The saying "necessity is the mother of invention" comes to mind when hearing the story of how Kurt Racicot created his first hunting pack. Unsatisfied with the available options and determined to press further into the Alaskan wilderness in pursuit of sheep and goats, Racicot hatched an idea that changed hunting gear: a lightweight pack that could carry enough gear into the mountains for an extended hunt, function well on the hunt, and be capable of efficiently hauling the gear — and an animal — back out in one trip.

Racicot designed and built the first pack himself, invested in a production run of 60 packs, and launched Stone Glacier soon after in 2012. Ten years later, Stone Glacier's Founder and Lead Designer finds himself at the helm of a company with nearly 30 employees and an ever-expanding line of products all built around the same ethos of pushing the limits of what is possible for mountain hunting gear.

Kurt sat down with MTNTOUGH to talk about Stone Glacier's history and evolution, his evolution as a hunter, his fitness regimen, backcountry nutrition, and the importance of self-reliance and mental toughness on the solo wilderness hunts that continue to call him back to the mountains.