Rick “Tao” Franken dedicated his life to creating better gear. Tragically, the Bomber Gear brand he worked so hard to create and preserve will have to continue without him. At this year’s Alabama Mountain Games in March, Franken died of respiratory failure in his sleep. The story of Bomber Gear is as intriguing as Franken was resilient and talented.
In 1992, 18-year-old Franken’s roommate, Rob Mauceli, bought a sewing machine from Wal-Mart. The caving-obsessed pair had a plan to supply themselves with higher quality ropewalkers and kneepads than what was already available on the market. By 1995, the little garage of his Durango, Colorado, townhouse was stuffed with sewing machines and Bomber Gear was incorporated.
In a memoir he posted as a text document in an online forum in 2009, Franken wrote, “it was my calling; a designer for extreme sports.” In 1997, after realizing the market for caving gear offered little room for growth, the small team shifted their attention to another of their passions— paddling. The following 16 years would prove to be a rollercoaster for both Franken and Bomber Gear.
Early expansion saw Franken move into a trailer next to a Navajo reservation where he employed 50 sewers. Franken qualified as first alternate on the U.S. kayak team in the squirt boat class…
To read more about Tao Franken, check out Rapid, Early Summer 2013. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read the rest here.
