Cascade Designs is an American company specializing in outdoor recreation products. It is located in Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

, and was founded in 1972 by two former Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

 engineers, who were avid backpackers

Backpacking (wilderness)

Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...

. Their first product innovation was the self-inflating camping mattress, marketed as Therm-a-Rest

Therm-a-Rest

Therm-a-Rest is a trademarked name for a line of self-inflating camping mattresses. They were invented in the early 1970s by two former Boeing engineers, who were avid backpackers. They named their company Cascade Designs....

.

Cascade Designs owns the following subsidiaries and/or trademarks:

• Mountain Safety Research
  Mountain Safety Research
  Mountain Safety Research, or MSR, is an American corporation located in Seattle, Washington, and owned by Cascade Designs. It was founded in 1969 by Larry Penberthy because he was not pleased with the safety and reliability of outdoor equipment....
  
  , acquired in August 2001, makers of outdoor recreation gear
• Therm-a-Rest
  Therm-a-Rest
  Therm-a-Rest is a trademarked name for a line of self-inflating camping mattresses. They were invented in the early 1970s by two former Boeing engineers, who were avid backpackers. They named their company Cascade Designs....
  
  , makers of portable sleeping pad
  Sleeping pad
  In camping, a ground pad, sleeping pad, sleeping mat or roll mat is a simple device often used in conjunction with a sleeping bag. Its purpose is to provide padding and thermal insulation...
  
  s
• Platypus, makers of hydration system
  Hydration system
  In recreation and other sustained outdoor activities, a hydration system is an apparatus intended to help its user in drinking enough liquid to support the physical effort involved in the activity. Such systems for consumers were first sold to cyclists, but by the 1990s also had found a...
  
  s
• SealLine, makers of waterproof bags
• Tracks, makers of high-end walking staffs and trekking poles.
• Varilite, specializing in wheelchair positioning products.