When Keyana Sapp, 31, went shopping for a new backpack, the brands he remembered as a kid were just not the same.
He researched the companies, from North Face to JanSport and Eastpak, and soon realized they were all owned by the VF Corporation after a wave of acquisitions in the 2000s. After a Reddit post he made about his discovery picked up traction, he started looking at other types of consumer goods – cookware, shoes, tools, clothing.
“It seems like that was a story that just repeated in every industry,” Sapp told the Guardian.
Have you considered Hilleberg? They don’t seem to be on this list for yay or nay but I think their products are still manufactured in continental Europe. Not cheap but good reputation!
Edit: this thread was bundled in with a recent “repost,” sorry to drag you back in and as a fellow backpacker I hope you found a good tent!!