Most people see the Half Dome logo on a $300 puffer jacket and think of high-end malls or maybe a chilly morning in Aspen. They don't think of the Grateful Dead. They definitely don't think of a small, cramped shop in San Francisco where the floor was covered in sawdust and the "security" was a group of peace-loving hippies. But if you want to understand the North Face founders, you have to start in 1966, right in the heart of the North Beach neighborhood.
Douglas Tompkins and his wife, Susie Tompkins Buell, weren't corporate titans. Not yet. Doug was an adventurer, a guy who dropped out of prep school because he’d rather be skiing or climbing rocks than sitting in a classroom. He was restless. Susie was sharp and shared that same restless energy. Together, they scraped together $5,000 to start a retail store. That sounds like a decent chunk of change for the sixties, but they were basically flying by the seat of their pants.
What Actually Happened at the 1966 Launch?
It’s hilarious when you look back at it. Most outdoor brands today launch with a polished PR campaign and Instagram influencers. The North Face launched with a party that felt more like a protest. October 26, 1966. That’s the date. The store was at 308 Columbus Avenue. Doug and Susie invited the Grateful Dead to play. The Hells Angels were there to work the door. Imagine that for a second. You’re trying to buy a sleeping bag and a legendary rock band is jamming in the corner while bikers are checking your ID.
It was a statement. The North Face wasn't meant to be a fashion brand. It was meant to be a middle finger to the cheap, heavy, military-surplus gear that everyone was using at the time. Back then, if you wanted to go camping, you usually ended up carrying a heavy canvas pack that weighed a ton and smelled like a basement. Doug Tompkins hated that. He wanted gear that was light, technical, and actually worked in the mountains.
The Hap Klopp Era and the Real Expansion
Doug didn't stay long. He was a creator, not a manager. By 1968, he sold the company for about $50,000 to Kenneth "Hap" Klopp. If Doug was the spark, Hap was the fuel. People often confuse the roles of the North Face founders because Hap Klopp is the one who moved the brand to Berkeley and started actually manufacturing their own gear instead of just selling other people's stuff.
Hap was a visionary in his own right. He realized that the "Back to the Land" movement was gaining steam. People wanted to escape the city. They needed tents that wouldn't fall over in a light breeze. This led to the creation of the Ruthsac, an internal frame backpack that changed the game. Before this, everyone used external frames that made you look like you were carrying a ladder on your back.
The Mystery of the Logo
You know the logo. It’s everywhere. Most people assume it’s a mountain, which is true, but it’s a very specific mountain. It’s the Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Specifically, it represents the North Face of that mountain—the coldest, harshest, and most difficult side to climb.
David Alcorn designed it in 1971. It’s remarkably simple. Three lines. One curve. It captured the exact essence of what Doug and Susie wanted: the challenge of the outdoors. Interestingly, while the brand was founded in San Francisco (hardly a mountain town), the founders' hearts were always in the Sierra Nevada.
Why Did Doug Tompkins Leave?
Doug was a complicated guy. Honestly, he got bored with the retail side of things pretty quickly. He sold the business because he wanted to focus on other ventures, including a little company called Esprit, which he also co-founded with Susie. Esprit became a massive global success, but even that didn't satisfy him forever.
Eventually, Doug underwent a radical transformation. He went from being a consumer-facing entrepreneur to a hardcore deep ecologist. He realized that the very gear he was selling was part of a global system of consumption that was hurting the planet. He moved to South America, specifically Chile and Argentina, and started buying up millions of acres of land. Not to build resorts. To protect it. He became one of the greatest private land conservationists in history.
Sadly, Doug died in 2015 doing what he loved—kayaking in Patagonia. A sudden storm, a capsized boat, and hypothermia. It was a tragic end for a man who spent his life teaching people how to survive those exact conditions.
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Susie Tompkins Buell’s Path
Susie took a different route. After the success of Esprit and the early days of The North Face, she became a powerhouse in the world of philanthropy and politics. She wasn't just a "founder's wife." She was a driving force behind the brand's early aesthetic and later, a major figure in environmental activism. She and Doug eventually divorced, but the legacy they built together in that tiny North Beach shop changed how we dress.
Key Technical Milestones Under the Founders' Influence
The North Face wasn't just about cool jackets. They actually invented stuff. Real stuff.
- The Sierra Parka: This was the jacket that basically defined the look of the 70s outdoorsman. It was down-filled, lightweight, and actually kept you warm.
- The Geodesic Dome Tent: This is a big one. Based on the work of Buckminster Fuller, The North Face released the Oval Intention tent in 1975. It was the first tent to use the geodesic shape, which distributes stress across the whole structure. It could withstand winds that would flatten a traditional tent.
- The Nuptse: Even though this came later (1992), it followed the DNA established by the founders. High-loft down, baffles that kept the insulation from shifting, and a short cut that made it easy to move in.
Misconceptions About the Brand
People often think The North Face started as a massive corporation. It didn't. It started as a hobby. It started because Doug Tompkins couldn't find a decent climbing rope in San Francisco.
Another big myth is that the founders stayed involved forever. They didn't. By the late 80s and 90s, the company went through various owners and even faced some financial trouble before being bought by VF Corporation in 2000. But the reason it survived those rocky years is because the original identity was so strong. You can't kill a brand that is rooted in the "Counter-Culture" of Berkeley and San Francisco.
The Ethical Legacy
There is a weird tension in the history of the North Face founders. On one hand, they created a massive brand that encourages people to buy new stuff. On the other hand, Doug Tompkins spent the last years of his life trying to convince people to buy less stuff.
He once said in an interview that he felt "the more you know, the less you need." It's a bit ironic considering his logo is now on millions of items sold every year. But that tension is what makes the story interesting. It wasn't just about money; it was about an obsession with the wilderness.
What You Can Learn from the Founders
If you're looking at this from a business or lifestyle perspective, there are a few real takeaways here.
- Authenticity isn't a marketing buzzword. Doug and Susie didn't "target" climbers. They were climbers. They built the store because they wanted a place to hang out with their friends and talk about mountains.
- Innovation comes from frustration. The geodesic tent didn't come from a "brainstorming session." It came because the current tents sucked and people were tired of them failing in the wind.
- Know when to move on. Doug knew he wasn't the guy to scale a global logistics company. He handed the reins to Hap Klopp and went off to find his next mountain.
Actionable Insights for Outdoor Enthusiasts
If you want to honor the spirit of the founders, don't just buy the jacket because it’s trendy.
Understand the Gear: Look for the technical specs. If you’re buying a tent, look at the pole structure. Is it geodesic? If you're buying down, is it RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified? The founders cared about the "how" and "why" of the gear.
Support Conservation: Doug Tompkins spent his fortune on land conservation. You don't have to buy a million acres in Chile, but supporting local trail maintenance or organizations like the Sierra Club keeps the "North Face" spirit alive.
Repair Over Replace: One of the original tenets of the brand was durability. Before you toss a jacket with a small tear, use repair tape or send it to a professional gear repair shop. The best piece of gear is the one you’ve already owned for ten years.
Get Outside (For Real): The North Beach shop was a hub for people who actually went into the wild. Use your gear for its intended purpose. Take that Nuptse on a real hike, not just to the grocery store.
The story of the North Face isn't a corporate success story. It's a story about a couple of dropouts who loved the cold and decided to build something that would help them stay in it a little longer. It’s messy, it involves the Grateful Dead, and it ended with millions of acres of protected wilderness. That’s a hell of a lot more interesting than a balance sheet.