High Sierra Sport Company

High Sierra Sport Company is an American active-outdoor and sports-luggage business founded in 1978 in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The company began as H. Bernbaum Import & Export Company, established by outdoor enthusiast Harry Bernbaum and his son Hank. Its central brand, High Sierra, was developed around the idea that outdoor-oriented design could serve both serious recreational users and ordinary travelers seeking durable, practical equipment. The name drew inspiration from the Sierra Nevada mountains and the 1941 film High Sierra, reflecting an aesthetic associated with adventure, travel, and the outdoors. High Sierra’s product focus has historically centered on soft-sided bags and travel equipment rather than hard-shell luggage. Its range has included backpacks, wheeled luggage, duffels, day packs, sports bags, leather travel bags, tents, coolers, and weather-repellent sleeping bags. The company became particularly associated with feature-rich backpacks designed for different activities, including hiking, biking, sports, school, and general travel. Wheeled soft-sided bags and short-trip daypacks were also important parts of its commercial offering. During the early 1980s, a High Sierra canvas bag with leather trim became a notable bestseller, especially among college students and consumers attracted to a preppy outdoor style. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the business expanded into camping and hiking equipment, positioning itself against better-known outdoor brands such as Patagonia and The North Face. Its products combined practical storage, portability, and outdoor styling, allowing the brand to address several overlapping markets: recreation, education, commuting, short-distance travel, and team sports. The company also used international manufacturing and sourcing. Leather bags and luggage conceived for the brand were outsourced through suppliers in Korea and China, reflecting an early effort by an American luggage business to use overseas production networks. High Sierra subsequently developed a global-market orientation, supplying active-outdoor and sports bags as well as travel products beyond the United States. High Sierra relocated its headquarters from Vernon Hills to Gurnee, Illinois, in May 2012. Later that year, Samsonite agreed to acquire the company for $110 million in cash, with the transaction completed on July 31, 2012. The acquisition placed High Sierra within Samsonite’s broader portfolio of luggage and travel brands while preserving its identity as an outdoor- and sport-oriented label. High Sierra has also served as an official sponsor and equipment supplier to the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding Team, providing sport-specific bags and gear. The brand’s public identity therefore rests on a combination of accessible outdoor styling, soft-sided luggage expertise, activity-specific organization, and a connection to organized winter sports.

High Sierra Sport Company traces its origins to 1978, when Harry Bernbaum and his son Hank founded H. Bernbaum Import & Export Company in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Harry Bernbaum’s interest in the outdoors informed the direction of the business, which developed and manufactured bags and luggage intended to appeal to both outdoor enthusiasts and travelers. The High Sierra name referred both to the Sierra Nevada mountain range and to the 1941 film High Sierra. These associations helped establish a visual and commercial identity centered on adventure, travel, and outdoor recreation. The company’s early activity focused on bags and luggage, including soft-sided products and leather travel goods. Through Hank Bernbaum, the business arranged production of leather bags and luggage in Korea and China. This represented an early use of overseas manufacturing relationships by an American luggage company and enabled High Sierra to offer products across multiple material and price segments. In the early 1980s, a canvas bag finished with leather trim became one of the brand’s best-selling products, with particular popularity among college students and consumers drawn to its preppy outdoor character. High Sierra later broadened its assortment during the 1980s and 1990s by adding camping and hiking products. These included tents, coolers, and sleeping bags designed to repel weather. The expansion placed the company in competition with outdoor-oriented brands including Patagonia and The North Face. Although High Sierra developed a broad outdoor assortment, its strongest long-term association remained with bags. The company produced backpacks designed around different sports and activities, including hiking and biking, as well as soft-sided wheeled luggage, duffels, and daypacks. The emphasis was on useful features, activity-specific organization, and mobility. This allowed the brand to serve outdoor recreation, school and college use, team sports, commuting, and short-distance travel without abandoning its adventure-oriented identity. By 2012, High Sierra had established a global-market business in active-outdoor and sports bags, travel luggage, and related equipment. In May of that year it moved its headquarters to Gurnee, Illinois. Samsonite subsequently offered to purchase the company for $110 million in cash. The acquisition was completed on July 31, 2012, making High Sierra part of Samsonite’s wider collection of travel and luggage brands. Following the acquisition, High Sierra remained identifiable as an outdoor- and sport-focused brand rather than being treated solely as a general luggage label. Its connection to organized sport was reinforced through sponsorship and supply relationships with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding Team. High Sierra provided these teams with sport-specific bags and equipment. The brand’s documented history therefore combines an Illinois family-business origin, international sourcing, expansion from luggage into camping equipment, a durable specialization in functional backpacks and soft-sided bags, and integration into Samsonite through the 2012 acquisition.

• 2012

  Headquarters moves to Gurnee

  [1]High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company relocated its headquarters from Vernon Hills to Gurnee, Illinois, in May 2012.

• 2012

  Acquired by Samsonite

  [1]High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Samsonite completed its $110 million cash acquisition of High Sierra Sport Company on July 31, 2012.

• 1980

  Canvas and leather-trim bag gains popularity

  [1]High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org

  During the early 1980s, a High Sierra canvas bag with leather trim became a notable bestseller, particularly among college students.

• 1980

  Expansion into camping and hiking equipment

  [1]High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1980s and 1990s, High Sierra expanded beyond bags into products such as tents, coolers, and weather-repellent sleeping bags.

• 1978

  Company founded in Illinois

  [1]High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Harry Bernbaum and Hank Bernbaum founded H. Bernbaum Import & Export Company in Vernon Hills, Illinois, establishing the business that developed the High Sierra brand.

Accessible outdoor and active-travel equipment combining practical organization, portability, soft-sided luggage construction, and adventure-oriented styling.

• Outdoor and sports bags

  Backpacks

  Backpacks have been High Sierra’s most prominent product category. The company developed feature-rich designs for different uses, including hiking, biking, sports, school, and everyday travel. Their positioning emphasizes organization, portability, and activity-oriented utility rather than formal business luggage.

• Travel luggage

  Soft-sided luggage

  High Sierra’s soft-sided luggage range includes wheeled bags designed for travel and short trips. Soft construction supports flexible packing and complements the brand’s broader focus on outdoor mobility and practical travel equipment.

• Sports and travel bags

  Duffel bags and sports bags

  Duffels and sports bags extend High Sierra’s use-oriented bag assortment into team sports, recreation, and travel. The category is suited to carrying clothing, equipment, and other bulky items where flexible storage is useful.

• Travel and lifestyle bags

  Leather travel bags and daypacks

  Leather travel bags and compact daypacks formed part of the company’s earlier and continuing bag heritage. The brand also became associated with a canvas bag featuring leather trim, which was especially popular among college students during the early 1980s.

• Outdoor equipment

  Camping and hiking equipment

  The brand expanded into camping and hiking goods during the 1980s and 1990s. Documented products include tents, coolers, and sleeping bags designed to provide weather resistance, broadening High Sierra beyond luggage into general outdoor recreation.

• U.S. Ski Team sponsorship and equipment supply

  United States

  High Sierra served as an official sponsor and supplier of the U.S. Ski Team, providing bags and gear designed for the requirements of competitive winter sport.

  Outcome. The relationship connected the brand with elite winter sports and reinforced its positioning in activity-specific equipment.

  Source
• U.S. Snowboarding Team sponsorship and equipment supply

  United States

  High Sierra served as an official sponsor and supplier of the U.S. Snowboarding Team, supplying sport-specific bags and gear.

  Outcome. The sponsorship strengthened the brand’s association with outdoor adventure and organized snow sports.

  Source

• 2012

  Samsonite acquisitionM&A

  Background

  High Sierra had developed an international business focused on active-outdoor bags, sports bags, luggage, and related equipment. Samsonite offered to purchase the company for cash.

  Action taken

  Samsonite acquired High Sierra Sport Company for $110 million in cash, completing the transaction on July 31, 2012.

  Aftermath

  High Sierra became part of Samsonite’s portfolio while retaining its identity as an outdoor- and sport-oriented brand.

  Acquisition consideration. $110 million cash purchase price (2012)

  Source

1. 1High Sierra Sport Companyen.wikipedia.org