Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
REI Co-op's first product development employee, David Mydans, was deemed "REI's Frank Gehry of nylon and aluminum poles" by Sunset magazine in a March 2012 article. While David refers to himself as "just a dirtbag climbing bum with an art degree," both descriptions fit, summing up the scope of his work and his free-spirited personality. For more than a quarter-century David Mydans was the brains behind the blueprints of a broad assortment of popular REI Co-op tents, backpacks and sleeping bags including the award-winning Half Dome 2 and Half Dome Plus tents.
REI Co-op Gear and Apparel is built together to stand apart. We work with our members, employees and partners to test, iterate and refine season after season. We pioneer change for people and the planet. And we measure what we make not just in sales, but in decades of peak performance and memories made.
Shop REI Co-op: rei.com/b/rei-co-op
Become an REI Member: rei.com/membership
This is an REI Co-op Studios production
Featuring: David Mydans
Executive Producer: Hanna Boyd
Director: Amy Enser
Cinematography: Anne Cleary, Jonathan Houser, Amy Enser
Producer: Amy Enser, Mad Trees Productions
Editor: Sam Manna
Art Direction: Angie Tomson, Ryan Meline
Additional Footage: Mad Trees Productions
Rerecording Mixer: Brian Sloss
Animation: Austin Branham
Colorist: Anne Cleary
REI Historian: Will Dunn
Music courtesy of Artlist, Epidemic Sound
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REI Co-op's first product development employee, David Mydans, was deemed "REI's Frank Gehry of nylon and aluminum poles" by Sunset magazine in a March 2012 article. While David refers to himself as "just a dirtbag climbing bum with an art degree," both descriptions fit, summing up the scope of his work and his free-spirited personality. For more than a quarter-century David Mydans was the brains behind the blueprints of a broad assortment of popular REI Co-op tents, backpacks and sleeping bags including the award-winning Half Dome 2 and Half Dome Plus tents.
REI Co-op Gear and Apparel is built together to stand apart. We work with our members, employees and partners to test, iterate and refine season after season. We pioneer change for people and the planet. And we measure what we make not just in sales, but in decades of peak performance and memories made.
Shop REI Co-op: rei.com/b/rei-co-op
Become an REI Member: rei.com/membership
This is an REI Co-op Studios production
Featuring: David Mydans
Executive Producer: Hanna Boyd
Director: Amy Enser
Cinematography: Anne Cleary, Jonathan Houser, Amy Enser
Producer: Amy Enser, Mad Trees Productions
Editor: Sam Manna
Art Direction: Angie Tomson, Ryan Meline
Additional Footage: Mad Trees Productions
Rerecording Mixer: Brian Sloss
Animation: Austin Branham
Colorist: Anne Cleary
REI Historian: Will Dunn
Music courtesy of Artlist, Epidemic Sound
Like, Subscribe, Comment and tune in weekly for more content from REI!
