Eagle Creek...hope this isn’t true :—((

I still have and use my Eagle Creek neck wallet purchased 20 years ago.

That is shocking! We love our Eagle Creek backpack suitcases purchased in 2000, which have done 18 trips to Europe as well as trips in the U.S. and Canada. We rarely use anything else.

Too bad. My Eagle Creek belt pack has been all over the place, domestic and foreign. But I guess they couldn't survive on my one purchase decades ago. The parent VF Corporation still has North Face, Timberland, Jansport, Smartwool, and a bunch of other brands to fall back on.

Going out of business sales???? I'd be willing to risk buying something that is no longer supported (if something goes wrong) if the price was right.

Oh no!!!!! ☹ I just ordered a few packing cubes. Guess I better order some more to stock up. Thanks for the heads-up!!

Darn
I have so much EC. Suitcases, packing cubes, and more. On the plus side, I might have everything I need to last to the end of my travel days.

I just did a quick read of their website and it appears that a lot of merchandize is on sale, at least everything that I looked at was. Could be a good opportunity to purchase their products.

and you can also buy EC gear on Target.com, and looks liike a bunch of stuff is on sale there too!

This is so disappointing to hear :( I’ve found EC to be a reliable brand. I love their lightweight packing sleeves and recently ordered back ups. Time to review their entire line before they disappear.

Sad news.
The original owners sold to VF in 2007. Classic case of profit driven decisions rather than passion for product focus. Last few years - eagle creek has changed styles and colors significantly - trying to appeal to younger travelers. In some ways, “threw the baby out with the bath water.”
Even so, I appreciated eagle creek and its innovation.

I believe Frank (who posts on this forum) is going to be heartbroken over the loss of EC luggage videos with Jessica. (I think that’s her name.)

Eagle Creek moved to Denver from San Diego about three years ago when the parent company wanted to consolidate most of their outdoor brands under one roof. Many employees who worked for the company in California didn't move. Eagle Creek seemed to have lost its way after the move and couldn't find its core audience.

However, announcing they are closing a division six months prior to it actually happening is strange. Unless they are hoping to use the time to get rid of inventory.

Jessica didn't move with the company. She's still in Southern California. She has started a business strategy consultancy with the owner of the PR agency that represented Eagle Creek and who is based in Jackson Hole, WY.

After so much deliberation on what travel backpack to get, I went with the Eagle Creek Global Companion. I bought it second hand and broke one of the zippers to the front pocket when I was packing for my first trip using it. I was going to contact EC to see if they could fix it for a fee...but now that doesn’t seem like it would be a plausible option. Sad day.

This is sad news. But not a casualty of the Pandemic. JanSport has been a personal hiking backpack favorite, The North Face for clothing, and Timberland and Smartwool, too, but Eagle Creek was THE travel goods company. My many reliable convertible suitcases with backpack straps - different sizes, acquired before spinner wheels became de rigueur for so many people, was the perfect bag for the trip to Morocco 2 years ago, and was essential for getting through the medina in Marrakech from our lodging. Rick Steves might capture what’s been a Eagle Creek’s market.

Christina, Eagle Creek is still operating so you might want to get in touch with them about the zipper. But it may be easier, and cheaper, to get the zipper fixed near you. They might be able to recommend a place.

I'm hoping for an official announcement on Monday and if I get one, I'll post it.

This is really sad. I can't even count how many EC products I own. They are so reliable.

It appears that they will keep Jansport and Eastpak. I consider these two to be inferior for adventure travel. It looks like they are abandoning the people who want the ultralight rugged gear and trying to go with the people who don’t care as much about weight or durability (which is most people).

Dang. I haven't had an Eagle Creek bag for years, but always wanted one of their rollaboards — but always fell just short of buying one because the one I wanted has the T handle.

And I love that Frank knows exactly what Jessica is doing!!!

Capitalism. Gotta love it.

Many department stores and outdoor shops carry Eagle Creek gear and they will begin liquidating everything in the next few months. REI's site lists almost everything at 30-40% off today.

While the EC brand may be gone soon, possible a few profitable EC products will be rebadged under one of VP's other brands.

And I love that Frank knows exactly what Jessica is doing!!!

So people don't think I have some type of obsession with this person, I used to deal with Eagle Creek quite a bit when my website was operating. They provided many items for review and wanted my feedback on some of their new products which I received way in advance of being available to the public.

I also had conversations with Eagle Creek's PR firm, the head of which is now Jessica's partner. She still runs the PR firm.

Thanks, Frank ll. I have wondered what happened to Jessica. A few months ago I finally broke down and purchased an EC bag I had been studying for a couple of years, at least. I don’t know now if that was good or bad now

Bets, thanks for alerting us to the news about Eagle Creek. We've purchased so many items from them, from suitcases (for grandchildren), packing cubes for us and as gifts, and backpacks of all sizes. I just placed an order with them, for a few of "my favorite things."
...Hmmm, did someone mention Eagle Creek on sale at REI?

Thanks, Bets, for sharing the sad news. Eagle Creek has been my trip companion since the early 90s. Their guarantee was legendary. I think I already mentioned once on the forum how Eagle Creek replaced my duffel bag after a trek into Tibet. The fabric had worn through after several weeks on a yak.

Target has the packing folders nearly half price, so I just scored a few extra. (Tip from skunklet)

Barbara,
Perhaps you could get a job testing fabrics on Yaks and perform other tests. The luggage industry needs to expand its testing procedures beyond luggage getting tossed around by handlers and sliding around on luggage carousels and conveyor belts.

I know ll bean and others use obstacle courses for luggage testing. But, you can take it to a much higher level.

testing fabrics on Yaks

Why do Yaks need to have fabrics on them? I thought they came fully equipped with leather seats and fur. Self contained...

Yes, thanks very much for the heads up, though it is indeed very sad.
Eagle Creek's silk moneybelt is the most comfortable one I've ever tried. Guess I'd better
buy a spare. And their pouches are so light and sturdy. Their TSA locks have large numbers
for these old eyes, esp. after no sleep flights.

Sun Baked, thanks for the career idea, but I think Eagle Creek got there before us. They say that they are strengthening and waterproofing today’s duffels with “water repellent coating developed by harvesting windshield plastics from landfills in Asia-functionality and recycling”.

Nigel, I should have said duffel fabric to be clear. But hopefully my old heavy duty twill model was gentler on the yak than the new model.

Thanks for the yuks about yaks! :)

Barbara and Nigel - maybe that should be testing fabrics against yaks, if there would be any confusion.

But with advances in technology, there must be some Gnu fabrics on the market!

Then there’s always good old Ox-ford cloth.

This is indeed very sad news as Eagle Creek is probably my favourite luggage brand. In addition to my favourite travel Backpack and a smaller daypack, I own numerous EC packing cubes, packing folders, etc. I've been checking out their Spinners but hadn't bought one yet as I don't have any trips planned due to the current situation. I suppose I'll have to consider whether to buy an "orphan" product now with no guarantee, or see if I can find an equivalent bag at Osprey or one of the other manufacturers.

Since neither Tom Bihn or Red Oxx make wheeled luggage, I'll have to do some research on which other manufacturers make good quality and *reasonably priced spinners. I have briefly looked at Gregory Quadro hardcase spinners and those also appear to be excellent quality. That might be a good option for me as they're available locally.

Sad but not surprising as it seems that they have lost their way the last few years. I have had several EC bags with the last being a 30-40 liter travel backpack/duffel. The fabrics have changed and designs really don't make much sense to me recently. Consequently, my last few purchases for gear for the family have been all Osprey.

I went on the Eagle Creek website and there’s no mention of the news, which is unfortunate for shoppers who aren’t aware of it.

I live-chatted with an agent and asked if guarantees and warranties would be honored. Here’s his reply:

“We don't have that information as of yet. We will hope to honor the warranties”

Not very reassuring. Also, some stuff is on sale, by no means all, and it’s sure not going-out-business prices (yet). I’m really sorry to see them go. I bought a EC travel backpack last year that hasn’t had a chance to go anywhere yet!

I guess I'm not terribly concerned about a lack of guarantee at this point. They had a good policy because their stuff was well made, and if you are buying it at a 50% discount, it seems like a reasonable gamble.

After saying above that I am fully stocked on EC, I decided to see if other companies would have something to replace my much loved carry on if it died. I ended up buying another EC I found on a good sale, nothing elsewhere appealed to me.

I think osprey, Deuter, Patagonia, mountainsmith, Eddie Bauer, etc. are all ready to take over eagle creek consumers. Especially osprey seems well positioned to claim this slice of the market.

Eddie Bauer--an investment group put the stake through its heart.

Bets, so is Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent line, which was marketed over the past few years as the premier clothing for an Everest-type expedition, gone?

Things were changing when the move to Denver was announced in Aug'18 not to mention the President was a nice but uninspiring guy; most of the middle management didn't make the move nor did many of the long-time worker bee's in '19 so, a lot of internal knowledge was lost. Some executives from Jansport and other brands transitioned over or, did double-duty but, they seemed to have muddled things up as the '19 and '20 assortments weren't very good. The long time, reliable roller, bags and accessories continued to sell but, the new items failed. By the time the pandemic hit, it was the death knell for the brand.

Rumor has it that the original owners, along with several others have inquired about re-acquiring the brand. Crossing fingers they can do it!

Maybe one last comment (sorry, I crossposted this on the Osprey thread also)

In the States, Target seems to have become Eagle Creek's liquidation agent. When you search for EC products at Target's website, you see, down in the fine print, that Eagle Creek is the fulfillment/shipping merchant for orders placed through Target. Items are selling out quickly. The most popular things are long gone.

I noticed yesterday that there are some new items on their website, which don't seem to be available elsewhere. Probably things that were in the pipeline before the decision to close.