OL-Q&A: John Campbell opens up to us
Continuing our theme of interviewing really interesting outdoorsy people this time around we’ve sat down with John Campbell. Who is the main and only man behind the legendary custom pack brand Alpine Luddites. Having traversed the globe and made some of the most beautiful backpacks we’ve ever set our eyes upon, we decided it was time to drag John away from his sewing machine to spill the backpacking beans.
Like all the best brands, Alpine Luddites was born from a desire to make something better than what was currently available at the time. Can you remember the specific moment this happened and how you found the motivation to begin?
I had started making my own outdoor clothing and technical climbing packs when I was 17, 18 years old. I was still in school, trying to get into art school, and going on climbing trips outside the US.
There were two big influences on me. First, I was on a climbing trip to Bolivia, there were people wearing clothes made from a small shop in France, in Chamonix Sud. I cannot remember the shop’s name, but I do remember visiting this shop the following year when I had moved to Chamonix . It was just a few people sewing and loads of cool clothes and packs. I have photos someplace from that trip with Margie wearing these green and purple Pants.
I came home from that trip and started making my own technical clothes.
The second was an American brand called Jrat. They built everything in Boulder, CO. I had bought a bought some of their gear: a pink and black wind shirt, a custom expedition pack, a camera case, a fanny pack, my swami belt and leg loops. I visited their shop in my senior year of high school, while on a trip visiting CU Boulder. I still have a jrat catalogue from that time. I have plans to write about at some point. It was very instrumental in getting me thinking over the years that I could do something similar.
I built my first climbing pack in 1989. I used it for years. I built most of my own packs after this. I started Alpine luddites in 2013 with just one sewing machine , no customers but I had a strong sense of what I wanted to do. I sold 3 packs my first year, all went to Japan.
Having climbed all over the world, where have been your favourite places and why?
Two places stand out. The Andes of Peru & Bolivia and Beartooth’s in Montana and Wyoming. I have had life changing experiences in both places. I keep going back and every time It feels like I never left.
I used to guide multi week trips in the Beartooth’s. In winter they were on skis. I cut my teeth there with 100’s of nights in the back country. I skied across Yellowstone by myself twice. The second time the high was -20 F and nights went to -40. I had no tent, not even a winter sleeping bag. I had other trips that felt like an out of body experience with grizzly bears and coyotes. One of my climbing partners disappeared in the Beartooth’s. I could never find his body. It’s both beautiful and painful to consider trips in there these days, but I am committed to going ice climbing this winter in Cody. I plan to be a sponsor at the Cody ice festival.
I was climbing in Peru and Bolivia was my first trip outside of the US when I was 17 years old. I remember much of that trip. Climbing big mountains is hard work in local. The Andes were remote and emptier then. Very few people seemed to have heard of them or even knew they existed and I didn’t want to encourage them to go visit. The world outside of the US felt a bit wild and free. I never wanted to go back to the US. In my mind I never really have. The climbing was always fun. The mountains are big and for the most part, empty. The people I met there were like me, they wanted to be there. There was very little real tourism. It felt like a second home, going there year after year.
What’s Vermont like for doing outdoorsy stuff? Worth a visit?
It sucks. Don’t come. Colorado is better in every way and there are no black flies in Colorado.
Bespoke, customised,non-mass produced gear is the new Gorpcore: Discuss.
What the fuck is gorp core? I don’t pay much attention to the outside world. I just do my thing, follow my instincts, talk with customers. I don’t look at other brands. I don’t care. All I know is I have a head full of ideas that I want to develop and get too. They may or may not resonate with popular outdoor culture. It’s good my waiting list is so long. It’s not uncommon for customers to switch to a design that hadn’t existed when they first placed their deposit.
Your gear is so well made, is it fair to say that you’re inspired by the golden era of 1970s American outdoor gear manufacturing? If so, which brands and specific gear from back then have played a part in informing your design processes.
No. The American 70’s gear didn’t interest me much. I was heavily inspired by Karrimor in the UK. I love the old canvas packs for their clean lines, and I have a few on display. The purple alpinist was the pack everyone used. It’s iconic in the climbing world. Jrat in Boulder, like I already mentioned. Chouinard equipment from the 80’s. Believe it or not, in the early 80’s The North Face made some of the best gear available. I have 4 packs from that era, one I used. Working at the original Dana design gave me the confidence to know how to properly sew a pack. I think I was hired , not only for my sewing skills, which felt subpar when I started there, but to have a token dirtbag on the sewing floor.
Which is the pack that has given you the most pleasure to make?
That’s a good question. I really enjoy starting with a page of notes from my customer interview and their measurements and watching a pack design unfold.
Is there still a 2 year waiting list to get a pack made by you? If so how can we move up the list, are you open to financial sweeteners/bribes?
Yes, 24+ months for a one off alpine or full custom pack. Classic packs, Higgs Boson ski packs, bike bags are slightly faster as I build these in batches.
The only way to get bumped is to take my pack making class. If you have a pack on order prior to signing up for the class, I will build your pack during the class to show you how it’s done. I always build a pack alongside my students, and usually it’s another customer’s pack. So once in awhile random customers get their pack sooner if I need to build one while teaching a class. I turn down all offers of money for getting a pack quicker.
If Outdoor Licence were to take a sneaky peak into one of your own packs, what items would we always find lurking in there?
I have a small stuffed squirrel that has been on every trip I have done in the past 24 years. A Nikon camera with a 20mm lens. Either film or DSLR. Twizzlers.
Describe your ideal day from dawn til dusk.
Coffee
Dog hike
Work outside /climb/ ski/ farm: till early afternoon
Dog walk
Shop till I can’t stay awake. Usually 1 pm-11 pm
If Alpine Luddites was a movie, which songs would have to feature on the soundtrack?
Husker Du – Turn off the News
Sugar – JC Auto
Neil young – After the Gold Rush
Neko case – Hold On, Hold On
Nick Cave – Oh My Lord
REM – These Days
The Gits – Seaweed
Built to Spil l- Car
The Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues
Catharine Wheel – Show Me Mary
