"Jeff has been working relentlessly for 27 years forging Granite Gear into the company it is today and he's decided to take a step back and spend more time with his family," says company spokesperson Shelly Schmidt.
The surprising depature came less than two weeks after Outdoor Retailer, a trade show venue where even the whiff of a rumor about an iconic member of the industry leaving his station would be impossible to suppress. When put within the context of Granite Gear's recent sale to the outdoor equipment and luggage firm BRZZ Gear LLC last summer, the timing of Knight's move and lack of noise about it may hint at discord between new and old management.
Knight could not be reached for comment.
There is no doubt that Knight's design talent will be missed by his former Granite Gear colleagues, but I'd be surprised if his departure doesn't also turn heads at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center. Knight worked directly with program managers to improve the U.S. Special Operations Command's load carriage equipment. In doing so, Knight invented the CHIEF composite backpack frame, a 3D-molded framesheet with three distinct zones of flexibility, that is the heart of the SOCOM Patrol Pack.
Knight began designing gear for the U.S. military back in the late 1990s. He developed a variety of high-performance equipment for SOCOM, spearheading his company's successful bids on government contracts for gloves, mitts, hats, gaitors, and, more recently, the SOCOM Patrol Pack and the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) suite of backpacks and medical pouches.
According to Granite Gear, "Jeff lives off-the-grid, in a solar powered home out-in-the-woods near Two Harbors, MN with his wife Lisa and two boys. He has recently resigned from Granite Gear to pursue other interests. Hobbies include skiing, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, biking, fishing, hunting, woodworking and pretty much anything outdoors. Jeff will continue doing what he gets the most passion from, designing, developing and building."
quits, fired
