He eventually sold the armed services over 100,000 sleeping bags. There had been a sleeping bag shortage until Bauer stepped in. Bauer was able to solve several problems for the military. Bauer continued to develop new and innovative products until his retirement.īauer's product line expanded to include women's wear (of which his wife was in charge), sleeping bags, tents, skis imported from Norway, hunting and fishing equipment, and boots.ĭuring World War II, Bauer's parkas, backpacks, pants, and sleeping bags were standard issue for American Soon, Bauer held 16 patented designs for quilted apparel, including a sleeping bag. The so-called "Skyliner jacket" became extremely popular with those who spent a significant amount of time outdoors, especially sportsmen and climbers. Anthony and Diane Hallett quoted Bauer in the Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs: "I remember my dad saying that if it hadn't been for those down-lined coats the Cossacks wore, my uncle would have froze to death." Bauer patented his design, after making jackets for his friends. That uncle served as a Cossack soldier in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. Bauer remembered some of the light but warm goose down-filled clothing his uncle from Russia had told him about.
He designed this jacket after contracting hypothermia while wearing wool in the rain on a winter fishing trip in 1936.
Personal necessity led Bauer to design one of his best known products, the first quilted goose-down insulated jacket. In 1934, he took out a patent in the United States and Canada on what was called the "Bauer shuttlecock." This invention spread the game of badminton all over North America. One of the early examples of this practice was fly-fishing ties, which Bauer made by hand. When Bauer could not find a product he wanted to sell, he designed, manufactured, and distributed it himself. The couple had one son, Eddie Christian Bauer. Like her husband, the beauty shop owner was enthusiastic about hunting, fishing, skiing, and other outdoor activities. The creed for his business was, according the Eddie Bauer website: "To give you such outstanding quality, value, service and guarantee that we may be worthy of your high esteem." Customer satisfaction remained important to him throughout his career.īauer married the former Christine "Stine" Heltborg on February 21, 1929. In 1922, Bauer attracted customers by giving them an unconditional guarantee, unheard of in that era. Bauer spent the rest of the year pursuing his own sportsman activities.Įventually, the shop changed its name to Eddie Bauer's Sports Shop, and sold equipment for all kinds of outdoor activities, including golf. Eddie Bauer's Tennis Shop was only open during the tennis season. Bauer designed a special vice for stringing tennis rackets that was quite popular among his customers, and soon developed a reputation for his expert stringing. In 1920, he opened a sporting goods store in Seattle, with a $500 loan that his father co-signed. Bauer hoped to have his own store and spent two years studying part time to achieve this goal. He continued to pursue his hunting and fishing hobbies, and began playing tennis as well. He and his mother relocated to Seattle, where Bauer worked in a local sporting goods store, Piper & Taft.
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