PMCI - October 2014

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It all began with a deep sea diver in the 1970s. Bill Thomas takes a look at a British company that has grown from a kitchen table to become World-renowned brand. A Worldwide Success Story 24
Iamongst American colleagues for their love of body warmers and insulated vests. He and his wife believed that this would be something that would also catch on in the UK and taking a leap of faith, they decided to start making similar garments themselves. Bryony Harris, Director and Co-founder of Snugpak, taught husband Brett Harris, Company Chairman to sew. Together they produced some experimental body warmers and jackets. The couple both had full-time jobs so every spare minute of their downtime was spent making as many garments as possible. With the help of outworkers a cottage industry was born. In those early days production stood at just 15 jackets per week, but in 1977 the couple decided to invest what money they had into G & H Products f you want a British… No, make that a Global success story, then you really have to look no further than Snugpak. Relied upon by civilians and military personnel around the world for their technically advanced sleeping systems and clothing the Yorkshire based manufacturer continues to innovate in their specialist fields. Where did this story begin you may ask? In the late 1970s a deep-sea diver working on the oil rigs took note of the trend Ltd (which later became Craghoppers) to gain more outdoor business experience. Two years later they made the decision to branch out on their own with Snugpak. Although still making insulated clothing they realised that if the new company was going to be successful they would need to manufacture products with year round appeal, rather than the seasonal body warmer. Sleeping bags were the logical choice. By 1984 the company had grown and the number of machinists had increased to seven; by 1986 sales had grown so strong the company had to move to larger premises. The company moved down the road to a Grade II listed old woollen mill in Silsden where they remain to this day. Brett knew that the way forward for the company was through innovation. Man-made sleeping bags using synthetic fill rather than traditional down were large, heavy and bulky. Down though loses most of its insulative properties once wet - not an ideal product for the ends envisaged - so a synthetic alternative had to be found. Brett wanted to produce a cheaper, man-made equivalent to the expensive down filled sleeping bag and in 1987 Snugpak launched their Softie 6 and Softie 12 sleeping bags into the market. I recall seeing one of the original models and being amazed at the tiny pack size and light weight in comparison to their competition. The two bags were the smallest synthetic sleeping bags on the market and sales rocketed. Today the Softie range consists of many different models all based on this initial idea but they have been constantly upgraded as new insulation and fabric technologies have emerged. Now firmly established in the camping and outdoor market, word started to spread within the military about the superior Now firmly established in the camping and outdoor market, word started to spread within the military about the superior performance of Snugpak sleeping bags and insulated clothing and it was not long before olive green options of the products were widely available.
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PMCI - October 2014

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