The Ivar shelf design was originally created by a high school student while he was sitting in the back row of his math class.

In 1998, Ian Ivarson was a high school student when he realized that all backpacks had the same problem: All the stuff in backpacks sit at the bottom of the pack with all the weight focused on the carrier’s lower back. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it’s also disorganizing! 

One day, while Ian was sitting in class, he took his pen and note pad, and sketched out his idea for a backpack with a shelf design system to provide a way of distributing weight evenly and also create organization.

Beginning first with a sewer in Berkeley, California, Ian started development of the Ivar shelf design pack. Eventually, Ian traveled to Asia, where – still to this day – he and Ivar Packs work one on one with factories.

After years and years of design, development, not to mention college at the University of Denver (which included NCAA Division 1 Swimming), Ian launched Ivar on the day of his 25th birthday – in July 2006 from a small warehouse in San Anselmo, California.

Today, Ivar remains a family owned and operated business. Beginning as a one-man operation, Ivar Packs has evolved into a network of San Francisco Bay Area outdoor industry professions, encompassing many of the best product designers in the business, and with production ties to the best quality, humane, and unionized factories in Asia.

Based in San Rafael, California, in the heart of Marin County in the Bay Area, Ivar designs, manufactures, and distributes Ivar Packs products into 150 retailers in North America. The company takes pride in providing quality, innovation, and performance driven backpacks.

Thank you for your interest in Ivar.