Please Note: All Material below, and in all my "History of Gear" webpages, is copyrighted, and no usage of my material is permitted unless explicit permission is granted by me, Bruce B. Johnson, owner of OregonPhotos.com. Some of the material below is derived from interviews and/or correspondence with Gerry Cunningham and also from some ex-Holubar employees, as well as my own research..... Editors: Please contact me if you have interest in publishing....Others: if you were involved with one of the old-line, vintage gear companies and have a story to tell in these pages, please contact me soon.....Sponsors: if you are an outdoor product entity interested in sponsoring this History of Gear website, please contact me for details.

Immediately after World War II, Colorado was a ripe market for a business targeted to mountaineers and skiers. Gerry Cunningham was another of the originators who lived in or around Boulder. He was a World War II veteran, and for many years was quite a mountaineer in his own right. He was friends with many of the big name climbers of the 50s and 60s, and supplied the likes of Barry Bishop, Lute Jerstad, Willie Unsoeld, Tom Hornbein, Pete Schoening, Bob Craig, Dee Molenaar, Art Gilkey, Charlie Houston, and Bob Bates with the GERRY Himalayan Tent and other GERRY gear.

The company officially began in 1945-46, about a year before his Colorado neighbors the Holubars began their outdoor gear business. In those very early post-War years, his equipment carried a woven label with the original "Gerry" logo, and the words "Gerry Mountaineering Equipment Company," and if you find gear with that original label, it is very collectible. Note: the original logo was a mountain peak with what looks like a handwritten "Gerry" across the bottom of the peak (the logo in the images seen on this page is the more stylized version that became the standard for later years).. A. Cunningham.

GERRY'S speciality in the company's early years became its Gerry Himalayan Tent, a stout A-frame design which was used extensively on major expeditions from its introduction in about 1953. The two catalog images below are from Gerry's 1963 catalog. The first image shows the Himalayan tent in action on the K2 in 1953. The second image highlights a major event in the history of American mountaineering--- the first AMERICAN expedition to climb Mt. Everest!. So that you may read the historic text, I have transcribed below the image the historic text from the section: "These Are The Men."

GERRY

"These are the Men"1963. (Quoted from the GERRY catalog above): "Part of the final team chosen for the first American attempt on Mt. Everest during their Mt. Rainier shakedown. Back row: Gil Roberts, Barry Corbett (Gerry dealer in Jackson, Wyoming), Dave Dingman. Front row: Will Siri, Norman Dyhrenfurth (leader), Disk Emerson, Dr. Tom Hornbein, Jim Whittaker pulling, and Lute Jerstad watching." This photo shows 9 of the 19 Americans who were on the Expedition....My commentary: the Expedition did successfully place five of its members on the summit, including "Big Jim" Whittaker on May 1, 1963..... two weeks later, Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein made a first ascent of the West Ridge route, while Lute Jerstad and Barry Bishop ascended the South Col route that Sir Edmund Hillary had done on the mountain's first ascent in 1953 (Lute and Tom are shown in the picture above; please click here to see a 1972 picture of Lute Jerstad climbing on Mt. Hood, Oregon)..... However, tragedy marred the Expedition's accomplishments when Jake Breitenbach was killed in the Khumbu icefall early in the expedition (Jake is not shown in the image above).. Tragedy also nearly demolished the four summit climbers, who were forced to spend the night high on the mountain, suffering serious frostbite.....For his heroic rescue of four stranded climbers on the 1963 expedition, Dr. Dave Dingman received the Hubbard medal from President John F. Kennedy. Dr. Dingman conducted a successful practice in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Salt Lake City and rose to the rank of Professor at the University of Utah Department of Surgery. . At least three of the Expedition members maintained strong ties to the Everest area throughout their lives (Barry Bishop (main photographer for the Expedition), Lute Jerstad and Gil Roberts). Link to an excellent account of the Expedition from National Geographic, click here.

Gerry Cunningham invented and patented the "Drawstring Clamp" sometime in those very early years (the 1950s is my estimate). Later to become known as the "Cordlock," this small device replaces knots and has become omni-present in today's society, even reaching into areas having nothing to do with backpacking or climbing!

Gerry had a long-time commitment to ultra-light camping, and the cute little GERRY butane stove folded up tiny into its flat, roundish aluminum case. This stove dates from GERRY's later years, when the company was marking its products as made in Denver, CO instead of Boulder.

Gerry and his wife Ann also experimented with the first modern baby carriers, and patented their original design in 1963 as their "Gerry Kiddie Carrier." Innovations included the use of lightweight aluminum for its "S" curved frame, and lightweight nylons for the material. It was to sell for some forty years! Many of us as infants and toddlers spent hours in the out-of-doors in a Gerry Kiddie Carrier, and the close parent-to-child contact these carriers allowed led to some life-long pleasant associations to the outdoor world.

Gerry Cunningham himself is now 84 years old (2006) and living in warmer West Coast climates. There, he pursues another passionate outdoor interest, sailing the Sea of Cortez. He is well-known in sailing circles for his line of sailor's charts..... He retired from GERRY (the company) a number of years ago. He noted to me that the brand name "GERRY" may still be in use. My research at this point has not clarified if true "GERRY" gear is still being manufactured.(Source: emails with Gerry Cunningham)....

Please Note: All Material above, and in all my "History of Gear" webpages, is copyrighted, and no usage of my material is permitted unless explicit permission is granted by me, Bruce B. Johnson, owner of OregonPhotos.com. Some of the material above is derived from interviews and correspondence with both Gerry Cunningham and ex-Holubar employees.... Editors: Please contact me if you have interest in publishing....Others: if you were involved with one of the old-line, vintage gear companies and have a story to tell in these pages, please contact me soon.

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Main Page: Essays and pictures about the Pioneers of the Outdoor Gear Revolution, 1945-The Present

Frostline Kits, Holubar's competitor in the kit market. The Founder of Frostline was an early employee/collaborator of Gerry Cunningham in Boulder!

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