Thor Tingey, CEO of Alpacka Raft, discusses what it takes to establish a new category in the outdoor industry and to build an independent, family-owned company. Twenty-five years after pioneering modern packrafting, Thor shares hard-won wisdom about balancing innovation with customer feedback, navigating explosive COVID-era growth, and why maintaining in-house production is critical to his long-term strategy. Thor explains how thoughtful, sustained growth and deep customer relationships define market leadership in the outdoor industry.
Episode Highlights
- Domestic manufacturing philosophy: Why in-house USA production preserves critical manufacturing knowledge that offshore production erodes.
- Establishing a new sport: The unique challenges and responsibilities of pioneering packrafting as a recreational activity and building a market category from scratch over 25 years.
- Customer-driven success metrics: Defining business achievement through authentic superfan stories rather than revenue numbers—when customers evangelize your brand unprompted, you've won
- Innovation vs. feedback balance: Weighing when to push design boundaries versus listening to what experienced customers actually need in the field
- Market leadership responsibility: Grappling with the ethical dimensions of being the category creator—from social media restraint to thoughtful product positioning
The KORE Outdoors Podcast is supported by the Province of British Columbia.
What is KORE Outdoors Podcast?
Dive into insightful conversations with entrepreneurs and leaders shaping the outdoor industry.
Each episode explores practical strategies and inspiring stories to help you navigate your career in the outdoor industry.
Your host, Christian Rawles, brings 15 years of experience as the former owner of Ambler Mountain Works and his current role as KORE Business Advisor.
This podcast is a production of KORE - the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. KORE is a non-profit organization based in the Kootenay region of interior British Columbia. KORE’s mission is to support the growing network of gear and apparel makers, designers and entrepreneurs within the Kootenays.