canoe-pack model has been with him through countless Boundary Waters portages, fly-fishing trips to local and far-flung streams, and duck hunting outings to western prairies and backwater hideaways. His pack is usually jammed with everything from waders and fishing vests to duck decoys and a thermos.
Noted outdoors writer and wilderness guide Cliff Jacobson has taken canoes and Duluth Packs to the far north, leading dozens of expeditions over the years to various Canadian provinces, Hudson Bay and even the Arctic Ocean. He especially sings the praises of the packs’ riveted straps and tumpline, an optional strap that attaches at both ends of the pack and is placed over the top of one’s head for especially heavy loads. The feature was patented by Camille Poirier, Duluth Pack’s founder, in 1882. “Virtually all of my canoe packs on those trips were Duluth Packs,” Jacobson said.
For more of the story, see the April issue of BusinessNorth, due out this week.
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