Mountain Laurel Designs

Mountain Laurel Designs (often shortened to MLD) is an American outdoor equipment brand specializing in super ultralight (SUL) and ultralight (UL) gear for backpacking, fast packing and bikepacking. The company was started by Ron Bell in 2002, drawing on his more than four decades of lightweight outdoor experience, including time as a Search and Rescue Climber for Yosemite National Park (YOSAR). MLD began by making light silnylon tarps and selling them first on eBay and then through its own website. The product line centers on minimalist shelters — tarps, pyramids and bivys such as the SoloMid, DuoMid and Cricket — along with ultralight backpacks, panniers and dry bags. The brand's identity is built around craftsmanship, low weight and small-batch production rather than mass retail. Its official site describes it as "Super Ultra Light Equipment for Outdoor & Wilderness." MLD sells primarily direct to customers through mountainlaureldesigns.com. Because interest in super ultralight gear has grown beyond its production capacity, the company moved to a monthly ordering system for 2026: an order window opens near the start of each month and closes after a few days to a few weeks, after which new orders are paused until the next window. The site also lists build times of roughly 2–3 weeks for small items and 3–6 weeks for large items, and warns customers about unauthorized websites impersonating the brand. Recent product highlights promoted on the homepage include the SoloMid PRO and Cricket PRO shelters, the 13-ounce Super Core 38L pack, and Poco Panniers in new 2026 colors. The brand remains privately held and closely associated with its founder, Ron Bell.

Mountain Laurel Designs was started by Ron Bell in 2002. Bell's lightweight outdoor background spans over 40 years; even as an Explorer Scout in the 1970s he used only an 8-ounce mesh net hammock and a military poncho as shelter. Much of his focus on lightweight gear comes from his experience as a Search and Rescue Climber for Yosemite National Park (YOSAR). As the company's history page puts it, "After you sleep inside a haul bag on a big wall, you realize how little you need to reach your goals." Bell continues to section hike and competes in trail running, trail and road ultramarathons, Ironman events and various off-road multi-sport swim, bike and paddle endurance events; moving fast, light and efficient is described as his uniting philosophy for the modern outdoor experience. MLD started out making light silnylon tarps, selling them first on eBay and then from its own website. In 2003 the company began expanding its product range. Over the following years it built a reputation among ultralight backpackers for minimalist shelters — tarps, pyramids and bivys — as well as ultralight packs and, later, bikepacking panniers and dry bags. The brand's official tagline is "Super Ultra Light Equipment for Outdoor & Wilderness." By the mid-2020s, interest in super ultralight gear had grown far beyond the company's production capacity. To maintain reasonable lead times and the quality MLD is known for, the company moved to a monthly ordering system for 2026. Under this system, an order window opens near the start of each month and lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks; when it closes, acceptance of new orders is paused until the next month. The company says this lets it build every order in a predictable, high-quality and manageable flow, maintain shorter and more predictable lead times, focus on craftsmanship and quality, keep more products available, and continue developing new gear instead of endlessly chasing backlog. Customers can still browse the site, research products and build a wish list while ordering is closed. The site lists build times of 2–3 weeks for small items and 3–6 weeks for large items, and carries a fraud alert warning that unauthorized websites impersonate Mountain Laurel Designs, stressing that the official site ends in .COM. Product development has continued, with the homepage promoting the SoloMid PRO and Cricket PRO shelters, the 13-ounce Super Core 38L pack (described as an alpine-attack style climbing pack that doubles as a low-key travel pack), and Poco Panniers in new 2026 colors including lime, rust, electric blue and fuchsia. The company remains privately held and closely identified with its founder, Ron Bell, who signs communications as "Ron & the MLD Team."

• 2026

  MLD moves to a monthly ordering system to manage demand and lead times.

• 2003

  The company begins expanding beyond its initial silnylon tarps.

• 2002

  Mountain Laurel Designs is started by Ron Bell.

Specialist maker of super ultralight, small-batch backpacking and bikepacking equipment sold direct to customers.

• SoloMid PRO

  Ultralight solo shelter in the PRO series.

• Cricket PRO

  Ultralight shelter in the PRO series.

• SoloMid XL

  4.5' x 9.2' ultralight shelter.

• DuoMid

  5.7 x 9.2 ultralight pyramid shelter.

• DuoMid XL

  7.3 x 9.2 ultralight pyramid shelter.

• Super Core 38L

  13-ounce alpine-attack style climbing pack that also works as a low-key travel pack.

• Poco Panniers

  Bikepacking panniers available in 2026 colors including lime, rust, electric blue and fuchsia.

1. 1Mountain Laurel Designs official websitemountainlaureldesigns.com
2. 2History | Mountain Laurel Designsmountainlaureldesigns.com