# High Sierra, Inc.

> High Sierra is the American outdoor-gear brand behind the backpacks, wheeled luggage, duffels and hydration packs that filled a generation of dorm rooms and airport carousels. Started in a Chicago suburb in 1978 by a military-surplus trader and his design-school son, it built a business on gear that was tough, feature-heavy and priced for people who were not trying to summit Everest. In 2012 Samsonite bought it for roughly $110 million, and today it runs as a global sub-brand selling direct to consumers and through retail.

- **Founded:** 1978
- **Headquarters:** Vernon Hills, Illinois, United States
- **Founders:** Harry Bernbaum (Co-Founder), Hank Bernbaum (Co-Founder & Designer)
- **Team size:** About 110-200 employees
- **Products:** Backpacks & daypacks, Hiking & hydration packs, Wheeled luggage & framepacks, Duffels & travel accessories, Outdoor & camping gear
- **Notable:** Acquired by Samsonite in 2012 for roughly $110 million., Official sponsor and supplier to the U.S. Ski and U.S. Snowboarding teams., Among early American brands to build overseas contract-manufacturing relationships in Korea and China.

## Products & services

- **Backpacks & daypacks** — Feature-rich casual, laptop and school backpacks, including the widely sold Loop backpack with multi-compartment organization and a tablet sleeve.
- **Hiking & hydration packs** — Trail packs with breathable back panels, padded straps and hydration reservoirs for on-the-move sipping.
- **Wheeled luggage & framepacks** — Soft-sided wheeled duffels, framesacks and adventure luggage for travel.
- **Duffels & travel accessories** — Sport and travel duffels, packing accessories and gear organizers.
- **Outdoor & camping gear** — Tents, coolers, sleeping bags and related equipment during its outdoor line expansion.
- **Custom / promotional bags** — Co-branded, logo-decorated High Sierra bags sold to businesses through promotional-products distributors.

## Achievements

- Acquired by Samsonite in 2012 for roughly $110 million.
- Official sponsor and supplier to the U.S. Ski and U.S. Snowboarding teams.
- Among early American brands to build overseas contract-manufacturing relationships in Korea and China.
- Relocated to a LEED-certified headquarters in 2012.
- Built the widely sold Loop backpack, a long-running value bestseller.
- Backs products with a limited lifetime warranty against material and workmanship defects.

## Latest updates

- **2012-07** — Samsonite completes acquisition of High Sierra for about $110 million, expanding into the active-outdoor lifestyle category.
- **2012-05** — High Sierra moves to a new LEED-certified headquarters in the Chicago area.
- **2016-01** — Co-founder Harry Bernbaum dies at age 97.

## Links

- Website: https://highsierra.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/high-sierra-inc-
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HighSierraInc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/HighSierraInc

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Last updated: 2026-08-19