Backpack Memories

Today we mourn the loss of Murray McCory. Taken from us too soon at the age of 80, Murray will be remembered most for his contribution to our collective childhood and teenage memories. While you might not know the name, you certainly know of his legacy. Murray founded JanSport, today the world’s largest backpack manufacturer. Murray, in the late 1960s, designed an outdoor-style backpack constructed with a lightweight, adjustable aluminum frame, wrapped in rugged denier nylon and crucially outfitted with elasticized pouches for water bottes and the like. His inspired and forward-thinking prototype, fabricated during a competition at the University of Washington sponsored by Alcoa, became the basis for the outdoor adventure company he’d go on to co-found after graduating. He founded his startup with girlfriend (and later, wife) Jan. JanSport was born. Product extensions into snow shoes, frame backpacks for dogs and sleeping bags soon followed. Sales soared into the millions with the genius mid-1970s introduction of the brand’s University Rucksack, a featherweight, frameless backpack with a reinforced bottom, nylon zipper and finished off with a leather swatch design flourish. The Rucksack evolved famously into the iconic SuperBreak complete with a leather bottom and large zippered aft compartment. The Rucksack became ubiquitous and the standard backup throughout the 1980s, 1990s and remains a mainstay to this day. JanSport made $11B in 2023 and sold eight million backpacks. Go ahead and poke around your garage for your JanSport backpack and memories of a simpler time. Reminisce and think on the wonders of American ingenuity. And how it makes your nostalgia complete and does so by bringing an irresistible smile to your face.