From a young age Urpo Saastamoinen has wandered and hunted in the vast wilderness areas of Northern Karelia. In these last true wilderness areas of Northern Europe shelters and marked paths are far apart. Already from the early years Urpo understood the importance of good equipment and clothing – when you head into the wilderness, you go there with humility and respecting the might of mother nature and the harsh terrain of the wilderness. Once it was apparent that there was a demand for functional outdoor-clothing, it was logical to start creating additional products. Quite quickly this Sarka-wool outfit got alongside other functional clothing designed for the tough conditions that the local outdoorsmen faced. Many of those classic outfits designed decades ago are still found in our collections in their original state or modified with the development of materials and production. Based on the guidelines set-up by Urpo, Sasta still works closely with the local hunters as well as other outdoor professionals, testing the products in real conditions by real users. Improvements and new ideas are quickly moved forward to a prototype stage and actual testing. These processes combined with the experience of decades of hunting and being outdoors in the harsh wilderness of Northern Karelia, is also the base of our R&D and gives us the confidence to provide great products for the most demanding hunters and outdoor-users.
