TUFA / Craftsmanship / Kalispell, Montana
Mountain Made
Behind every TUFA piece is experience in military pack production, big-wall equipment, and advanced textile development. It comes together in a small Montana studio, where I design and build gear for climbers chasing their peak. Every material, seam, and design decision serves performance on the wall, with the precision and attention that exceptional equipment demands.
Jeff Shapiro
High-performance flying harnesses
Extraordinary equipment.
A small studio.
Early in my journey, I was mentored by Jeff Shapiro, a world-class hang glider, professional athlete, and designer. In his home studio, he designed and built the hang gliding harnesses flown by the world’s top competition pilots - bringing fit, suspension, and structural construction together in one design.
Jeff taught me how to sew properly and think about design. He was building world-class equipment in a home studio. Seeing that firsthand set my ambition for TUFA: a small operation with the capability to compete with anyone.
Mystery Ranch
Bozeman, Montana · 2013
Production sewing & stack cutting
Where I learned to build a pack.
At Mystery Ranch, I joined an American production floor with decades of pack-building knowledge behind it. I did production sewing and stack cutting for both the production floor and sample room, including building custom military assault packs for Australian and Italian special forces.
Mystery Ranch gave me the experience to build packs at the highest level. That standard carries through every TUFA pack - from the construction you can see to the work buried inside the seams.
D4 Big Wall Gear
Mentorship from John Middendorf
Designed for life on the wall.
At D4 Big Wall Gear, I worked closely with John Middendorf, a pioneering climbing-equipment designer whose work shaped modern expedition portaledges - the suspended platforms climbers live on during extended big-wall ascents.
Designing portaledges sharpened my understanding of structural design—how geometry, tension, and material choice determine strength under load. That experience informs how I build: where I place seams, how I reinforce connections, and where I can reduce weight without compromising strength.
Challenge Sailcloth
Product development & global sales
Advanced Textiles.
The Bedrock of Performance.
At Challenge Sailcloth, I worked under Hale Walcoff to help build the Challenge Outdoor program. My role spanned product development and global sales, working with brands across nearly the entire outdoor industry and helping their designers understand how to select and use advanced technical textiles. That work drew on an understanding of fibers, dyeing, weaves, coatings, and lamination.
For TUFA, material selection and construction are part of the same design process. Understanding how a textile is made - and how to build with it - is what sets our gear apart.
The TUFA studio
Made in Montana
Design, patterning, cutting, and sewing come together in my Kalispell studio. Thousands of bags and backpacks later, the connection between designing, building, and using equipment continues to refine every piece.
When you choose TUFA, you’re supporting a climber-owned small business with a stake in the community and the places we climb. You’re buying directly from the person who designs and builds your gear - and shares your passion for getting outside.
Josh Kornish
Founder, Designer & Craftsman