The cottage gear industry doesn't just need makers. It needs a place where makers can be found and a community that connects them to the hikers they serve. In "From Basement to Warehouse," we meet the ecosystem. Lloyd Vogel built Garage Grown Gear from a Minnesota basement into the online home for 160 ultralight brands, developed a philosophy of digital minimalism that mirrors the ultralight ethos, and gives away buckets of his own gear to his staff. Whitney "Allgood" LaRuffa bridges makers and hikers through his decades of relationships across the industry, from Six Moon Designs to ALDHA-West to FarOut to Gossamer Gear. Elliot "Double D" Dick represents the consumer these companies serve: a gear nerd from Kentucky who hiked the AT, met the founder of Whole Foods on trail, and is now learning to sew his own packs under the name Different Dimension Designs. The consumer is becoming the next maker, which is exactly how this whole movement started. And Lloyd crystallizes the philosophy that ties it all together: "There is no ideal base weight. If you're hiking with a five-pound base weight and it's not bringing you joy, you should bring more stuff."
Show Notes
The Cottage — Episode 4: "From Basement to Warehouse"
The makers from Episodes 1 through 3 don't exist in isolation: they're part of an ecosystem held together by a retailer in St. Paul, a connector who knows everyone, and the community events where cottage brands meet the hikers they serve. In this fourth episode of The Cottage, we zoom out to see how the pieces fit together. Lloyd Vogel and his warehouse full of 160 brands. Allgood's decades of relationships across the industry. Double D as the consumer who's becoming the next maker. And a philosophy — "there is no ideal base weight" — that ties the whole movement together.
Featured Voices
Lloyd Vogel — CEO and Co-Founder, Garage Grown Gear. St. Paul, MN.
Whitney LaRuffa (Allgood) — Currently with Gossamer Gear. Former Chief Revenue Officer, FarOut. Former VP, Six Moon Designs. Former President, ALDHA-West.
Elliot Dick (Double D) — AT 2023 thru-hiker. Founder, Different Dimension Designs. Somerset, KY.
Links & Resources
Garage Grown Gear — garagegrowngear.com
FarOut — faroutguides.com
Different Dimension Designs — @differentdimensiondesigns on Instagram
Hilltop Packs — hilltoppacks.com
Light Phone — thelightphone.com
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