[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Founded in 1978 by Harry Bernbaum, a lover of the outdoors, High Sierra Sport Company was named after High Sierra, the 1941 Humphrey Bogart-starring film, as well as the Sierra Nevada mountains, both of which inspired the aesthetic of High Sierra, the company's eponymous brand and line of bags, as Bernbaum intended his manufacturing company's bag and luggage products to appeal to both the adventurous outdoorsman and the adventure-seeking sort of ordinary traveler.

[2][9][10] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the brand would add camping and hiking gear to its line, including tents, coolers, and weather-repellent sleeping bags, to compete with other brands like Patagonia and The North Face.

In the early 1980s the High Sierra canvas bag with leather trim became a bestseller of the brand, particularly among its preppy college students market.

But the brand's biggest success through the decades has been its innovative, feature-laden backpacks for various sports and activities, including for hiking and biking, wheeled soft-sided bags, and short-trip daypacks.

[2] In 2012, Samsonite offered to buy High Sierra for $110 million in cash.