Stone Glacier

Kurt Racicot started Stone Glacier in Bozeman, Montana because the backcountry hunting gear on the market didn't work the way he needed it to. Racicot is a hunter — not the brand-ambassador version, but someone who spends weeks at a time in steep, remote, physically punishing terrain pursuing wild game. The packs and shelters available from mainstream outdoor brands were either too heavy, too fragile for real backcountry abuse, or designed for general backpacking with a camo pattern swapped in as an afterthought. Stone Glacier exists to close that gap. The company is privately held, founder-run, and manufactures its gear in Montana.

The hunting gear market is controlled by a handful of large corporations that treat the category like a brand extension. Most "performance" hunting packs are designed by product teams in corporate offices, sewn in Asian factories, and sold through sponsored TV segments and influencer deals. Field performance comes second to shelf placement and endorsement reach. Stone Glacier works from the opposite direction. Racicot and his team design packs around specific backcountry hunting demands — multi-day elk hunts in the Northern Rockies, Dall sheep pursuits in Alaska, heavy meat packouts over untrailed ridgelines. Their packs use proprietary frame systems engineered for heavy, uneven loads, because hauling an elk quarter down a mountainside is nothing like carrying a balanced backpacking kit. Fabrics are selected for tear strength and weather resistance, not for cost optimization at the sourcing stage.

Products

• Backpacks — modular frame systems with load capacities built for meat packout and extended backcountry use
• Shelters and tents — ultralight, single-wall designs for alpine hunting camps
• Sleeping bags and insulation — synthetic and down options for the temperature swings of high-altitude hunts
• Technical hunting apparel — layering systems designed for high-output mountain movement
• Pack accessories, compression bags, and rain covers

Designed and manufactured in Bozeman, Montana.

Why We List Them

• Founder-owned and operated — no corporate parent or outside investor control
• Manufacturing based in Bozeman, Montana, not offshored to cut costs
• Products designed by people who actually hunt backcountry, for the specific demands of that pursuit
• Proprietary frame and pack systems engineered for real load-hauling, not adapted from generic backpacking templates
• A focused product line built around genuine field knowledge, not category sprawl driven by revenue targets