PACK TO THE FUTURE TODAY'S BACKPACKING WORLD HAS PAST INNOVATION OF LOCAL MAN TO THANK.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer Dick and Nena Kelty would prefer to be in the High Sierra The first CD-ROM file system, named for an area near Lake Tahoe where it was developed in 1985. See ISO 9660. , enjoying a stream-lined trail, Douglas firs Douglas fir: see pine. Douglas fir Any of about six species of coniferous evergreen timber trees (see conifer) that make up the genus Pseudotsuga, in the pine family, native to western North America and eastern Asia. , sugar pines sugar pine n. A tall evergreen timber tree (Pinus lambertiana) of the Pacific coast of North America, having needles with white lines on the back that are grouped in fascicles of five. and the chatter of scrub jays scrub jay n. A blue and gray jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) with a long slender body and no crest, found in dense brush or scrub especially in the Florida peninsula. . Instead, the Keltys enjoy the ridge-line view of sycamores, boxed elders and finches, and occasionally the noise of the city far below. Really, it's not surprising that the first family of backpacking backpacking Sport of hiking while carrying clothing, food, and camping equipment in a pack on the back. In the early 20th century backpacking was primarily a means of getting to wilderness areas inaccessible by car or by day hike. can be found nestled in Southern California's foothills, far from the Sierra. Dick Kelty, synonymous with synonymous with adjective equivalent to, the same as, identical to, similar to, identified with, equal to, tantamount to, interchangeable with, one and the same as backpacks and backpacking, has lived all of his 82 years just minutes from where he was reared. These days, his only ventures to the Sierra would be trips with easy roadside access. It might include trips with his three children, five grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. and three great grandchildren. But because of chronic knee problems, Dick is forced to a near hobble hobble leather straps fastened around the pasterns of horses, mules and donkeys. Placed on all four legs and pulled together by a rope, it provides an effective means of casting the horse. . Hiking is out of the question. ``It was a long time ago,'' Kelty says of his backpacking days. Well, 50 years to be exact. The Keltys were seen as innovators in the industry, when in 1952 they built and sold 29 backpacks, all made in their Grand Central-area home. When the Keltys sold the business 30 years later, backpacking was no longer a blip on America's conscience. It was a rage that has refused to die. the Kelty firm is now a multimillion-dollar, international company, owned by American Recreation Products, which sells more than just backpacks. It sells tents, sleeping bags, clothing and adventure-travel tours. The company sold more than 130,000 backpacks last year. ``I call Dick the Henry Ford of backpacking,'' Nick Clinch, an explorer for National Geographic magazine The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded. , told Nena in her 2000 book, ``Backpacking the Kelty Way.'' ``I blame him for the overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. of the wilderness. By taking the weight off the hiker's shoulders and putting it on the hips, he took the misery out of the sport. He made it enjoyable for people to go backpacking.'' Kelty marketing director Ann Obenchain said the only promotion the company has done is a contest in which participants write to Backpacker Magazine with their favorite Kelty story. The Keltys of Glendale know little of that world. To Dick and Nena, it was all about making trips into the Sierra backcountry back·coun·try n. A sparsely inhabited rural region. easier. Dick Kelty was backpacking the Sierra with a friend. Post-World War II backpacks were cumbersome. Frames were U-shaped and made of wood. Kelty's friend placed the bottom supports in his back pockets for support and an idea was born. Kelty, a carpenter at Burbank-based Lockheed during and after the war, decided to build a backpack with a waist strap to take the back's weight off the shoulders and onto the hips. He redesigned the frame and chose a lighter, more sturdy product: aluminum. Instead of the heavy canvas used in Nelson Trapper and Army knapsacks, he made the pack with nylon. ``I just wanted something more comfortable,'' Kelty says. ``Something easier to travel in.'' It was not hard to obtain the material. The government had plenty of aluminum surplus. He welded the frames in his garage, while Nena, now 79, sewed the nylon with two industrial sewing machines in their kitchen. He tried selling the packs to a L.A. sporting-goods store, Vandergrifts, that specialized in outdoor gear. But when its offer was too low, he chose to advertise the packs in the Sierra Club's Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. chapter newsletter. He sold 90 packs in '53 and 220 a year later. Not just in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, but all over the U.S. ``People would see them on the trail and ask, 'Where did you get that?' '' Kelty said. ``We would get business by word of mouth. Or people in other parts of the country would see it in the newsletter.'' Suddenly, a part-time job became full-time. The family had to move to a bigger house to meet demand. Then to a manufacturing plant in Sun Valley with a store on Victory Boulevard Victory Boulevard is a major thoroughfare on Staten Island, measuring approximately 8.0 miles (12.87 km) and stretching from the west shore community of Travis to the upper east shore communities of St. George and Tompkinsville. with international clientele and reputation. Until finally, the Keltys say, it became too much. ``In the '60s and '70s, it was quite a business,'' Kelty said. ``We kept getting more and more orders and that's when we started selling to dealers.'' It is a practice that continues today for Kelty. Product is available only through catalog or dealerships. ``I'm not really surprised how backpacking took off,'' Dick Kelty said. ``I expected it.'' In retrospect, Nena, his wife of 56 years, says the whole notion of backpacking was mind- boggling. She was a London stage actress when they met during the war. ``I thought he was crazy,'' she recalled. ``Carrying all that heavy stuff on your back? But when I went, I really enjoyed it. Once we got up (in the Sierra), it was so gorgeous, and in those days, there was not very many people up there.'' When his backpack-making ideas came, Nena again thought her husband was crazy. ``Never in my wildest dreams. One after another, potential investors thought there was no future. He kept building them because all he wanted was a good pack.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Some could argue that backpacking for sport was made popular by the designs of Dick Kelty, shown here with wife, Nena, who was the first to place a frame on packs. Walt Mancini/Staff Photographer (2 -- 3 -- color) The first Kelty backpacks were manufactured in 1952. By the '60s, business was going so well that the Keltys soo had a store, above on Victory Boulevard. At left, a Kelty pack frame is being constructed. (4 -- color) no caption (backpack) |
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