There is just nothing like hiking on a trail through the mountains on a beautiful sunny day.
Blue-sky overhead and always wondering what is in store around that next bend in the trail. It's that enjoyment, curiosity and wonder that keeps you pushing down the trail and life is no different. Through the ups and downs you never know where you will end up but you keep pushing ahead taking in everything life has to offer. Growing up in the mountains of Colorado, my best friends and I spent most of our lives in the outdoors. Camping, hiking, fishing and skateboarding consumed our summers and we devoted all our time to snowboarding in the winter.
We lived and breathed this lifestyle for many years, but in 2009 we were nearing the end of our path in college surrounded by uncertainty. We had no idea where our trail would lead once we set foot into the "real world". Jobs for college grads were few and far between due to one of the greatest economic recessions in history and the idea of taking a traditional "white-collar" path after college terrified us. I would have rather kept cleaning windows like I had been doing from about twelve years old all the way through college than settle for a typical corporate job. Several months after college, I actually did keep cleaning windows until one day a few buddies and I decided to forge our own path and start a new brand of backpacks. Our never-ending love for the outdoors and refusal to settle led to the birth of MHM. People were skeptical and we don’t blame them, we’re not businessmen and we’re really not even your stereotypical “outdoor” people. You’re more likely to find us in jeans, hoodies and Vans than sandals, cargo shorts and moisture wicking tech shirts. One thing is for sure though, the mountains are our playground, we’re overly obsessed with pack design and love being outside all seasons of the year. We have a new, unique, vision for packs of all genres and talking to people directly about what they want in a backpack is what truly inspires us.
Why did we choose backpacks? Simply, packs are our favorite piece of gear and we see a lot of room for innovation with them. We believe that backpacks are one of the single most important items people use. Whether you are trekking through the woods or going to work and school, people need an easy way to carry their stuff without having to balance it on their heads or strain their backs. Our packs do not follow a traditional path and they bring a fresh perspective to the pack world. Using only the best fabrics, an over the top attention to detail and youthful/attractive design has produced what we, and many others, believe to be the best packs out there. The unique features and design of our packs are like nothing else and we truly hope you enjoy using our packs as much as we've enjoyed designing them for you! No matter what you love to do, it's all about the little things so remember, "we've got your back" no matter where your path leads. Hope to see you out there!
-Jeff Popp
Founder and Owner
Jeff Popp
President & Founder | Product Development Manager
- Age: 25
- Hometown: Golden, Colorado
- Favorite Band: Less Than Jake
- Favorite TV Show: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Favorite Movie: Superbad
- Favorite Food: Smash Burger (yes, it's a food group) or Mexican
- Interests: Snowboarding, fly-fishing, backpacking, camping, going to baseball (Rockies) games, off-roading, beer enthusiast
Jeff grew up in the foothills near Golden, Colorado about 15 miles west of Denver. He was introduced to camping before he could even walk and grew to love the outdoors at a very young age, going camping and fishing with his family.By sixth grade Jeff found a new obsession in snowboarding to keep him busy in the winter and it quickly became a huge part of his life. He spent every winter snowboarding with his family and friends riding about 60-70 days per season. In high school Jeff began competing in small slopestyle and halfpipe snowboarding competitions and this is the point where he began to pursue snowboarding as a sport.
In 2004, Jeff decided to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder because of its close proximity to the mountains and had one of the best snowboarding teams in the nation. As a freshman, Jeff was placed on the University of Colorado Snowboard Team (CUST) where he spent most of college practicing, traveling and competing with the team. He led the team as captain for last three of the five years he competed for the school. During this time, the team brought back two national championships and Jeff was honored as a First Team All-American his senior year.
Shortly after Jeff graduated college he realized that a typical white-collar job wasn't for him. Today, Jeff is following his dream of a career that allows him to be involved in the outdoors doing what he loves.
Casey Lorenzen
VP of Marketing and Brand Manager- Age: 29
- Hometown: Loveland, CO
- Favorite Band: Blink-182
- Favorite TV Show: The Office
- Favorite Movie: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
- Food: Pho
- Interests: Snowboarding, Photography, Wakeboarding, Motorcycling, Camping, Tattoos, Denver sports
Casey was born in Boulder and grew up in Loveland, Colorado. As a kid he enjoyed the outdoors, whether it was camping, fishing, snowboarding or riding motorcycles with his dad and brothers. Always active, Casey enjoyed playing all sports, especially baseball and football. In high school he stayed active in various sports and clubs. While not in school, he could be found gallivanting around with his friends.
Casey graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Marketing. After holding jobs and internships with the Denver Broncos and Kroenke Sports Enterprises, Casey started working for Quiksilver and quickly became an Area Manager. During this time he met Jeff, President of MHM, and soon after started helping with the business as much as possible.
While not working Casey enjoys snowboarding, traveling, live music and photography. More recently, Casey won the Transworld Snowboarding Photo Contest 2 years in a row as well as the Echodemic Photo Contest and Powdertools Contest while having photos published in national publications. He spends as much time as he can with his lady friend and his French bulldog, Monroe.
Jordan Vecchiarelli
- Age: 25
- Hometown: Golden, Colorado
- Favorite Band: Phish
- Favorite TV Show: South Park
- Favorite Movie: Superbad
- Food: Mexican
- Interests: Climbing, Snowboarding, Ultimate Frisbee, fourwheeling, badminton, golf, traveling and frosty brews
Jordan grew up on the edge of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado. Inspired by their beauty, he began exploring the mountains at an early age, fishing, hiking, and hunting. As Jordan got older he started enjoying rock climbing and mountain biking in the Rockies. As a kid, Jordan also played basketball, football and baseball, which is where he met Jeff Popp, President of MHM, at age 8. From there they became best friends and starting enjoying the mountains together. Frequent trips to the mountains with their families were just the start of something great to come.
Jordan graduated from Colorado State University in 2008 with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Organizational Management. Outside of work, Jordan enjoys traveling abroad. During college he lived in Italy for a short time to study abroad. Drinking flavorful, cold brews and barbequing is how he prefers to spend his summers, and in the winter heads to many of Colorado's amazing ski resorts to shred the pow on his snowboard.
