Our Story

Born in the late 1800s and raised in the northern forests of Minnesota, Duluth Pack’s mission is straightforward and simple. We provide premium handcrafted, American-made canvas and leather products with a lifetime guarantee on all craftsmanship and hardware. We are the oldest canvas and leather bag and pack making company in the United States.

Our story begins over 100 years ago with our founder Camille Poirier, a French-Canadian immigrant, at the helm. After migrating west to the northern waters of Duluth, Minnesota in 1870, he built a small shoe store with his little stock of leather and tools he had at hand. Little did the folks of this frontier town know, they desperately needed a durable product that was going to last through the seasons, especially the harsh Minnesota winters.

As Poirier outfitted those early American settlers, he saw a need for a new type of backpack to benefit trappers, traders, and timber workers of the day. After painstaking design and testing, he patented the “C. Poirier Pack Sack” on December 12th, 1882. Duluth Pack, as the brand would later become known, was born. This original pack design is still sold today as the #2 Original Pack. As time went on, Poirier’s packs organically grew into a canoe bag for the early explorers of the Boundary Waters.

In 1911, Poirier sold his pack business to the Duluth Tent & Awning Company, which then evolved into the Duluth Pack known today. During those early frontier days, packs were manufactured for the rugged lumberjacks, miners, explorers, pioneers, railroad engineers, and ship captains of the Midwest. From hay wagon covers to heavy canvas aprons, quality became a staple of the brand.

With the twenties roaring right around the corner, Duluth Pack focused on what Americans were now asking for: travel and recreation products. Jump-starting our growth and popularity, Duluth Pack began selling bags to the first Abercrombie & Fitch store on Madison Avenue. This created many of the durable, premium-quality packs, luggage bags, purses, and accessories that we are known for today.

As history faded, Duluth Pack’s values have held strong for over a century. Meaning that every single piece of canvas or leather has been cut, sewn, riveted, and crafted right in the same historic site where it all began. Pride has been a foundation for our brand, which is why we showcase the person behind the pack through hand-signed special white tags located inside every finished bag giving it that final American-made touch. Our products are built for a lifetime of use, and we are proud to stand behind them with our Lifetime Craftsmanship Guarantee.

Today, Duluth Pack’s community has grown international, invoking adventure not just for outdoor enthusiasts but for all demographics. Our packs and bags have endured the test of time. Although the canoeing lifestyle will forever be ingrained in our heritage, we have evolved with our customers. Lasting generations, everyone who purchases one of our handcrafted packs adds to our never-ending history.