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Some of the most trusted gear in thru-hiking culture does not come from a massive corporation with a massive marketing budget. It comes from two guys who actually hike, who obsess over ounces, and who started sewing packs in a basement. Pa’lante Packs is that company, and the story of how it went from 100 handmade packs in Utah to a globally recognized ultralight brand is one worth knowing before you buy.
From a Basement in Utah to the Backs of Thru-Hikers Everywhere
Pa’lante was founded in 2016, when Andrew Bentz began designing and prototyping packs in Salt Lake City, Utah. The earliest batches were small and scrappy. The first couple of small runs of about 100 simple packs were made in a basement in Utah, followed by a partnership with a factory in Arizona in 2017 that continued until early 2020.
The name Pa’lante came from Andrew’s time living in Panama, where “para adelante” is commonly shortened to Pa’lante, meaning onward or to keep going. That phrase is not just branding. It is a philosophy baked into every design choice the company makes.
Word spread fast on trail. A lot of early brand awareness came from Andrew’s social media presence, his own trips, and internet chatter on communities like ultralight hiking forums and Facebook groups. The packs also earned a reputation on the trail itself, where gear talk travels quickly among thru-hikers sharing campsites and shelters. When Joe “Stringbean” McCoughnay set a new fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail in 2017 using Pa’lante gear, hikers began digging through his gear list to see what he was carrying. That kind of organic, athlete-driven visibility is something no ad spend can replicate.
Why Two Hikers Building Gear Beats a Corporate Design Team
Pa’lante was built out of a desire for products that are not only functional but also beautiful, gear that when touched, you can feel the quality, see the seams come together, and appreciate the craftsmanship. That standard is possible because the people building the brand are the same people putting miles on the gear.
Pa’lante spends significant time iterating during the design process, making very deliberate decisions and putting miles in to really live with and connect to their designs before releasing them to others. This is not a company guessing at what hikers need. It is a company made up of hikers who refuse to release a product until it has been properly tested on real terrain.
Their website is purposefully low-fi and their marketing approach is nearly nonexistent, yet through it all emerges a distinct personality that separates Pa’lante from other brands. As one co-founder put it: “We try to not chase bigger trends and just make things we want to use.”
How Manufacturing Evolved Without Cutting Corners
The path from basement production to international manufacturing was a deliberate one. Between 2020 and 2021, packs were made with a small trained team in Ogden, Utah, before shifting in 2021 to manufacturing most packs in Vietnam and most apparel in China, with some small batches still made with the Ogden team.
This decision was not about cutting corners. The end goal was always to use high-end factories in Asia for their sewing expertise, quality control, and proximity to technical fabric mills, which in their experience are much more capable than domestic operations. As a two-person team, outsourcing manufacturing allows them to stay focused on what they do best: designing and testing gear in the field rather than managing a factory floor.
The Pack Models That Built a Loyal Following
Pa’lante’s lineup is intentionally small, with each model built for a specific type of hiker and use case.
The V2 is their flagship and most popular option. It is a top-notch frameless pack built for experienced ultralight thru-hikers with a dialed kit, field-tested comfortably carrying loads up to about 25 pounds thanks to well-contoured shoulder straps and strategic packing. The Desert Pack steps things up slightly for longer routes. It was designed for longer, heavier hauls with a bit more internal volume than the V2 to accommodate long carries and shoulder season conditions, making it ideal for normal thru-hikes.
Where Pa’lante packs excel most is where many other ultralight packs fall short: functional pocket placement and durability at a low weight. The signature bottom mesh pocket lets hikers grab a snack or pull a rain jacket without breaking stride. Shoulder strap pockets hold a phone, snacks, or a small camera right where you need them. These are not gimmicks. They are trail-tested solutions to everyday hiking frustrations.
Standout features include stretchy shoulder strap pockets that fit snacks and water bottles, a handy bottom pocket with trash port, and a designated tent stake pocket. The frameless construction is a feature in itself for committed ultralighters. The back panel has no frame or additional padding, so it will feel like whatever is packed inside, a design that is more comfortable in many ways than the overengineered, heavily padded back panels found on traditional packs.
What Keeps Buyers Coming Back Season After Season
Pa’lante has built something rarer than a great product. They have built trust. One long-distance hiker with more than a decade and 20,000 miles of experience noted that after 2,800 miles of use, including rocky terrain in Maine and New Hampshire, the pack came out unscathed.
The pricing also reflects the company’s values. At under $250, Pa’lante packs are one of few ultralight options that do not break the bank, and buyers get the added satisfaction of supporting a small business. Packs sell in limited batches and frequently sell out, which itself signals the demand the brand has built without traditional advertising.
The company’s warranty approach is equally transparent. Pa’lante takes full responsibility for manufacturing defects and in most cases will send a replacement pack as soon as possible at no charge. They are also honest about what a pack can and cannot withstand over thousands of miles of hard use, which experienced hikers appreciate far more than inflated promises.
A Small Brand With Its Eyes on Bigger Mountains
The brand has been steadily expanding beyond traditional hiking packs without losing its identity. In February 2025, Pa’lante introduced the Snow Pack, its first bag designed specifically for backcountry skiing and snowboarding, released alongside a new Alpine Pack for winter and summer climbing objectives, bringing the fast and light ethos of ultralight backpacking to bigger mountain missions.
Since setting a high bar nearly a decade ago with their ultralight thru-hiking backpacks, Pa’lante has only kept innovating. That steady, deliberate growth is what happens when a company stays true to its roots and resists the pressure to scale for scaling’s sake.
If you are a hiker who cares about weight, functionality, and gear that has actually been tested by the people who made it, Pa’lante Packs is worth a long look. Just do not wait too long. The batches go fast.