Team Spotlight: Nick

Who are you? Give us some outdoor highlights from your past

Hi, I’m Nick! I grew up in Evanston, Illinois just north of Chicago. My family did a little car camping when I was young, but never any backpacking. Actually trail work is what led to my first backpacking experience. In high school I volunteered with the Student Conservation Association. We worked on a section of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia for a month. I joined another crew with the SCA the following summer working in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On both crews we lived in tents and each trip ended with four days of backpacking. 

After high school I chose to attend the University of Montana where I earned a degree in Environmental Studies. After graduation I rode my bicycle from Missoula, MT to San Francisco, CA. I connected a portion of Adventure Cycling’s Trans America Route with their Pacific Coast Route. I also added some miles biking up to Seattle and around the Olympic Peninsula before cruising down the coast to San Francisco. It was an incredible experience. I haven’t found the opportunity to attempt a trip of that scale since, so I’m glad I took advantage of that moment.

I moved to Portland shortly after and started looking for my first job out of college. I led a trail crew with Northwest Youth Corps on the Rogue River Trail in southern Oregon and worked a series of other jobs that I wasn't quite as passionate about. I’m thankful that all of these experiences have led to my current opportunity with Minimal Gear and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Tell us about a very memorable trip outdoors from the last few years

My favorite backpacking trip from the last few years was the Hoh River Trail up to Blue Glacier. It was so hot outside the day I reached Blue Glacier, the breeze coming off of it felt like air conditioning — it was a great reward after a steep hike.

What do you do at Minimal Gear

I’m a warehouse associate at Minimal Gear. The majority of my job is packing and shipping orders. I also do some final assembly of our products and help with anything else that needs doing around the warehouse.

What is a running project you are working on at the moment that no one knows about yet?

As of my writing this, we’re in the process of moving to a larger warehouse. I’m working with Kyle and Gilad to get the most out of our new space and help us work as efficiently as possible.

What is your favorite piece of gear that we make?

My favorite piece of gear we make is the PCTA 2L VectoX. It’s durable and makes water collection simple and easy. I love the artwork and the fact that 10% of the sales are donated to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

What’s an interesting (or not-so-interesting) non-Minimal Gear factoid about yourself that is important to who you are as a person?

My dad used to manage a barbecue restaurant. He ran an ad* in the local newspaper featuring a BBQ inspired superhero named Rib Boy (I was Rib Boy). My five year old face was photoshopped onto a superhero’s body with a suit and cape made out of ribs. I’m not sure what type of crime or villain I was fighting…

*Ed note: we are devastated to say Nick did not provide an image of the ad for this blog.