Adventure Tech or Catch Me If You Can

Everybody knows of course “turn-down” jackets with the label Adventure Tech Inc. It's time to delve into the history of this company.

The history of the investigation began with a controversial raid backpack. No one could determine the model and manufacturer of the backpack, but according to the “insider” information the backpack was made on the order of NSW. The same “insider” reported that the backpacks were sewn, such as, the tour company The North Face. There were 3 products under consideration. Two sterile (no tags) in Woodland and one black. And a tag with a cherished AT was found on black. Next was already a matter of time. It was possible to establish that the backpacks were really “sewn” by the Adventure Tech office and had the article / name SF Elite. And really liked the NSW, which they purchased.

Adventure Tech SF Elite Backpack

And in the course of searching for information, I stumbled upon the name of a Man and Tank.

Practical legendary Woodland / DCU reversal kit.

So, in front of me lies an interesting document, dated 04.06.2009, about the personal (personal) bankruptcy of Mr. Brian Abrams, an entrepreneur from Spokane Valley, Washington.
Among thousands of other bankruptcies, this man became interesting to me because he once owned 2 companies in Liberty Lake (Spokane County) - Integral Designs USA Inc. and Adventure Tech Inc.
Details of the bankruptcy itself can be omitted, only to say that the sum of the family debts of the Abrams spouses was approximately $ 1.8 million (documented assets of $ 1.6 million).
The register of creditors is interesting, among which there are names familiar to all:
- Tennessee Apparel Corp., of Tullahoma, Tenn. - $ 50,085;
- Polartec LLC, of ​​Lawrence, Mass. - $ 30,388;
- Evergreen Sewing, of Seattle - $ 43,840.

Even more legendary version of the "turnout" - DCU / Night Desert.

And, as I once was lucky to find the history of Elevated Urban Operations and its founder Gary Belson in the court archives, the bankruptcy of Brian Abrams revealed the business scheme of Integral Designs USA Inc. + Adventure Tech Inc. And immediately a sensation - Adventure Tech was NEVER a manufacturer of equipment. This company was established in 1992 exclusively as a retailer for the sale of commercial goods (equipment) for the US military and service agencies, first of all third-party manufacturers (eg, shoes and ski equipment), and since 1993 - produced by Integral Designs.
Initially, Integral Designs was created by Mr. Brian Gross, and almost immediately gained fame through the production of high-end outdoor products, including sleeping bags, tents and clothing. In 1993, Abrams bought out his stake in Integral Designs from Gross and began manufacturing products, including those intended for use in the US Armed Forces.

And here are the features of "licensing law." Despite the fact that the production facilities were at ID, AT received the license for the fabric. And such puns are obtained.

Something important about the personality of Brian Abrams: a professional athlete, including skiing (downhill, cross country), running, cycling, kayaking, regularly participated in competitions Ironman (winner), mountaineer (from famous climbing - McKinley and Canadian Rockies) .
It is thanks to sporting achievements that he gained fame including. among the military, and he began to be invited as an instructor for the introduction and use of new developments in tourist equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces.

It was to meet the needs of the US Armed Forces in professional equipment in 1992, Adventure Tech was created, initially engaged in the selection and resale of equipment of third-party companies in favor of various government agencies. Abrams himself mentioned purchases for the Navy Seals and U.S.Air Force paratroopers.

And this is the mythical products from Adventure Tech. According to rumors, there were Woodland / "Snow Camo" turnouts, as well as camouflages in "Snow Camo".

Abrams’s services were not limited to resale alone - since at that time Abrams was already recognized as an expert in technical mountaineering, besides the sale of equipment, he organized training courses and conducted seminars on the use of equipment sold.

In 1992, Abrams signed a contract with a clothing manufacturer in the state of New York (name unknown), which at that time was licensed to use Gore-Tex (scientifically polymer polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE) laminate). When this company could not pay the bills W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., Abrams paid them from their own funds. Soon after, Gore offered him a license that would allow him to manufacture products using Gorteks. According to Abrams, he was very lucky, because at that time the size of his company did not allow him to be a license applicant - W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. issued only a few licenses to the largest manufacturers of equipment.
The license was obtained by Adventure Tech in 1993, which allowed further development of relations with the Ministry of Defense, and Integral Designs was acquired for the production of equipment using gore-tex.

Information about contractors for turnouts from Gore-Texʻa

A little about the prices for gortex in 1993:
The wholesale price of one standard roll of gore-tex (400 yards / 365 meters), from which you could sew 200 jackets, was $ 10,000 - $ 25 per yard versus $ 3 per yard of cotton fabric.