Backcountry started in a garage. Two guys in Utah selling avalanche beacons thirty years ago, long before "specialty outdoor retail" was a phrase anybody actually used.
It all started at a kitchen table in a family cabin at some late ugly hour of the night. Tyler, Dillon, and their dad, Jeff, arguing about whether a truck tailgate was really just a place to set your beer. Jeff's take was simple: it's wasted space. Put chairs on it. Put a cooler on it. Make it actually do something.
That argument became the Basecamp System. Jeff passed away in 2017, before he got to see any of it come to life. So we named the Jeffery cooler after him.
It lands a little differently than a typical corporate update when I say this:
Cache has been selected for the Backcountry Garage.
Why does this matter? Should you even care?
Being honest you, the random reader of this blog who is looking to buy a tailgate pad. no, you probably shouldn't care other than this is a cool opportunity for us at Cache.
Backcountry launched the Garage earlier this year as an incubator. It is their way of finding emerging outdoor brands and giving them the resources, expertise, and distribution to actually scale, instead of getting stuck as a "cool small brand."
To be upfront about it, because these announcements usually sound like marketing campaign: nobody paid for this. It is not a sponsorship. No money changed hands for a logo placement. This is a retailer with three decades of gear experience deciding which small brands are worth backing.
That is the part we are proud of. The validation.
We have spent seven years being the smallest brand in the room. We got a lukewarm first review from a publication we respected, went back to the drawing board, and rebuilt the pad twice. We filed two patents on a category everyone told us was already solved. We even watched companies with a hundred times our budget copy our designs. Every single one of those moments was just a variation of the same challenge: prove you are not a gimmick.
Getting picked by Backcountry feels like the end of that argument.
So, what changes for you?
Honestly? Not much, and I would rather tell you that straight than dress it up.
The Basecamp 3.0 is live on Backcountry.com now if that is where you prefer to shop. It is the exact same pad, same two patents, same five-year warranty, and the same 30-day return window. Buy it there, buy it on our site, or grab it from your local shop. It is the same gear, and we back it the exact same way.
What does change is our capacity. Limited distribution has been holding us back. Better reach means higher volume, which means we can finally build the accessories sitting in our "someday" folder. It also means fewer "Sold Out" banners on our site, which I know has been frustrating for those of you waiting on restocks.
If you are heading to Outdoor Retailer in Minneapolis later this month (August 19–21), come find us. The Garage has a spot right near the front entrance of the show floor. Tyler and I will be there, and would love to talk tailgate pads with you at the show!
Finally, if you have bought a Basecamp at any point over the years, thank you. You are the reason a company that started in a garage decided to bet on a couple of brothers who started in a cabin. We truly appreciate it.
Cheers,
Lars
