Jon’s Rugged Story
Jon · Air Force Veteran · Founder
A Beginning in Community
My path to Modern Rugged started in the Air Force, with a business that grew from noticing a need among my fellow airmen. That beginning eventually became Misty Mountain Gaming, taking me to conventions and into a community built around gaming and dice.
Traveling, meeting customers, and growing the business brought new opportunities. One of them was leather.
Four Bags and a New Direction
At first, leather bags were a small part of everything we were doing. But customers responded to them, our team started carrying them, and I saw the potential to take them further.
What started with four bags gave us a reason to look more closely. Why did someone choose one style over another? What worked during a long day? What would we want to carry ourselves?
Those questions helped us find a direction for Modern Rugged.
Built Together
I brought together a team with Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps backgrounds, alongside experience in business, work, and travel. Each of us brought a different perspective to what a good bag should do.
We wanted our bags to make sense in the lives of the people carrying them. An airport, a workday, a convention, or a weekend away gave us another chance to learn.
Modern Rugged grew from that process: using the bags ourselves, listening to customers, and working together on the materials, construction, and everyday details.
I saw potential in a handful of bags. Building on that potential has been a team effort, and we’re still learning from the people who carry them and the places they go.
Built for the journey. The story is in the use.