Welcome to Near Zero, home of THE DEAN backpack. THE DEAN, named after founder Scott Jensen’s late father, not only honors his father’s passion for the outdoors, but has been a labor of love for Scott in his quest to make getting into nature accessible to anyone with the desire. His goal? To make quality, lightweight, and affordable gear to help others enjoy the healing and calming influences of nature as much as he does. Scott proudly offers THE DEAN as a stand-alone pack or as a bundle with all the necessary backpacking essentials, giving even novice hikers the confidence to Get Out and Go.
Scott’s love for the outdoors stems from fond memories of spending countless nights under the stars as a Boy Scout, as well as adventuring with his father and five brothers. An avid outdoorsman and backpacker, his father Dean, was known to religiously weigh each piece of equipment before an outing and to hike a mile from his home for impromptu overnighters in the Arizona desert, just to test out new gear.