The seeds for Montbell were first sown in 1969. Founder Isamu Tatsuno was the second Japanese man to summit the North Face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps, scaling the mountain’s treacherous slopes in a mere twenty-one hours. How? By strictly adhering to one key philosophy: light and fast.
An avid alpinist from a young age, Tatsuno had always dreamed of establishing an outdoor business and founding his own mountaineering equipment company. So, with one aspiration checked off following his ascents of the Eiger and later, the Matterhorn, Isamu Tatsuno started Montbell in 1975, at just twenty-eight years old.
Helped by friends Fumiaki Masaki and Sachiko Masuo, Tatsuno set about making the first Montbell product. Isamu’s first creation was a synthetic-fill sleeping bag. Not only was this as compressible as the down sleeping bags he was used to, it’d actually stay warm when wet. A crucial - potentially life-saving - quality, one that no one had really taken advantage of before.
Function is Beauty
By embracing new materials, fabrics and ideas, Montbell thrived. Alongside the ‘light and fast’ philosophy that’d served Tatsuno so well on his mountaineering exploits, another guiding principle emerged, stemming from the Japanese tradition of ‘kinobi’: function is beauty.
These mantras remain at the core of what Montbell does. Exceptionally thorough when it comes to design and meticulous about materials, Montbell has consistently produced incredibly lightweight products that perform to the highest standard, allowing you to enjoy a long, safe and comfortable life outdoors.
The years since 1975 have brought many more technical innovations, but the objectives, and the stewardship of Isamu Tatsuno, remains unchanged. Not content to only produce the lightest, most functional clothing and equipment, Montbell is also committed to protecting nature and providing outdoor education through philanthropic causes.
Montbell was etsablished in Osaka, Japan, on August 1 with a simple intention: to make high-quality equipment for life outdoors.
In those early years we focused on rain gear and sleeping bags, products designed specifically for Japan’s wet, changeable climate, and set the foundations for the functional approach Montbell still follow today.
We introduced lightweight Orlon fleece, about half the weight of wool with better durability and warmth, and began offering climbing pants made from robust core-spun cloth. Around this time, Group YETI put our gear to the test on Dhaulagiri, using our Dacron jackets and the Sleeping Bag SP at the final camp.
We began producing Thinsulate outerwear, like the original Super Dru Parka, while introducing Entrant and GORE-TEX fabrics to bring greater breathability and weather protection to our designs.
Our sleeping bags and outerwear also found their way to Europe through Vaude in Germany.
We also published our first product catalog, marking a new chapter in how we shared our equipment with the world.
We released the Storm Cruiser Jacket and Pants, lightweight, durable, and made using GORE-TEX, now a long-standing best-seller in our rainwear lineup.
That same year, the Dru Parka accompanied Mr. Wada and Mr. Kodama on their successful winter ascent of the north wall of the Grandes Jorasses.
In April, we introduced Zero Point, a line created to honour Montbell’s climbing spirit.
We introduced our 30-denier Ballistic fabric, allowing us to create some of the lightest and most compact GORE-TEX rainwear to date. The Montbell Club retail programme launched soon after.
That same year, the English Party relied on our Expedition Pack during their climb of Salcantay in the Andes, while Shogo Motobayashi and his team completed a 1,900 km circumnavigation of North America by bicycle, equipped with Montbell Cyclo Rain Suits, tents, and Tough Bags.
Montbell welcomed new advisers, including K-1 slalom world champion Richard Fox and Olympian Myriam Jerusalmi. Around the same time, Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov reached the North Pole using Montbell expedition gear, from the Super Expedition One-Piece Suit to our Tough Bags.
We also expanded our global footprint by establishing Montbell Europe in Brussels and opening a design office in California and introduced an updated company logo to mark the next chapter.
Montbell introduced the Gore Alpine Dome, our first single-wall tent built with early-generation GORE-TEX fabric. We also developed the Dryloft Expedition Down Jacket, using Gore’s new wind-resistant, highly breathable Dryloft material.
Around the same time, we launched OUTWARD, a magazine created to share stories, product knowledge, and inspiration with Montbell Club members.
We developed Hydro Breeze, a polyurethane coating that keeps outerwear exceptionally waterproof yet breathable. Polkatex followed; a durable, all-purpose fabric resistant to abrasion and corrosion from body oils.
We also introduced the CLIMAPLUS Fleece line, combining warmth, comfort, and performance for everyday activity.
Montbell launched its first website and introduced the Ultra Light Down inner series for warmth without weight. The Torrent Flier redefined rainwear, and Dyna Action brought alpine-ready stretch Gore-Tex.
Naoki Ishikawa climbed Everest and completed the Seven Summits using Montbell gear.
Montbell introduced the Torrent Flier Jacket and Pants, combining cutting-edge technology with extreme lightness. We created the EX Light Down Jacket, the world’s lightest, using 900 fill power down. Nine new stores opened across Japan, and the Montbell Club Friend Fair brought the community together in Osaka and Tomakomai.
Montbell introduced the Plasma 1000 Down Jacket, filled with 1,000 fill power goose down for unmatched warmth.
The Tachyon Jacket earned a Special Mention in the German Design Award for Lifestyle, while the Plasma 1000 Down Jacket and Crushable Lantern Shade were recognised with OutDoor Industry Awards at the 2013 OutDoor Show.
Montbell introduced the Seamless Down Hugger, a sleeping bag without baffles or seams, and the Folding Fire Pit, a compact grill designed for efficient combustion. In April, Outdoor GIENTAI began supporting the fight against COVID-19, donating face shields to medical facilities.
We opened our first UK store in the heart of Keswick, Lake District. At the same time, we launched montbell.co.uk, making our gear easily accessible across the UK.
