PRODUCT DETAILS:
Relaxed fit
Crew neck, tonal colour pocket
Heavy weight, 6.5 oz
100% combed cotton. Super Comfy
Neck ribbing, side seamed, shoulder to shoulder tape, double needle hems, preshrunk to minimize shrinkage
WHAT'S THE STORY?
Cover Shot of A16's first catalog. Early 1975
It was 1974 and after 12 years of struggling to create a meaningful business, A16 was finally hitting its stride under the leadership of the company's Re-Founder, Mic Mead. It was time for a 30 page catalog featuring 16 of A16's innovative and well made products (The 16 product categories was a complete coincidence. Or maybe not.....hummm). Like many gear catalogs of the age it was an outdoor education to read through the product descriptions, and most of these type catalogs became quite dog eared before they were finally tossed in the campfire or tucked away for future reference.
Like everyone at the company, Jim Ward wore numerous hats. He was the Manager of our postage stamp size shop on the campus of San Diego State University (That was years before every student wore a day-pack). Jim also had a knack for graphic design, and when he wasn't selling a student a pair of Waffle Stompers, he was designing the catalog. Later in 1982, Jim once again combined his graphic design skills with his extensive outdoor experience and became the Editor of A16's quarterly newspaper, FOOTPRINTS. Which is another story for another time and perhaps another T-Shirt design.
Note: In the group photo, Mic is the one at the top of the picture leaning on the railing and Jim is to his lower left sporting the black Jimmy Buffetish shirt and the broad stash. Quite a guy and still a friend.
-John D. Mead, A16 Trail Boss