Our Story

Our Story 

Ovis Mountain is a family-owned and operated company out of Palmer, Alaska, dedicated to producing the highest-quality backpacks for hunters, 100% Made in America.

Most new pack companies follow the same tired story: a couple of buddies have an idea, hire someone else to sew their prototypes, outsource the frame design to multiple engineering firms, and pay influencers to tell their story, because they don’t actually have one of their own. I’ve always believed the best gear comes from companies built on passion, not cashing in on trends. Far too many brands are just jumping on the “hunting is the new cool” bandwagon. Most have never sat behind a sewing machine, never carried a loaded pack they built themselves deep into the mountains, and never spent the time it takes to truly master their craft. They want the results, not the journey. That’s not craftsmanship. That’s outsourcing authenticity.

I did it the old-fashioned way, the right way. I taught myself to sew. Not a weekend class, I mean years hunched over an industrial sewing machine. I made pattern after pattern, cut through yard after yard of fabric, and threw away more prototypes than most companies ever build. I poured resin, laid up carbon fiber, and made more molds than I can remember, determined to get it right no matter how long it took. 

I carried every prototype I made into the Alaskan Mountains, looking for weak points, fixed them, and headed back out again. I learned what holds and what doesn’t when you’re alone, 20 plus miles from the truck or any airstrip and failure isn’t an option. You can’t fake that kind of knowledge, and you can’t find it in a boardroom - you have to earn it. 

Owner/Founder 
Sam Jeffries – is an experienced engineer as well as a life long avid hunter. As an aerospace engineer, he worked in R&D on the cutting edge of the aerospace industry with organizations like NASA, FAA, and the DoD. Some of the projects he has led include state of the art aerial sensors for wildlife detection and population surveys, aerial UAV gas leak detection for the Alaska Pipeline, aerial oil spill response and mapping for Kodiak Island’s critical habitat, along with a multitude of other projects.

He spent years working at one of Alaska's premier rocket launch research facilities, specializing in winter launch pad prep in Alaska's bitter cold interior and recovering rockets after being launched to the most remote parts of Northern Alaska.

As a field engineer, he has traveled to nearly every corner of Alaska, designing and maintaining the states massive seismic monitoring network. He spent months in the field testing a marine wildlife early detection sensor he designed for Alaska's busy ocean waters. He worked with the remote western Alaskan villages helping to design and implement an emergency response thermal imaging system to locate lost individuals during Alaska's brutal winter snow storms.  

While Sam’s professional career has gained him a unique engineering skill set, his true lifelong obsession has always been wildlife and backcountry hunting. Originally from Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, Sam grew up with a passion for hunting and the wilderness from a very early age.

He began solo backpack hunting when he was a teenager and has been hunting the most remote country he can find ever since. Sam’s passion for hunting eventually led him to Alaska where he continues to solo backpack hunt for sheep and everything else Alaska has to offer.