Hello and Welcome to Dog Creek Trading Company,

Let us start by saying that we are avid, lifelong outdoor enthusiasts. Our interest in outdoor recreational equipment, outdoor safety and wilderness survival, stem from decades of hiking, camping and other outdoor activities in our Nation's public lands.

Being children of the 60's and 70's, we and our friends grew up with Smokey the Bear and the ideology of the Nation's wild places being the persona of America. Summer vacation meant touring the National Parks and roadside features for some of us, camping and fishing for others; but for all of us, this was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the outdoors, our National Parks and our National Forests.

As adults, nothing beats waking to a sunrise illuminating the Grand Canyon with its orange glow; the howling of wolves echoing through the night in the forests of Yellowstone; or simply, the sound of bacon cooking over a campfire in the backcountry as birds proclaim, in chorus, the beginning of a new day.

Although we do not always agree with the management practices of the various administrations as they come and go, we are huge believers in our National Forest and National Park systems and do all that we can to promote interest in our public lands and the participation of the public in their stewardship.

Year after year we at Dog Creek Camp would hear of day-hikers being lost to the wilderness; generally, inexperienced people wanting to see the wonders that are held in trust for us all. Upon hearing about a missing hiker, we would set up a listening post out in the Forest with a lantern hoisted high above ground to act as a beacon, a point of light in a dark forest. Year after year we watched one after another recovery of the unlucky on the evening news. One evening, one of our team said, "I think we need a bigger light!" and that became the seed that grew into Dog Creek Trading Company. We decided that if we had a more visible platform, we could arm enough people with the appropriate knowledge to help prevent loss of life in the backcountry. We can all make a difference, and this is how it's done - come to our website regularly and read the Wilderness Safety tip that we post every week; watch the Safety and Survival videos in our Wilderness Safety section as they are posted and share what you've learned with others. Subscribe to our free online magazine for more concise information on outdoor related topics.

Our store, Dog Creek Trading Post, carries quality camping, hiking, outdoor safety and survival gear! Top quality, field tested equipment to make sure your next excursion into the forest, mountains, desert and everywhere in between is safe and enjoyable. As an added bonus, partial proceeds from product sales on our websites help fund Outdoor Safety Education through public outreach programs.

Our Wilderness Survival Group has been field testing and evaluating outdoor safety and survival related products since 1998 by taking them into the Oregon outdoors, Wilderness areas and other wild places of the United States. We have field tested outdoor adventure gear and family camping equipment in places, such as the Columbia River Gorge, the Mt. Hood National Forest, the Clearwater National Forest, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, in order to ensure the fitness and quality of manufacture of the product lines we now carry.

DOG CREEK TRADING COMPANY found its origins as a small Wilderness Safety and Evacuation Survival Group (Civilian Security Group) formed in the early 1980's in response to cold war tensions. Later named the "Dog Creek Security Group" (after a favorite campsite on Dog Creek, in Oregon's Mt. Hood National Forest) the DCSG's primary focus on outdoor safety and wilderness survival training, centered around a tradition of weekend hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. The evaluation and trading of outdoor recreational equipment and survival gear became a central activity at all DCSG meetings, as did the practice of gifting equipment rotations between members. Because of this practice, the DCSG also became known as the "Dog Creek Trading Company".

In 1998, members of the Dog Creek Security Group began to set up listening posts outside of organized search areas during missing hiker searches. These posts, each with a lantern hoisted into the trees, acted as "light beacons" for lost recreationalists who were still missing after dark; quite possibly outside of Search areas; and to act as a visual point of reference for aerial Searchers.

In 2006, the DCSG shifted their focus to preemptive Outdoor Safety Education, through public outreach, in State and National Park trailside campsites and campgrounds. To expand on the "light beacon" concept, members of the DCSG started their first website in 2007 to reach a wider audience.

DCSG functions include annual garbage cleanups in National Forests; interacting with the public to ensure that backcountry hikers and campers have necessary provisions and safety equipment; patrolling forest roads to provide assistance to stranded motorists and outdoor recreationalists, and teaching survival skills to the public through one-on-one interaction. Something to keep in mind - it is the responsibility of everyone who ventures into the backcountry to carry the knowledge and tools to be safe in the outdoors. Our Mission, here at Dog Creek Trading Company, is to provide you with both. Everyone who spends time in the outdoors eventually finds themself in a "situation". Learn what to do if you become lost or injured. Don't be reckless - Make sure that you have the right equipment for the area you are traveling. The moment a hiking companion says (about extra safety equipment), "you wont need that, we are only going to be gone for the day" simply reply, "That's fine, I prefer to carry it anyway". BE SAFE!

From your friends at Dog Creek Trading Company

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