The Therm-a-Rest philosophy is simple: we make what we sell. This gives us complete control of our products, from conception to production, and allows us to create the highest quality gear possible.
Since we started making sleeping pads in our hometown of Seattle in 1972, we’ve embodied this philosophy by acquiring our own manufacturing facilities, building our own machines and painstakingly creating camping gear that we can whole-heartedly believe in.
But when you create high-quality gear, the demand for your product will grow and eventually expand to other countries.
That’s exactly what our founder John Burroughs realized in the early 1980s. After a decade of producing the world’s best camping mattress, adventurers in Europe wanted in on the action too, so Burroughs had to come up with a solution.
In 1985, after touring the length and breadth of Ireland, Burroughs found the answer. On Dwyer Road, in the small town of Midleton, Burroughs saw an old, shut-down wool factory that had the space and historical charm he was looking for.
The first shipment from Seattle to Ireland.
The original wool factory in 1940.That year, the building’s 50,000 square feet was transformed into the new Therm-a-Rest and Cascade Designs Limited European headquarters.
Now, with a lean yet productive supply chain, that old wool factory on Dwyer Road is full of life.
With around 100 employees, CDL serves 22 countries and creates roughly 200,000 sleeping pads every year.
As an integral member of the Therm-a-Rest family, our European brothers and sisters at CDL help us continue our mission to make what we sell.
Watch the video below to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the manufacturing facility in Ireland.
When your goal is to provide the most innovative and reliable outdoor gear available, there is simply no other way.
Related Posts:
- 50 Years of Better Sleep
- USA Built: Better for the Environment & Gear Quality
- How We Built This: Therm-a-Rest Self Inflating Mattresses
Updated. Originally Published August 25th, 2016.
