Our Story

From childhood trips to the mountains to camping at the lakes, the BearPacker story begins with Co-Founders Benji "Stink Bug" and Tina "BearMoon" Grimm (whom you might have seen recently on Netflix's outlast Season 2) were inspired by nature at early ages. Almost as if magically transformed by the Granite Rock valleys of the Sierras, Benji at only age 3 circa 1983 put on his first hiking backpack and caught the outdoor bug in Yosemite National Forest with his family as they took their 3rd annual family hiking trip away from the hustle & bustle of city life. From that moment on, Benji only ever wanted to be outside with the majestic Green Giant trees surrounded by furry creatures and awesome sky scraping peaks. Benji's dad, Richard an Electrical Engineer and the son of a career Naval veteran, was passionate about the outdoors and guided young Benji and his siblings be fearless adventure seekers always taking care to show them the how to respect the wilderness. Benji's mother Stacy was born in Texas and raised in Alaska on a family ranch, was no stranger to the outdoors and shared her love of wildlife with her children with the highest priority.

Around the same time, circa 1984 Tina was well on her way to falling in love with wildlife in the beautiful rolling mountains of Hocking Hills Ohio with her father learning the way of the survivalist. Tina's father Ray "The Mountain Man" Grimm was a veteran who served in the United States Air Force who took little Tina everywhere he ventured, teaching her skills to thrive in the backwoods. Tina loved every moment spent with her father learning an appreciation for wildlife she would never lose. She was struck with an insatiable thirst to forever be one with nature and spent the rest of her life chasing new outdoor adventures.

Benji & Tina met each other later in life in 2015, took a hike and fell in love. After countless outdoor adventures the two began noticing a sad reality in the outdoor adventure world: trashed lands and dwindling wildlife and from this, BearPacker was born.

At BearPacker we strive to help give back to nature and preserve the wonderful outdoors we loved so much. Our nation's lands are under constant threat and the wildlife within our great National Parks are suffering and even dying on a daily basis from conditions that could easily be prevented. BearPacker aims to "Preserve and Protect" these precious resources through conservation efforts, contributions to other conservation groups and consumer education on ways they can do their part to help protect the wild places and animals they love to visit. These are precious resources vital to our planet's long term health. BearPacker has a goal to spread awareness about better ways to enjoy nature without destroying it through Safe Adventure Practices "S.A.P." When a BearPacker product is sold, some proceeds go directly to Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation. Our motto is "Take a Hike, Save a Life" so buy some BearPacker gear, get out there!

Thank you for coming along with us on our journey into the wild and helping us with our mission to protect our planet's Wild Places. Don't just be a backpacker, be a BearPacker