Nashville Pack Interview

Tell us about you ?

NP: Nashville Pack was founded by Levi ‘Bedhead’ Morton and Grant ‘Gusha’ Leonardi in 2018. We make ultralight thru-hiking backpacks with a focus on comfort and convenience.

How did you come to hiking? more specifically UL hiking?

NP: Levi grew up backpacking, and Grant’s first backpacking trip was a thru-hike of the AT. Despite our differences, we both got into Ultralight hiking thanks to the r/Ultralight subreddit.

What is your UL hiking vision?

NP: We want everyone who uses our equipment to have a better experience in the outdoors. We want our customers to be able to focus on their hike and not have to worry about what’s on their backs.

Why did you decide to make your equipment?

NP: We’ve always been very curious and design driven. We had ideas that weren’t available on the market and decided to make them a reality.

Can you tell me tell me the story behind your brand names?

NP: Our company name is pretty straightforward – We are located in the Nashville, TN Metropolitan Area. We are known in the states as ‘Music City,’ so we try to select product names that reflect both music and the outdoors.

The Cutaway has a few meanings. Musically, a cutaway is the part of a guitar where the body is cut away at the neck so musicians can reach the higher frets. In regards to the outdoors, we wanted to create something that would inspire the customer to cut away from daily life and head for the outdoors. And in regards to design, the core of the pack is very simple – there is one main seam, one main pocket – we had cut away many of the extra parts and pieces found on so many ultralight packs.

Tiempo can refer to both time and weather. Time is a very musical concept, but it is also key for those moving fastand light. We wanted to create something that was intended to move quickly. We also wanted something the customer could feel good about using in any weather.

How do you feel when you see hikers with your equipment on the trails?

NP: It is very exciting to see a Nashville Pack product on trail. We love hearing about user experience and enjoy seeing others celebrating the outdoors.

For you there is an ecological impact to buy are equipment from small manufacturers?

NP: Small manufacturers can pivot easier to more environmentally friendly practices and implement them faster. Additionally, in the States, we can produce our products closer to where they will be used, reducing the impact of freight and shipping.

How do you see the small shop in 2022?

NP: It’s more and more difficult to be a small business/cottage company. There are so many incentives to operate as a large business and access the economies of scale. Our hope is that we see more cottage companies emerge and continue to push boundaries in design.

Do you think that people want more and more to turn to small shop ?

NP: We do think that more people are learning about and turning to cottage companies to provide them with more personalized products for the types of adventures they like to take.

Finally, if you had a message to pass on to everyone who would watch this interviewl and who would like to support the small shops?

NP: Shopping small means you’re directly supporting small makers like us. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions about our products, Have fun in the outdoors !