Here’s a shopping opportunity for vintage climbing packs and apparel from Seattle based Yak Works. AC reader Alan Wenker was kind enough to supply me with these original scans. Alan is interested in vintage backpacking apparel from 60s and 70s. Like Archival, Alan wants to see as many of these original catalogs made available for general viewing. So many have disappeared from view. Where else can you see evidence of lost products like Scottish Polarwear, Norse net shirts, Gore-tex cycling chaps and Swaledale mountain shirts from the Lake District?
Alan’s vintage yakpak
nice job!
Worth mentioning, net underwear is still made in Norway, the brand is Brynje.
http://www.brynje.no/index.html
Available in the US from Reliable Racing Supply.
http://www.reliableracing.com/searchresults.cfm
I have Brynje bottoms and like them a lot. I have merino wool mesh tops and, though this be heresy, this may be an item better suited to synthetics. I am planning on getting a Brynje top this fall and experiment with the mesh over a merino wool layer. I also want to try the WoolPower brand of tops, I’ve read lots of good things about their products.
http://www.woolpower.se/en/default.asp
Stay tuned.
I loved the Yak Works stuff back in the 70s. They had this funky criss-cross shoulder strap idea that never caught on.
That cross cross shoulder strap system was a great idea for cross country skiing. It made the weight shift even to each shoulder when skiing. Instead of weight on one shoulder then the other.
Blast from the past indeed!
I still have my pack and parka from Yak Works. They were way ahead of their time.
Still have mine, used it a few trips ago, works great.