Greg and Michael Lowe filed in 1976 and received U. S. Patent #4,064,644 for the Hummingbird in 1977.
Denis Pivot of C.A.M.P. provided the following information on C.A.M.P.'s relationships with other manufacturers:
CAMP and Other Manufacturers
CAMP has always maintained good relations with its competitors. The biggest brands (Chouinard, Black Diamond, Lowe, Cassin, Salewa, Simond, Charlet-Moser, Petzl), thanks to the confidence they had in CAMP's manufacturing quality, subcontracted the manufacturing of mountain equipment to CAMP. This was an opportunity for the latter to make its industrial tooling profitable.
CAMP – Interalp
In 1968, CAMP entrusted its French multi-card agent, Mr. Robert Charles Maillot, with the marketing of its products outside Italy. Through his company INTERALP, Maillot distributed various brands of mountain equipment in Europe and thus helped to make CAMP known outside Italy. In the 1970s, it was common to stamp the manufacturer and distributor brand on equipment, such as Robbins (distributor in the USA of the Alpélit brand) and Alpélit (French manufacturer of ice axes).
Over time, INTERALP focused on developing its own company and hid CAMP's role as designer and manufacturer. CAMP, unable to accept this, withdrew distributing from INTERALP in 1980 and reorganized its distribution network worldwide.
(Without the CAMP brand, the INTERALP company disappeared in a few years…)
CAMP - LOWE
The LOWE brothers came to Europe to find a competent industrialist to bring their revolutionary ideas to fruition. After a meeting in Germany, the Lowe brothers and Orazio Codega, CEO of CAMP, had the Hummingbird prototype tested on the north face of Monte Disgrazia in Italy. Orazio, enthusiastic about this field test, concluded an industrial and commercial agreement.
CAMP produced 100% of LOWE equipment of all time, starting with the production of the Hummingbird, then the Footfang, the Snarg ice screw and the Tricam. Commercially, CAMP distributed these LOWE products worldwide except in the USA and Canada where LOWE distributed them through its sales channel. At the beginning of the distribution in Europe, Salewa dealt with the Germanic countries. This explains the 4 brands stamped on the Hummingbird: LOWE for North America, SALEWA for the Germanic countries, CAMP for the rest of the world and INTERALP as a sales agent for CAMP.
In return, LOWE distributed CAMP in the USA and CAMP distributed LOWE backpacks in Italy. These years of close collaboration between the two brands created very strong ties. When LOWE decided to stop producing the hardware equipment, CAMP continued to produce it under its own brand and that is why the Tricams are still in the CAMP catalog.
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↑ 149: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Interalp/Salewa Hummingbird
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↑ 175: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Hummingbird
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↑ 129: Lowe Alpine Systems Hummingbird
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↑ 046: Lowe Alpine Systems Hummingbird
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↑ 162: Lowe/C.A.M.P./Interalp/Salewa Hummingbird
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↑ 150: Lowe/C.A.M.P. Hummingbird