| Notes |
- Ralph was in the Navy.
Ralph "Andy" Drollinger Jr. was an aerospace engineer by education. He lived in La Mesa, CA. He was an avid backpacker and outdoorsman. By the late 1960's his hobby of building his own backpacking equipment in his La Mesa home garage, turned into a true business. However, the company was formally founded in 1962 under the name, Adventure 16. By the mid to late 1970's stores had opened in San Diego, West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Several other store openings followed.
Footprints is published three times a year by Adventure 16 Outdoor & Travel Outfitters and contains helpful tips, where-to-go articles and gear reviews for backpacking, mountaineering, climbing, adventure travel, hiking and camping. The newsletter is mailed FREE to Southern California Outdoor Enthusiasts whose zip codes fall between 90000 and 93599.
FOOTPRINTS Spring-Summer 2002
40th Anniversary Commemorative Issue
Articles from Footprints Issue # 85.
Articles in this issue: President's Message
Editor's Note
Where Are They Now?
Equipment Innovations in the last 40 Years
A Look Back at 40 Years of Adventure
A Sampling of our Best Walks in the Wild
A Look back at 40 Years of Adventure:
by John D. Mead
Remember 16mm movie cameras? Maybe not, but in the early 1960s they were state-of-the-art for anyone who wanted to make adventure films under adverse conditions - say, running a river or backpacking in the Sierra. Despite the formidable cost of equipment and film, a group of teenage Explorer Scouts under the leadership of a fellow named Andy Drollinger, whose son Ralph was in the group, set out to film their adventures for a lecture series. "How to raise the money for a camera?" they wondered. What if we built innovative backpacks? Now that's an idea. Members of the group were equally hooked on backpacking, so Andy's garage in La Mesa, California, soon became a backpacking equipment workshop. From the beginning, Andy (an aerospace engineer) and the youngsters focused on the development of revolutionary pack designs that allowed much of a load's weight to be carried comfortably on the hips. Production methods were crude by today's standards, including dyeing fabric in a bathtub, hand-bending tubing for the frame, and cutting yardage one piece at a time. But the results? Ahh, comfortable. Sturdy. And light. "Adventure 16"- - both a dream and a fledgling business - was becoming a reality.
A hobby becomes a business... By the late '60s the hobby had turned into a true business. Its innovative, top-quality line of products included down-filled sleeping bags with unprecedented loft-to-weight ratios and the first two-layer dome tents built specifically to meet the needs of backpackers. When they weren't all out on the trail, Wayne Gregory (now of Gregory Mountain Products) worked on pack designs along with Bill Payne, Steve Noles was the young company's master tent builder, and Steve Williams ran a small store at the front of the factory.
Every backpacking trip spawned a flurry of new ideas and improvements. The times were exciting, ideas flowed as fast as any river they'd run, and the business was growing, but without any understanding of how to solidify their efforts into a stable enterprise that might live past the next week. Then the tiny company and its band of passionate backpackers caught the interest of Mic Mead, a young entrepreneur and naturalist.
A visit to the garage factory... I can remember visiting the factory garage in La Mesa as a 12 year old. Mic was preparing to take my cousin and me on our first backpacking trip in the Sierra. The anticipation of spending a few days in the high country was exciting enough, but what I was about to see in that garage workshop put me over the top. Little did I know it would become my life work.
We parked on a residential street and walked up the winding driveway. Inside the garage a handful of people were cutting fabric, assembling packs, stuffing goose down into fabric channels, and sewing zippers to nylon. The energy was high and the ideas were flying around as we selected some of their latest equipment for our upcoming trip. (This interaction between the maker and the customer made a strong impression on me and continues to be the experience we strive for with our Customers in our stores 34 years later.)
"In the late '60s, I discovered that the way to go to the mountains was to carry a Kelty Pack and a very light sleeping bag and go lightweight. The only problem? I found that it was still hard work. So I started thinking about better designs and ran into Andy Drollinger who started Adventure 16 in 1962. He was working on how to improve Kelty Packs, and soon my pack was converted to a better belt system. These ideas worked, so I got more and more involved.
"We all have our own stories as to how we got into our sport. For me, it was the peace, love, and the very essence of life I found in the midst of nature. So many questions were - and still are! - answered there" - Mic Mead (from a 1987 interview and his reminiscences at Adventure 16's anniversary party, January 2002)
Soon after we returned from our High Sierra trip, Mic began to lend his design and business skills to Adventure 16. By 1970 he financed and incorporated the company. The timing was perfect. The little company was not only at the leading edge of design, it was a viable business as well - and the backpacking boom was about to hit.
Welcome to the idea factory... Throughout the '70s, growth and innovation were steady. Mic focused on design and improving production efficiency. The company pioneered several innovations that seem standard today: He designed the first "baffled" down parka; was the first to use aluminum alloy tent poles; opened retail outlets; and began distributing products nationwide. He became so proud and confident of the quality of Adventure 16's line that he made what he now considers his most important contribution to our industry: the Lifetime Guarantee - an almost unheard of concept in a field where exposing your equipment to severe wear and tear conditions is virtually synonymous with having a great time.
As we've grown, the core ideology generated in that little garage has remained intact: Offer high quality products and education; employ high-caliber, credible individuals who can serve the unique needs of authentic users and enjoy the work; and make the company prosperous.
Spreading the word about great trips and gear... In the mid-to-late '70s we opened stores in San Diego, West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. From the beginning, Adventure 16 relied mainly on word-of-mouth advertising. Although plenty was spent on traditional advertising, the idea that the best promotion comes from teaching people how to use and enjoy the outdoors remained central. From the earliest days, Adventure 16 employees had abundant enthusiasm and experience to share, both in the stores and via organized outdoor trips and workshops for customers. The educational side of the company was eventually formalized into our division known as "Wilderness Outings," which to this day has safely introduced tens of thousands of people to the joys of backpacking, rock climbing, and a host of other outdoor adventure skills.
And just as the first Adventure 16'ers had a dream of sharing adventure through films, slide shows, and lectures, our slide shows and educational clinics held in the stores continue to be an instrumental part of what we call Outreach. It seemed natural to promote these and other programs with fliers, so "Footprints" was born. You're reading the 85th issue.
Into the 80's... The '80s brought more growth and diversity. In 1981 we bought another portion of Granite Stairway Mountaineering: a small wholesale distribution business selling to outdoor stores across the country. It quickly gained the reputation of being the most responsive, innovative, and interesting accessories distributor in the industry and grew from infancy in 1981 into the leading international industry accessory supplier by the end of the decade.
The 80's also saw the opening of three new retail stores including Horton Plaza. Our Solana Beach store, previously an outdoor retail shop named the Pack Factory, was purchased from Eagle Creek - yes, the same Eagle Creek adventure travel packs and accessories we carry today. We opened our first store in Costa Mesa in 1987, moving to the present location at The CAMP in February of this year.
In an effort to concentrate on the Retail and Distribution operations during the 90's, we stopped manufacturing products ourselves, but continue to have a significant portion of our products built to our specifications with the Adventure 16 label. In 1995, Mic Mead, after twenty-five years of involvement, moved to Indiana and set in motion a plan to gradually transfer his majority ownership to the employees of the company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. As of March 2001, Adventure 16 became 95-percent employee owned.
Remembering the past at Adventure 16 is not only fun, it helps put the future into perspective. We feel grounded in that same set of principles and values that were in the air in a little garage in La Mesa 40 years ago. While ours is a heritage of which we can be proud, the next 40 years of Adventure 16 will see the same passion and desire to give our customers reason to come back again and again. Hey, we're all on this trail together, and it's going to continue to be a most excellent journey!
John D. Mead, President
jdmead@adventure16.com
U.S., World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949
Name: Ralph Andrew Drollinger
Ship, Station or Activity: Catoctin
Ship Number or Designation: AGC-5
Muster Date: 1 Apr 1946
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Ralph Andrew Drollinger
Gender: Male
Race: White
Age: 18
Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
Birth Date: 13 Jan 1925
Birth Place: San Bernardino, California, USA
Residence Place: San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
Registration Date: 13 Jan 1943
Registration Place: San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
Employer: Irvin Aircraft
Weight: 170
Complexion: Light Brown
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown
Height: 6 5
Next of Kin: R A Drollinger
Household Members:
Name Relationship
Ralph Andrew Drollinger Self (Head)
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1925 - 1991 (66 years)
