Thomas Black founded a sailmaking and chandlering business in Greenock, Scotland in 1863. His son, also Thomas, changed the emphasis and direction of the company in the early 1900’s by diversyfying into tent manufacture which reaped big rewards from military contracts during World War 1. Always ahead of the game, Black’s Good Companion Catalogue was launched in 1932, a sumptious blend of equipment and narrative, way ahead of its time and proving to be an excellent marketing tool. The Arctic Guinea Tent and the Black’s Icelandic Sleeping Bag were icons of the 1950’s and 60’s camping scene,and this rather ‘used’ bag has become part of our collection though we are not sure where it came from. In 1933 Blacks were invited to supply tents for the Icelandic Millenium Celebrations and it seems they then became aware of the large Eider Duck colonies in Eastern Iceland. So, the Blacks Icelandic sleeping bag was born! This very fine example of an Icelandic sleeping bag probably dates from the 1950’s and was bought on e-Bay for £5.00 by Mick Tighe in 2011.