A Tent As Old As Time

Utah’s Springbar tent company

When you think about camping in Utah, you probably think about sleeping in a Springbar tent. The brand is practically synonymous with outdoor recreation in the state. But the now-global brand — built on a foundation of great design and quality — started out small and local. Just like so many good things do.

In 1944, Jack Kirkham Sr. purchased the AAA Tent & Awning shop, which occupied just 1,200 square feet in the heart of Salt Lake City. The shop made canvas goods like tarps, awnings, covers for sheep wagons, and wall tents for outfitters, herders, and miners. As camping became more popular in the 1950s, Kirkham started making more tents for consumers.

But the tent designs of the day didn’t live up to Kirkham’s expectations. Ever the innovator, he went through dozens of prototypes before launching the Springbar tent in 1961. The first 10x10 model retailed for just $83.

After moving to a new shop that included retail space for other camping gear, Kirkham’s Outdoor Products took off, and Springbar tent sales soared. Kirkham’s was the premier place in Utah to get outdoor gear and the most dependable tents. The store carried more than 200 brands, 10,000 items and employed 50 retail sales staff at its peak. In the 1990s, Jack Kirkham Jr., who had been with the company since he was 15, took over operations.

While online competitors have cut into business for mom and pop shops like Kirkham’s, demand for Springbar tents has stayed strong. To keep up with that demand, Jack Jr. partnered with Dwell Outdoors, another Utah outdoor brand that started small and local.

Dwell Outdoors was founded by Pace Measom, a Logan native, and Mike Duncan, who hails from Ephraim. Measom’s dad created their family business, Camp Chef, and built it into a global brand in the outdoor retail space. Duncan has also spent his entire career in the outdoor industry. In addition to founding Dwell Outdoors, Measom and Duncan also created GearDryer, a boot and glove dryer.

“We see ourselves as stewards of a legacy Utah brand. Our goal is to preserve the traditional tent making craft while leveraging modern digital sales and marketing strategy.” In 2019, Dwell Outdoors acquired the Springbar manufacturing business from Kirkham to bring the brand into the 21st century. So far, efforts include a renewed focus on tent manufacturing, an enhanced digital presence, and a direct to consumer sales and marketing model.

“We see ourselves as stewards of a legacy Utah brand,” said Measom. “Our goal is to preserve the traditional tent making craft while leveraging modern digital sales and marketing strategy.”

One of Dwell Outdoors’ first changes was to create Springbar tent models that could be manufactured overseas. These tents are made from the same canvas and utilize the same design and manufacturing standards that made Springbar tents famous. This hybrid manufacturing strategy made Springbar tents more available to a global audience. The brand now has fan bases in Japan, Korea, and Thailand. It also helped spark more demand stateside.

“As Utahns, we know the story of Springbar tents, and there’s a lot of local nostalgia around it,” said Measom. “But we recognized an opportunity in bringing that story to a much larger audience.”

While Springbar has modernized and evolved, what hasn’t changed is the tradition of USA-made Springbar tents, which are cut and sewn by hand using the same tools and techniques that Jack developed in the early ‘60s. Jack Jr. still oversees the design of the tents.

“We make around 200 USA-made tents a month, and they typically sell out within two hours,” said Measom. “We have employees who have been with the company for 30 years who are still sewing tents and making repairs.”

Some of those repairs are for tents that are more than 40 years old. And the employees working in the shop are as unique as the tents themselves, coming from Afghanistan, Africa, Mexico, Hong Kong, and the Navajo Nation.

In uncertain times, one thing is certain: Springbar tents will be there, keeping you protected from the elements.