Upstate New York luggage manufacturer has stayed committed to its community and quality products.
The widespread use of lightweight luggage bags and backpacks took America by storm in the 1970s. More than 50 years later these hold-all traveling cases are now a staple for students, hikers and working professionals alike.
There are many vessels for transporting our “stuff” when we travel, whether it be on an overnight trip or just the daily commute.
One such purveyor of products that help us carry the weight is Tough Traveler of Schenectady, N.Y. The 55-year-old, family-owned manufacturing company makes hiking packs, duffel bags, camera bags, bicycle bags, computer bags, garment bags and backpacks big and small.
If you need an easier way to transport something, whether it be school supplies or office documents, you will most likely find the needed bag or pack at Tough Traveler.
And unlike most other backpack makers, Tough Traveler’s products are entirely made in America.
“The American-made manufacturing community is very important to us,” said Tough Traveler President Umber Gold. “I think it is because of our community. We like to have good jobs for people of all skill levels.
“We are in a great location for hiking where you can reach the Adirondacks or Catskill Mountains, and the Berkshires are close, too.”
Gold’s father started the business in 1970 after returning from the military. He was backpacking in Alaska and did not like the packs civilians were using; he wanted the heavy-duty military material and something that was more comfortable to carry.
“He liked to hike so he designed this backpack and started selling them, and he went on from there,” said Gold. “He built the business from that. There is a lot of hiking around here so that’s where he started.”
The company continued to grow as packs became a common mode of carrying things. By the 1990s, Gold’s mother Nancy was running the business, a job she passionately held until her death in October 2024.
Today Tough Traveler manufactures its bags and packs at the same Schenectady location the company has used since 1984.
“It is a pretty good-sized plant, it’s got a lot of capacity,” said Gold. “We are operating now with a sufficient skeleton crew, but we can have up to 100 sewers if we are busy and contracting things.
“Business has always been steady, and we were able to continue operating during the pandemic without going into debt. We have a steady line of products that have been very popular, customers that really appreciate them, business customers, individual customers, customers across the world.
“We sell in Europe and we sell in Japan. In Japan we have a pretty large following. They appreciate the designs and quality. Quality of product and utility of design are our two focuses.”
Tough Traveler does not sell into China, a country that floods the market with inferior products.
“In the mid-90s, my mother was running the company and all the other companies were having things made in China where they would have cheaper manufacturing,” said Gold. “She said we could do that, but we wouldn’t have the control over the quality that we have now.
“We also have people who work here, and we wanted to keep them employed and provide people in our community with jobs. We wanted people to be able to work at whatever their skill level is, so she kept it here and was really dedicated to that for the rest of her life. I am, too.”
The Gold family has seemed to bring products to market that were just at the beginning of their rise in popularity. From backpacks for outdoor explorers to computer bags when laptops were new, Tough Traveler has always seemed to be one step ahead of the trend.
“We’ve gone from backpacks to luggage to camera bags. We were very big in camera bags for a number of years in the 80s,” said Gold. “We did child carriers for many years, and we pivoted to dog carriers; backpacks for carrying your dog.”
Tough Traveler got into dog backpack manufacturing even before there was a market that would sustain the specialty work. The family had a beagle who had arthritis, so they took a baby carrier and converted it into the dog perch backpack by modifying it with a seat and a harness.
“Dog backpacks are not the majority of our sales, but for a single item it’s our biggest seller,” said Gold. “A lot of people like to take their dogs when hiking and some of these dogs just can’t make these hikes so it is perfect for them. And if you are going someplace like a street festival or music festival, a little dog could get trampled so it is a good way to bring your dog to an event where you really can’t have the dog running around.”
In many of its smaller items like cell phone bags, waist packs and diaper bag packs, Tough Traveler manufactures with its production waste. Known as “zero waste” bags, the small items are often made with a variety of colors from the cutting room floor.
After 55 years in business, Gold estimates that Tough Traveler has sold several hundred thousand bags to customers who keep coming back because of the American-made quality.
“We like providing quality products for our customers, something they can have for a long time,” added Gold. “It’s for our community and the quality of products. “We don’t believe in fast fashion; we don’t believe in stuff that is going to get thrown away. It’s a benefit for the country to have our employees here. It’s a benefit for our community and for the world, for the environment and a benefit for our customers.”