About SlingFin
SlingFin was founded in 2010 with one simple goal. Build the strongest, most innovative, no-expense-spared outdoor equipment in the world. It represents the sum total of founder Martin Zemitis’ three decades of experience in the outdoor industry. After designing for The North Face and Sierra Designs for around a decade he co-founded Mountain Hardwear, where he designed equipment until 2009. Eventually he began to desire more freedom to design without the constraints of price targets and decided it was time to take things in a new direction. Soon thereafter, SlingFin was born.
We started making high alpine-focused dream tents that people on Everest would use as windbreaks for other tents. After a while, we realized the demand for shelters that can stand up to the elements extends well beyond the high alpine. Since then we’ve kept the strength-to-weight ratio of our tents at the forefront of our product development process. We choose materials that improve the long-term durability of our products even if they’re more expensive, because we believe a good tent should be a long-term investment. Through thoughtful design, premium materials, and a deep understanding of tensile structures, we’ve created a full lineup of tents that can withstand much harsher conditions than other tents in their weight class.
SlingFin is an employee-owned, self-funded company. This means no suits, no “bean-counters”, and no pressure to maximize profit at the expense of quality. We’re small, lean, and scrappy, and we like it that way. We make the gear we want to use, not the gear a VC firm thinks will get them the best ROI. Our designs are inspired by our desire for stronger, lighter gear. We draw on our deep industry heritage to ensure that the materials, attention to detail, and build quality of our products are impeccable.