Our Story...
We've always been outdoor people — camping, hiking, fishing, climbing. All things outside. When Covid and the lockdowns struck, we started backpacking as a way to still get out and enjoy the outdoors with our youngest son. We're still trying to convince our three adult children to join us, but we haven't given up yet.
With accumulating weekend trips, a 100-miler for myself, and several multi-day adventures, we found ourselves trying to lighten our loads. That led to thinking about stitching together some of our own gear — and as it turns out, we had a couple of pretty cool ideas.
The last couple of years gave us time to step back, re-evaluate, and take a hard look at where we were headed. We'd been moving in a more corporate direction, feeling trapped by circumstance. It felt like time for some big changes.
Trekker Joe's began as a hobby out of my love of DIY, creativity, and sustainable products. I had experience sewing because I'm a Halloween guy. One year I sewed a Victorian frock as the central piece of an Edgar Allan Poe costume and a feathered bodice for my wife, the Raven. Making that coat was my first foray into sewing. I'm still using that original machine for embroidery on current products and have since added a couple more vintage machines — another of our favorite things — to our home-based shop.
Running everything ourselves has been the biggest challenge — and the biggest reward. Every product is designed, cut, sewn, and packaged in our small home-based shop. It started in what used to be our guest bedroom, and it's still just us doing it all.
Social media has been its own learning curve. We have Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and figuring out how to use those for a business has been interesting to say the least.
A special thanks goes out to Garage Grown Gear for carrying our gear and helping us reach the ultralight community — and to anyone else who's shared, reviewed, or recommended Trekker Joe's along the way.
Giving back is built into everything we do. With every purchase, 1% of our revenue goes directly to the Great Springs Project — working to protect and connect four natural springs from Austin to San Antonio, and building a 100-mile trail corridor between the two cities.
When we're on the trail, we want comfort and ease without the weight. That's exactly what we try to put into every piece we make.
As the business grows, we'd like to hit the road — keeping our eyes on vintage RVs or converting an old school bus for full-time traveling, learning more about our nation's history, and seeing some cool places along the way.
Whatever we decide on, the gear coming out the door will be reliable, sustainable, and made with care.
— Trekker Joe's