One hundred miles. Fourteen, 14,000-foot mountains. Six-thousand calories and everything else you need strapped to your back. 

The year was 2018, and BD Athlete Joe Grant found the experience he was looking for while establishing an early unsupported FKT of Nolan’s 14 in Colorado. 

During the 49-hour, 38-minute effort, Joe was carrying a final prototype of what would become the Distance 8-liter pack. Designed in collaboration with Joe, our Distance Packs seamlessly blended running vest technology with our deep knowledge of alpine climbing packs to create a truly innovative piece of equipment—a pack that would allow Joe to travel at his chosen pace and explore his own vision of mountain movement. 

In the years following, Joe’s journeys evolved, just like our mountain packs, growing in miles and capacity. During a 2023 attempt of his latest project—a 400-mile link-up in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, Joe walked out with his gear in his hands. The prototype pack was in tatters. So, Joe and our designers went back to the drawing board. For a mission like that, the pack needed to be stronger.

In the summer of 2024, Joe headed back into the San Juans, this time with an ultralight backpack utilizing Challenge Sailcloth UltraWeave™ fabric—created from UHMWPE fibers that are 10 times stronger than steel by weight. Joe’s successful route, which he dubbed The Southwest Classic, involved traveling for 11 days mostly above 10,000 feet, linking the highest peaks of the range, and carrying everything he needed on his back with the new BD Beta Light Backpack.

These are the experiences that drive our innovation. From Hillary Gerardi’s need for ultimate efficiency during skyrunning races—resulting in our new Distance Carbon Z FKT Poles—to RMI guides logging over two million vertical feet in just one summer with our apparel, our gear is rigorously engineered and tested by those who live and breathe the sports we serve.

For some we may be a hiking brand. Others, an ultra-running brand. For most, a climbing and skiing brand.

But for all, we’re unquestionably a brand building innovative equipment and apparel for mountain movement.

The speed you choose is entirely up to you.

 —BD employee Chris Parker