The story
The company was started in 1952 by Asher "Dick" Kelty (September 13, 1919 – January 12, 2004), who was one of the first gear designers to produce and market an external-frame backpack designed specifically for civilian use. He is considered to be the inventor of the aluminum-framed backpack. Kelty was also the provider of gear in the 1970s cult classic TV series The Land Of The Lost.
From Wikipedia’s article on Kelty (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4