BRAND GENESIS
It’s a play on words, honoring the legendary North American lumberjacks who were prolific in the 1800s through the mid-1900s. They led brave, rugged lives, traveling the country to harvest the lumber needed to build America. They lived at basic, temporary camps, and at the end of a hard day’s work, they ate and drank around the campfire, telling tall tales that got passed down through the generations, before drifting off into a deep slumber and doing it all again the next day. And we’re here to tell, not a tall tale, but the Slumberjack history as best we know it. There have been many phases of the brand, but the legacy of Camping in Comfort has remained a consistent thread.
The origin of the name itself is subject to some speculation, but a 1925 Missouri newspaper ad for “Men’s Lumberjack” sweater shirts (featuring novelty plaids inspired by lumberjacks) with poor letter
spacing could have introduced the public to the word for the first time. Another theory is that it was an alternate way to express the idiom of “sleeping like a log”, with a nod to lumberjacks and a good night’s rest. By the 1930s, the term began to pop up purposefully in different brands’ catalogs to describe sleepwear and loungewear garments, first just for ladies, and later for men as well. By the early 1940s, Sears Roebuck and Co. began advertising a Slumberjack blanket.
By 1953, the name “Slumberjack” had become synonymous with sleeping comfortably, and the namesake style of pajamas were still very popular. That same year gave us the first “Slumberjack” sleeping bags, advertised by Dupont and featuring the company’s revolutionary synthetic fill, Dacron. DuPont stimulated interest in their materials by putting ads directly in newspapers and
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An image from the cover of the 1983 Slumberjack product catalog, featuring a sleeping bag
From humble beginnings in recreational sleeping bags, to technical bags at the basecamp of Everest, to the go-to gear now available in the mass market, Slumberjack has become a trusted brand for generations of outdoor adventurers.
outdoor lifestyle magazines like Field and Stream and Backpacker. These advertisements sold the concept of synthetic materials, but not the actual product. Consumers could learn about the materials and then shop in a brick and mortar store or a catalog for products that contained it. Manufacturers in turn were inspired by the unparalleled warmth and comfort of the fiberfill, and before long “Slumberjack Sleeping Bags” were being produced across the country.
The individual who is credited with taking the name to the masses is outdoor industrialist Seigmund Werner. When Hitler invaded Austria in 1938, a young Werner immigrated to America to avoid the path of war. Werner’s family had manufactured ski equipment for three generations in Austria, and he continued to do so through his company, Seigmund Werner Inc., in New York City. One day during a thunderstorm in Manhattan, he ran into childhood friend Julius Feldhorn, a Viennese furniture designer. Overjoyed to reunite, the two men decided to go into business together, teaming up during the war effort to make exhaust pipes, first aid kits, and radar casings for American aircraft.
Both companies continued to grow, and by 1951, Werner and Feldhorn hired a real estate agent to “Find us some suburban town to grow up in” so they could leave their cramped quarters in New York City. Landing in Bloomfield, NJ, in a Civil War vintage factory that slowly became a modern industrial village, business boomed. As an established sleeping bag manufacturer after the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, Werner was able to secure a partnership with Dacron and gain access to using the best filling out there. Werner’s Slumberjack sleeping bags sales skyrocketed as camping began to grow as a national pastime. The post-war desire for recreation and leisure was aided by government initiatives for building highway systems, giving people more access to wilderness areas and national parks.
Seigmund Werner and Julius Feldhorn, President and Secretary-Treasurer of both U.S. Chaircraft and Seigmund Werner, Inc., respectively.
After WWII, the men found themselves with no contracts and a surplus of aluminum, canvas, and other materials. It was logical that they would return to their original interests: skis and furniture. They called their joint company U.S. Chaircraft and began producing a line of lightweight beach chairs that found an immediate market. Later they would add other ideas such as strong aluminum office furniture, contour chairs, and a host of other comfort-making items. Throughout all this, Seigmund Werner Inc. continued to make ski equipment, golf equipment, and other sporting goods like bowling bags and soon enough, sleeping bags. In 1950, Seigmund Werner Inc. even announced it had been awarded a government contract for 10,500 sleeping bags for troops in the Korean War.
By 1954, newspapers across the country were advertising Seigmund Werner’s famous Slumberjack sleeping bags, known to be well-built and comfortable for sleeping under the stars. The bags featured a mattress pad on the bottom, to soften and smooth the ground surface, and had a full length “pocket” to hold or remove the pad. An unusual comfort feature on early Slumberjack bags was a removable “head canopy”, which shielded one’s face from falling branches or inclement weather. This canopy protection allowed campers to stargaze, so they could sleep under the sky without a tent. (Back then tents did not offer views, because see-through mesh windows and doors did not yet exist.) U.S. Chaircraft and Seigmund Werner Inc. were doing so well with their products that by 1955 they had added facilities in both Los Angeles and Chicago.
By 1957, Werner applied to take ownership of the Slumberjack name, separate from a logo that had incorporated a sleeping bag with a head canopy (which had been in use since 1953 in commerce to represent the style of the bags). He appeared to
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Salt Lake Tribune newspaper clipping from 1953 advertising Dacron’s Slumberjack sleeping bags.
understand the value of the name as its own brand and could now expand into more sleeping bag styles under the Slumberjack banner. He got creative with liner patterns, sometimes keeping buffalo plaid or other plaids to honor true lumberjack style, and also playing with animal themes, such as flying ducks or other outdoor themes.
The brand’s popularity continued through the rest of the 1950s and into the 1960s, and by 1964, Slumberjack sleeping bags were among the first to be stuffed with DuPont’s new Dacron 88 fiberfill. Dubbed “the Miracle Fiber”, nothing matched it in providing great loft and warmth.
Seigmund Werner passed away in 1968 at the age of 61 while visiting North Miami Beach, Florida. Between 1968 and 1969, the manufacturing facilities he had presided over liquidated all equipment. While the exact timing is unknown, Gregory Kohnen and Walter Pick established the company Reco Furniture in Los Angeles and seem to have acquired the Slumberjack name around this time. Already set up to produce lightweight furniture, it was not difficult to retool part of the factory to produce sleeping bags, which were stuffed in much the same way as furniture cushions. Additional styles were created, and to ensure the consistent quality of every Slumberjack model, a
plywood silhouette would lower from the ceiling via a pulley system. It would be placed on top of the fabric and fiberfill layers for cutting. We can imagine the production workers lowering the silhouettes, in lumberjack style, yelling “Timber! Look out below!”
Kohnen was known to tell people that the lumberjacks were a great inspiration in the making of his Slumberjack bags. Just as the lumberjacks were the first step in producing lumber to build a strong America, Slumberjack was the first step in providing a great night’s sleep for campers. The company used the traits of dependability, strength, and plaid flannel (like manufacturers before him) in their products to pay homage to the lumberjacks.
The early 1970s ushered in technical leaps in outdoor materials. With new synthetic fabrics available, camping tents were getting lighter and sleeping bags were getting warmer. Camping out was becoming a big craze for families, church groups, summer camps, and more. Kohnen expanded Slumberjack’s product offerings further with styles to suit and delight all types of campers. Their Gold Label premium quality bags used gold thread to communicate premium product. Other styles offered a convenient pillow pocket that doubled as a make-shift pillow and a snap-closure duffel to store the rolled-up bag.
At that time, DuPont’s Dacron division still reigned
supreme as the leader in fiberfill insulation. As Slumberjack’s sales shot upwards, Dacron’s
The S alt Lake Tribune (S alt Lake City, U tah) 4 Oct 1953, S un Page 6 Downloaded on Jun 29, 2021 ahlia413 e, Jun 29, 2021 2021 Newspapers com All Rights Reserved
A close-up of Hollofil II fibers from the 1978 Slumberjack catalog.
partnership remained strong. Together in 1973 they popularized Dacron’s newest fiberfill insulation. Hollofil II was groundbreaking - each fiber strand had a hollow core, which trapped more air than any other fiber could. This produced the greatest sleeping bag warmth and loft possible. By the end of the 1970s, Slumberjack had established itself as “The Finest Name in Sleeping Bags” as the brand stood out to its customers for quality features and innovations, at affordable prices that family campers loved.
In 1981, Slumberjack hit a new height. The company was chosen by DuPont to design and construct sleeping bags filled with a new synthetic insulation called Quallofil for a team aiming to conquer the East Face of Mt. Everest. The bags were hailed as widely successful as they kept mountaineer John Roskelley and his 16-man expedition team warm at 25,000 feet and 30 degrees below zero. Roskelley would go on to say that “(They were) one of the most popular pieces of gear on the Everest expedition because of their comfort and warmth in the cold, moist environment
of Base Camp.” and that “Even under the worst conditions, they didn’t fail us.”
Quallofil fibers had a revolutionary, four-hole strand structure that was excellent for trapping in heat, and the expedition prototypes would be a springboard for Slumberjack’s Everest Elite line - three highperformance models named after the approaches to the Everest summit. The line used three different quilt constructions, and was the first to do triple-layer construction. What’s more, Slumberjack had invented an exclusive process known as Air Entrapment
Garneting, to enhance the loft ability of the Quallofil. Everest Elites were considered to be the best sleeping bags that money could buy.
Sumberjack took the next three years to develop the Everest Elite series further, taking it from being exclusively for extreme expeditioners, to being practical and appealing for backpacking enthusiasts everywhere. Slumberjack dubbed the collection “Masterpieces of Perfection”, and offered a generous Lifetime Warranty.
Another big part of Slumberjack’s allure for both retailers and campers alike was its leadership in sleeping bag education. In its annual catalogs, Slumberjack created multiple pages of beautiful, detailed illustrations to show people the science of its advancements in comfort, warmth, and practicality. These educational tools helped retail buyers and their consumers choose the right sleeping bag based on fit, function, loft, fill, compressibility, resiliency, design, and construction.
The uber-popularity of the mini-van was a sure sign that the camping craze was getting even crazier throughout the 1980s. Parents could easily load it up with kids, dogs, and gear to take off for an outdoor adventure. National and state park campgrounds blossomed and Kampgrounds Of America’s private campsite rentals grew in popularity. Slumberjack continued to make great, dependable gear to serve this group of avid family campers.
During this time, Slumberjack widened their product offerings even further with an array of exciting accessories such as bag liners, head tents, ponchos, duffels, ground cloths, camping pads, ditty bags, camp pillows, compression stuff sacks, and bivy covers. They offered camouflage styles for hunting enthusiasts too, and a line of junior bags to round out their family camping offerings.
And in 1986, Slumberjack presented The All-American Story. They boasted something that not every U.S. camping company could - that every piece was manufactured at their Los Angeles, CA factory. And that they were now the largest privately-held exclusive manufacturer of sleeping bags and accessories.
Meanwhile over in St. Louis, MO, the executive team of another camping company, American Recreational Products (ARP) had its eye on Slumberjack. ARP’s Executive Vice President, George Grabner, knew the camping market like nobody else. An avid outdoorsman, Grabner’s accomplishments include
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A clipping from The Dispatch newspaper in IL from 1954 advertising Werner’s Slumberjack sleeping bags.
receiving the Eagle Scout’s highest adult award, Order of the Arrow, teaching outdoor skills to Marines as a Captain, and being a Harvard MBA. Grabner knew that Slumberjack represented a powerhouse of a sleeping bag brand, and was trying to figure out how to compete.
ARP already owned two wonderful premium brands for camping and backpacking, Kelty and Sierra Designs, along with a solid opening price point brand for the novice camper, Wenzel. But Grabner knew they needed a middle-market offering if they had any chance of expanding. And Slumberjack dominated the middle-market. Grabner knew there was only one way to compete with Slumberjack - Purchase it!
For over two years, George Grabner flew to Los Angeles multiple times to visit with Slumberjack’s President, Greg Kohnen. Grabner showed Kohnen that ARP had the resources to grow Slumberjack even larger than it already was. They had more efficient manufacturing processes and a team of executives who possessed authentic passion for outdoor activities. This passion was infectious and easily translated into success with designing outdoor gear wanted by sporting goods stores all over the country. Grabner offered Kohnen a vision of how great his legacy could be under ARP’s umbrella.
Kohnen eventually capitulated, and ARP succeeded in acquiring Slumberjack in 1989, ushering in the 1990s with a stellar new member of its family of brands. Slumberjack moved its operations to St. Louis, MO, and flourished under ARP’s wing. The Slumberjack brand continued to rack up kudos for its Everest Elite bags, and sponsored expeditions to the North Pole and even the Antarctic. Slumberjack sleepings bags were providing comfortable camping all over the world.
The Everest Elite line was expanded into numerous collections to suit the needs of different kinds of campers, and innovations continued. The new Featherweight Series exclusively used goose down fill, for backpackers who wanted maximum bag compressibility. The Expedition Series was positioned for those who truly risked their lives in their adventures. They also offered the Take-ItOr-Leave-It – a true four-season bag with a colorcoded, zip-on layering system. And the SlumberTech Series introduced both 3M’s Thinsulate Lite Loft and Dupont’s Micro-Loft insulation, and featured the new “hot hood” to reduce heat loss in the critical head area.
Niche collections were created too to support various activities and body types. There was a Bike/Canoe/ Kayak/Backpacker collection, a Magnum Series for folks of a taller and larger stature, a Women’s Series, the first sleeping bags designed especially for toddlers, a picnicking series with outdoor furniture, a full hunting collection, and more. There were over 100 different sleeping bag styles to choose from at one point, and Slumberjack proudly claimed it sold sleeping bags “for every season and every reason, and a fit for nearly every human size and shape”.
In the 2000’s, Slumberjack continued to sponsor elite athletes in their extreme adventure expeditions, such as the Mallory & Research 2001 Expedition to Everest (which revealed a surprising discovery), the Pole to Pole 2000 South Pole Expedition representing 7 different nations of skiers, and the 2001 Return to the Top of the World Expedition. In that first decade of the 21st Century, Slumberjack continued as the midmarket leader in outdoor sleep comfort solutions.
Innovations continued with too many to name them all. Some highlights continue onto the next page: In 2003, they introduced “Outdoor Sleep Systems –the Slumberjack Concept”. It integrated accessories that worked together with the sleeping bag to produce a great night’s sleep. These included sleeping pads, pillows, cots, bivy shelters, and even a chair kit that transformed any sleeping pad into a comfortable camp chair. With the theme of “Comfort Everywhere, Beyond the Campsite”, they offered a line of tailgating furniture. They also enhanced their lines of products for women, youth, and toddlers.
In 2008, the entire ARP company moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Boulder, Colorado, one of the robust centers of the outdoor recreation industry. From there, Slumberjack decided to hone-in on their strengths, to best serve their core customers – family campers, backpackers, and hunters. They introduced new family camping tents, and even a collection of airbeds.
The Slumberjack team noticed a new trend rising in the second decade of the 2000s. Young veterans were returning home from deployment, with cravings for hunting, camo, and camping out. Slumberjack decided to create “SJK” in 2014 - a sister brand to service this niche market, with sleeping bags, tents, packs, and travel gear, in camo patterns and solid colors with this new target demographic in mind.
Over in Los Angeles that year, the Slumberjack brand
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caught the interest of two outdoor industry mavericks who owned a company called Exxel Outdoors. Harry Kazazian and Armen Kouleyan had been building Exxel into a thriving mass-market outdoor gear business since 1997. As part of their growth plan, the Exxel folks were now considering purchasing ARP and all its beloved brands. They also knew their stuff when it came to sleeping bags. Fourteen years prior, Kazazian and Kouleyan had also purchased a closed-down Alabama sleeping bag factory, revived it, and grew it into what is now largest sleeping bag manufacturing operation in America. In 2015, they purchased ARP and all of its brands. And they’ve succeeded in bringing some of Slumberjack’s sleeping bags back to being manufactured made in the USA after years of overseas production.
Today Slumberjack is enjoying renewed interest due to retail and eCommerce support. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has chosen to carry an exciting, exclusive collection of Slumberjack sleeping bags, camp quilts, hammocks, and backpacks. A new generation of families and friend-groups are discovering Slumberjack, the brand that succeeded in positioning the sleeping bag as the single most important item in camping and backpacking, and that became the first company to use every type of DuPont fiberfill insulation available. Slumberjack remains a well-known brand that stands for quality, craftsmanship, and great design; the ultimate necessity for Camping in Comfort.
Harry Kazazian and Armen Kouleyan the day they acquired ARP and its brands in 2015.
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1953 The sleeping bag name “Slumberjack” had become synonymous with sleeping comfortably under the Seigmund Warner Inc and U.S. Chaircraft Co.
1950’s Seigmund Warner Inc continued being awarded goverment contracts for sleeping bags while post world war consumer opportunities grew.
1958 The Slumberjack brand was born. Bought by Seigmund Warner himself.
1968 Gregory Kohnen and Walter Pick acquire the company and move it to Los Angeles
1981 The company was chosen by DuPont to design and construct sleeping bags filled with a new synthetic insulation called Quallofil for a team aiming to conquer the East Face of Mt. Everest
1970’s This decade saw global advances in technology that reshapes the outdoor industry. Slumberjack popularized Dacron’s newest fiberfill insulation. Hollofil II was groundbreakingeach fiber strand had a hollow core, which trapped more air than any other fiber could.
1980’s Hiting new heights, the company saw product offering double.
1989 ARP succeeded in acquiring Slumberjack in 1989, ushering in the 1990s with a stellar new member of its family of brands. Slumberjack moved its operations to St. Louis, MO, and flourished under ARP’s wing.
1986 Slumberjack presented The AllAmerican Story. They boasted something that not every U.S. camping company could - that every piece was manufactured at their Los Angeles, CA factory.
2008 In 2008, the entire ARP company moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Boulder, Colorado, one of the robust centers of the outdoor recreation industry.
1990’s Slumberjack further expanded its offer to Bike/Canoe/ Kayak/Backpacker collection, a Magnum Series for folks of a taller and larger stature, a Women’s Series, the first sleeping bags designed especially for toddlers, a picnicking series with outdoor furniture, a full hunting collection, and more.
2014 Slumberjack decided to create “SJK” in 2014 - a sister brand to service this niche market, with sleeping bags, tents, packs, and travel gear, in camo patterns and solid colors with this new target demographic in mind.
2021 Today Slumberjack is enjoying renewed interest and growth run by Dana Blanchard - EVP/ General Manager Sierra Designs, Mass Camp, Daypacks, and HEX
2015 Exxel Outdoors, lead by Harry Kazazian and Armen Kouleyan purchased ARP and all of its brands.
31 ights Re s e r ve
d.
MICHAEL BROWN
AMANDA DAVIS
REI
KELTY SLUMBERJACK
COLEMAN
