It has been exactly 60 years since Norm Coghlan founded Coghlan's Ltd. and began offering the first product, the Camp Stove Toaster. This laid the foundation from which eventually bloomed the biggest brand on the market, literally a symbol of camping accessories. Before Norm Coghlan started his company, he initially sold lamps, camping stoves, and various other items for the hardware market in the USA and Canada.

In 1959, Coghlan purchased a service depot located in the Winnipeg area (Canadian Manitoba) and began operating it as a private company. At this time, the newly born company named "Coghlan's Gas Appliances" focused on the natural gas heating market, which was growing nicely in Winnipeg. Norm Coghlan soon added camping equipment such as tents, sleeping bags and air mattresses. Additionally, everything also operated as a rental service – when people involved in camping brought in a lamp or stove for service, they rented something else in return or bought a new one directly.

Customers who came to the store wanted to find out how to make toast on their gasoline pump camping stoves. Norm procured this product from a certain American company, and it sold very well. But when he discovered that this product and its distribution would be discontinued, he decided to purchase all of their inventory, rented storage space, and everything began to look as it does today – from that time on, all things from Coghlan have been distributed literally worldwide as top camping accessories.

As the popularity of the accessories gradually grew over the years, the entire product line expanded and improved accordingly. Alongside warehouses in Winnipeg, Manitoba, those in the St. Paul area (Minnesota) were added. All in all, everything was already being distributed to more than forty countries worldwide! To cope with ever-increasing demand, the company Coghlan created new market partnerships – specifically with companies Opportunity Partners (in the USA) and ImagineAbility (in Canada), whose policy (meaningful work for the disabled) appealed to Coghlan. Both Opportunity Partners and ImagineAbility manufacture, assemble, and package everything + help process orders. By the way, Coghlan was the first major client for Opportunity Partners and also its oldest.

As time went on, in 2015 Coghlan acquired and integrated McNett Corporation based in Bellingham (State and City of Washington). McNett is also no novice on the market: providing outdoor services for over 35 years under the brands Gear Aid, M Essentials, McNett Tactical, Outgo, and Aquamira. Nowadays, this product line is named Gear Aid and provides without exaggeration more than 100 products aimed at helping you get the best out of yourself, your vacations, and your equipment, also increasing your chances of a successful trip and somewhat adopting "smart travel". Hand in hand, Coghlan's and Gear Aid further expand their product offers and strive to compete for customers on all fronts.

Even today, traditions hold old truths – after all, the legendary company product "Camp Stove Toaster" is still in the product line. But that's not all. It is accompanied by a good half a thousand other items and types of outdoor accessories, which aim to make any stay outside more pleasant for us.

What product categories and products does Coghlan offer?

First of all, it is the product class of Gadgets and Accessories (carabiners, compasses, fire starters, signaling, travel), then Equipment (air pumps, bags and covers, camping furniture, camping tools, candles, headlamps, knives, light and illumination, rain protection, repairs, ropes and straps, tent pegs), then we have things falling under the Health and Safety section (first aid, hygiene, insect protection, survival and emergency, water treatment), also not missing is Kid’s Equipment (various games and toys), and finally the Camping Kitchen section (containers and bins, cooking and grilling, hydration, lighters, organization, tableware, stoves and fuel).