Ultralight Durston Gear Tents Are Beloved. Here’s Why.

Durston Quality Control, Inspirations, and R&D

Durston’s passion for gear is also evident from the way he engages with the community and his customers. The thru-hiking and ultralight communities are a critical bunch with a lot of spare time in the off season, and putting your design at their Altra-clad feet is an intimidating task. Newer customers can be difficult too, especially when you’re selling items that require some skill and experience to use, like ultralight backpacks or non and semi freestanding tents. He told me about one negative vlog review where the person filmed himself setting up the X-Mid incorrectly at multiple steps. It takes a lot of patience to tune out that noise.

Despite the challenges of catering to a highly discerning crowd, that intensity has a flipside that has been overwhelmingly positive. What started as fielding emails for Massdrop developed into a prolific Reddit engagement that has led to better tutorials, customer service, and generally enthusiastic customers. “People appreciate that we care,” Durston tells me. “They are way more happy to tell people about your gear and suggest it if you’re not just a faceless corp and you’re passionate. People go to bat for you.”

“We don’t always hit the nail on the head, but we try super hard to make a great product people will be excited about,” he says.

It’s the kind of success story that makes you want to smack your forehead a little, because the secret is that there is no secret. Durston created gear that people love without all of the algorithm bullshit. It’s no surprise to learn then that Durston is inspired by Alpacka Raft, a company that paved the way for mainstream packrafting through an iterative design process that took decades instead of a brand that found success because of a clever TikTok. He also looks to OG cottage industry fixtures Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering, who have earned devoted followings through decades by perfecting a few products and making them extremely well, instead of focused exclusively on innovation and flashy marketing.

Source: https://www.fieldmag.com/articles/durston-ultralight-outdoor-gear-brand-history