Hand-sewn to order on a farm in the shadow of Skiddaw — custom thru-hiking packs built by hikers, for hikers.

“We create where we play, the mountainscape that we work in inspiring and becoming part of what we do.” — Tom Gale, founded

100% made in England • Hand-sewn on a farm near Keswick, Cumbria • [VISIT ATOM PACKS →]

(€ = budget | €€ = mid | €€€ = premium | €€€€ = luxe) (★★★★★ = heirloom + zero-waste preorder |

Tom Gale hiked 5,000 miles in an ill-fitting pack before he borrowed a sewing machine and tried to fix the problem himself. Eight years later, Atom Packs employs thirteen people on a farm near Keswick, builds custom backpacks for thru-hikers on the PCT, and still makes every pack to order — in the shadow of the same mountains that inspired it all.

Brand Intro

Atom Packs was founded by Tom Gale in 2018 in Keswick, Cumbria, England. After 12,000 miles of hiking and years of prototyping, Tom launched with enough material for 50 packs — and sold them all within six weeks. The workshop has since moved four times and now operates from a farm outside Keswick with 17 sewing machines, one laser cutter, and thirteen staff. Every pack is made to order, with a fully custom builder that lets hikers configure size, colour, pockets and straps before ordering.

Inspiring Story

In 2017, Tom was sleeping in a house share, sewing packs on a kitchen table at midnight and cancelling his only guiding job to keep up with orders. He had no business plan — only a list of customisations from hikers who finally found a pack that fit. The bedroom workshop became a dedicated space, then a proper workshop, then a farm. Today Atom Packs packs have hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and countless routes across Europe — all of them starting on a sewing machine in Cumbria.

Who is this for?

You have tried every major pack brand and none of them sit right on your frame. You hike long distances — thru-hikes, multi-day mountain routes — and base weight matters. You want to configure your pack from the ground up: size, colour, pockets, straps. And you want it made by people who have hiked more miles than most gear designers will ever see.

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