This 3 3/4" round hard paper coaster is durable and beautifully printed, and it's the third in a series commemorating the many A16 logos over the years.
By the mid 70s the backpacking boom was in full force and the company was growing fast. Several new A16 shops were opened in San Diego and Los Angeles and the innovative gear was being sold in outdoor specialty stores throughout the country. The flagship shop and office was moved to a large cabin like old home in El Cajon, CA. Complete with a large fireplace in the living room. It's the room where we displayed and sold down sleeping bags as well as full leather Lowa and Vasque hiking boots. Customers where driving in from all over the Southwest to see the unique shop and buy up the latest and best backpacking gear available. They'd also spend hours at the large topo map counter and California relief map, talking with the active staff and planning their next adventure. To save money, we excavated the basement and moved the factory from the WWII quonset hut next to the old local airfield. It seemed fitting to incorporate the log cabin shop and factory in a new and fun logo. This version of the logo was used from 1976 to around 1980. Collect them all!