Category: Camping & Outdoor

You have discerning taste and we do too.  We know you’re after thoughtfully designed, sourced and produced goods that make your life better while improving someone else’s too.  (American companies, with goods made in the USA a most of the time too!) What’s fresh, hip and trending now at Shep’s?  These and more:

Founded in the Pacific Northwest in 1993, KAVU has been around. Their wide range of men’s and women’s clothing, hats, bags, sunglasses, and accessories are crafted for what they call a KAVU Day – your version of the perfect outing, whatever it is that leaves you exhilarated and fully alive. Durability and comfort are a big part of it, of course.  But they know all about style, too, with outdoor-ready clothing that brilliantly blends function and fashion so you can rough it up all day, then wash out the trail grit and wear it to your favorite watering hole that night – and look good doing it.

In 1990, Kühl® introduced the Jacquard jacket, a signature Euro-styled Polartec® fleece top that featured the first – the original – innovative thumb-loop cuff system and lightweight underarm gussets for comfort and optimal climate control. This top gained cult status in the outdoor community and went on to win the Polartec® Apex Award. More awards and devotees would follow as Kühl® continued to pioneer and produce. Kühl® is independently owned and financed and its ideas are inspired by the founders’ intrepid lifestyle and those with whom they share it. Kühl® currently designs and manufactures top-selling pants, shirts, and more found in the best outdoor retailers nationwide.

Pendleton has a long, colorful history in their well known shirts and blankets.  You can see and feel the Pendleton passion for quality. See it in the intricate patterns of blankets inspired by Native American designs and legends. Feel it in the softness of the lightweight, luxurious 100% pure virgin wool clothing we produce. They’ve been a family-owned business for 150 years, and for 104 of those years they’ve been weaving world class woolens in their Northwest Mills. We like things that are Made in the USA.  You?

Remember the green bottle your dad or grandpa always carried on fishing trips or on his way to work? It probably had a few scratches on it, may have even been dropped once or twice, yet despite the abuse, it always kept coffee hot… for hours. That’s the legendary Stanley bottle.

Today, the Stanley brand offers a wide range of superior food and beverage gear that fuels your adventures from work to play. Committed to our core pillars of durability, relevance and heritage, just as we have been for the past 100 years, we build products that are built to last. Designed to outperform and outlast even in the toughest conditions, we’re dedicated to a simple promise, buy Stanley products, and get quality gear, built for life.

The Stanley brand is headquartered in Seattle, WA, home of Mt Rainier and the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix.  Surrounded by mountains, evergreens, and the Puget Sound, they live and breathe the outdoors and interlock passion for the environment and community in everything they do. Products are designed in Seattle, WA where research and development pioneers innovative designs. Globally distributed, Stanley products are ethically manufactured with partner factories in Asia.

To learn more about Stanley’s parent company, Seattle-based Pacific Market International (PMI), click here.

 

 

 

 

 

The extraordinary journey of two friends, Jim Stott and Jonathan King, who were waiters, cooks and avid gardeners, has captured the interest of many and the loyalty of every employee. From the beginning, the company was based on ideals born out of Maine: unspoiled beauty, wholesomeness, a sense of community. It is a testament to the art of preserve making and the growing public interest in wholesome, quality and tasty ingredients. “If you really produce a high quality item, you’ll be successful.” That’s the secret according to Jim and Jonathan.

The demand soon outpaced the production capacity of the small cottage kitchen, so they purchased an old 1700s barn in Kittery, Maine which they renovated to become the company’s “headquarters” for a short couple years before they moved to an even larger space in York and renovated an old community grocery store. A buzzer announced customers in the retail area of the facility. All day long it would clamor: “buzz, buzz, buzz,” while Jim and Jonathan were busy mixing and pouring ingredients out back, packing boxes, and answering phones. Then someone mentioned they should attend the Fancy Food Show in NYC. Having never been to New York City, they literally were two fish out of the [Maine] water when they made their first appearance at the 1995 Fancy Food Show — a tradeshow that attracts 1,100 exhibitors and 36,000 buyers, the Oscars of the specialty food industry. But low and behold, Stonewall Kitchen brought home an unprecedented award for first time attendees: Outstanding Jam for Roasted Garlic Onion Jam and a second highest honor award, for Outstanding Product Line. They left NYC with 500 orders from retailers across the country.

 

Chandler 4 Corners:   Chandler 4 Corners is about life… and life styles. Their hand-hooked wool pillows, rugs and furniture accent homes with items loved in a quick moment then destined to become honored heirlooms. Everyone at C4C lives the lifestyles portrayed in their designs: hike, ski, fish. They spend sunny afternoons on the lake, delight in families, dream of Santa, and of course, cherish dogs.  Celebrate the tender moment. Remember the past with a bit of nostalgia, but also a gigantic smile. Rejoice in the small, and the familiar.

Man Candles:  Masculine scents in recycled soup cans.  “Bacon” “Grandpa’s Pipe” “Sawdust” “Campfire” “Coffee” “Fresh Cut Grass”  Which to try first?  Man Cans was started in November of 2010 by then 13-year-old Hart Main based on a unique idea that came to him when his sister was selling candles for a school fundraiser.  The thought was “Why don’t people sell candles with scents that men like?”  Little did he know that an idea of selling man scented candles would lead to an opportunity to feed so many people.  The can was his choice for a container because he didn’t want a manly scented candle in a glass jar, just like everyone else was doing.   The company buys cans of soup which are donated to soup kitchens, washed and returned to be filled with the uniquely scented wax.  When you buy a Man Can you get a quality candle made of natural wax and you’re helping feed people who need a little extra help.

Trails Natural Soap:  Giving back is something we all can do.  So says the founder of Trails Natural Soap who created a line of products that not only nourish your skin with all natural vegan ingredients that are good enough to eat, your mind through the benefits of aromatic essential oils, but also our communities with 10% of their profits from each bar being donated to support a particular charity that bar has been specially handcrafted to honor.  The Appalachian Trail.  Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Hospice Foundation of America. Heifer International.  Crossfit for Hope.  The Girl Scouts of the USA.  And more.  Athletes (CrossFitters, Hikers, Runners, Bikers, Skiers, etc.) spend so much time eating right, supplementing bodies with protein shakes, amino acids, and fish oil, that we sometimes fail to realize the importance of treating our skin the same way.  Trails Natural takes care of your skin for you.  And campers – check out the Outside the Box- Bug & Outdoor Soap with Citronella, Eucalyptus, and Tea Tree oils to naturally repel bugs and make you smell great! 10% of the profits go to support Heifer International.   Soap for Hope, one bar at a time.