Bruce Johnson on Gerry

Story by BruceJohnson

[Bruce Johnson has chronicled the early Outdoor Industry in pictures and text in his History of Gear Project. He talks about Gerry Cunningham and Gerry Mountaineering Equipment Company here.

He also has a book about the same topic.

What follows are a few short excerpt from the website. All images, text, and links are from there and copyrighted by Bruce.]

GERRY'S Famous Booklet Series: Gerry Cunningham wrote a series of at least six free booklets that are now collectibles. He also travelled around the Country as an educator and lecturer about saving the Environment many years before it became a popular thing to do. The booklets were sized at 5x7 inches, except for "Wilderness Traveler," which is slightly larger.

"How to Keep Warm," 1967. "If your feet are cold, put your hat on" was the opening sentence of the small but highly influential booklet. For decades, that proverbial sentence has been drilled into the minds of everyone who takes an outdoor course on winter survival.

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!

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BruceJohnson

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