Mountain Safety Research, or MSR, is a producer of

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

and

mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

equipment, such as

portable stoves A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stove ...

water filters A water filter removes impurities by lowering contamination of water using a fine physical barrier, a chemical process, or a biological process. Filters cleanse water to different extents, for purposes such as: providing agricultural irrigation, ...

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

s, and

tent A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

s. While specializing in lightweight and technical equipment, MSR's gear is designed for a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts from novice to expert mountaineers. It is located in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

and owned by

Cascade Designs Cascade Designs is an American company specializing in outdoor recreation products. It is located in Seattle, Washington, and Reno, Nevada, and was founded in 1972 by two former Boeing engineers, who were avid backpackers. Their first product i ...

History

MSR began as a newsletter in 1969 that covered topics around

safety. In 1973, Larry Penberthy (1916–2001) developed the MSR Model 9

camp stove A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, used in camping, picnicking, backpacking, or other use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed. Portable stove ...

, a design which used white gas and was relatively fearsome in cold weather. He separated the stove burner from then small fuel tanks, and then pressurized auxiliary fuel bottles as the tank, and used a better wind screen. Cold weather mountaineers loved it because it was great for melting ice and snow into water. It roared, and was nicknamed Krakatoa. Not good for omelettes ... it did not simmer well. This evolved into the Whisperlite stove, a multi fuel stove capable of running on a wide range of liquid fuels. He also designed an

ice axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its si ...

that was supposed to dig into the ice better and stop a slide. Penberthy also introduced aluminum-shafted ice axes; metal axes have replaced earlier wooden-shaft designs. The company was acquired by

REI Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, clim ...

in 1981. In 2000, MSR merged with Edgeworks, the manufacturer of Moss, Walrus and Armadillo tents. Shortly afterwards, these

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s were discontinued and all tents by the company sold as MSR. In August 2001, MSR was acquired by Cascade Designs.

References

1969 establishments in Washington (state) 2001 mergers and acquisitions Camping equipment manufacturers Companies based in Seattle Manufacturing companies established in 1969 Climbing and mountaineering equipment companies {{US-manufacturing-company-stub