Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Before hip belts were a thing, a WWII machinist bent aluminum in his living room and invented a pack so comfy it made hire-a-mule trips look medieval. This week’s Icons story digs into how Dick & Nena Kelty turned backyard tinkering into the backpack that killed the pack mule — and unleashed America on the trail.
Before hip belts were a thing, a WWII machinist bent aluminum in his living room and invented a pack so comfy it made hire-a-mule trips look medieval. This week’s Icons story digs into how Dick & Nena Kelty turned backyard tinkering into the backpack that killed the pack mule — and unleashed America on the trail.
