Medical - Explore Big Sky
Medical - Explore Big Sky
Medical - Explore Big Sky
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local Gear<br />
Alex Buck shows off his work in the knappsackery<br />
Buck Products<br />
Grassroots bozeman company makes<br />
simple, custom, rolltop “backsacks”<br />
by kelsey dzintars<br />
Alex Buck began sewing in the summer of<br />
2008, when he and his wife, Allie, received<br />
a sewing machine as a wedding present. He<br />
started out with a few simple patterns to learn<br />
the skill, and it didn’t take him long to start<br />
dreaming up possibilities.<br />
Originally from Portland, Maine, Buck always<br />
enjoyed making and building things from<br />
scraps of wood and objects he found in his<br />
barn. In fall of 2005, he moved to Bozeman<br />
to ski and attend MSU. By the end of that<br />
year, he found a niche in sculpture. The need<br />
for something simple and durable to haul his<br />
sculpture supplies around campus led him to<br />
make his first knapsack.<br />
Tired of overly complicated, technical backpacks<br />
on the market, he started with a simple<br />
river duffel bag design. Buck has since refined<br />
his design, but kept it simple - one large<br />
pocket with no zippers, a roll top with a clasp<br />
snap closure, and two smaller pockets inside.<br />
Attention and demand for the “knappsacks”<br />
grew quickly. He settled on CORDURA®<br />
brand 1000-denier nylon and lined the bags<br />
with water repellent Packcloth, making his<br />
packs robust and long lasting. Buck realized<br />
with the range of colors available, this could<br />
be a useful, custom product for hauling everyday<br />
life essentials.<br />
Now, Buck has a full-time operation and his<br />
own “knappsackery,” located in the Bozeman<br />
Seed Building. He estimates he has sold several<br />
hundred custom bags since 2009, producing<br />
batches of about five sacks at a time. Having<br />
his design, equipment and materials further<br />
dialed, he spends about and hour-and-a-half<br />
to two hours on each handmade knapsack.<br />
In addition to his original knappsack,<br />
Buck now has a new design: the notyet-titled<br />
Buck Product sack. This<br />
design is slightly bigger, with easy<br />
Velcro closures and pockets on the<br />
outside, and the option to fold or roll<br />
the top. He also makes custom padded<br />
laptop cases that fit inside both packs.<br />
Occasionally, he makes fanny packs<br />
by request, and he plans to make a<br />
smaller pack for kids, inspired by his<br />
own two-year-old son.<br />
Buck’s sales are almost entirely viral, having<br />
sold custom knappsacks in Maine, New<br />
York, Boston and California all through email<br />
communication. He is currently working<br />
on a collaboration with Rogues Gallery in<br />
Portland, Maine to produce unique, organic<br />
knappsacks for their store. In Montana, he’s<br />
sold packs through Girls Outdoors and Second<br />
Wind Sports in Bozeman, and he plans<br />
to add a few more local vendors.<br />
Although sales and production have taken<br />
off for Buck Products, Buck plans to keep his<br />
business small, “sticking to simplicity and<br />
classic design, all while creating highly useful<br />
daily haul bags.”<br />
buckproducts.com<br />
Padded laptop sleeve fits easily inside<br />
any Buck Product knappsack<br />
<strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong><br />
March 18, 2011<br />
Volume 2 // Issue #6<br />
The new Buck Product bag<br />
design with multiple closures<br />
to get your own knappsack, email<br />
alex at akbuckbuck@gmail.com.<br />
stock knappsack (ships asaP): $65<br />
custom knappsack: $75<br />
computer sleeves: $35<br />
(all prices include shipping)<br />
colors: purple, orange, mint green,<br />
forest green, camo, navy, pink,<br />
royal blue and a few hidden gems<br />
explorebigsky.com<br />
march 18, 2011 33