'26 Creators Gathering: Channel Country
Once a year, we round up our Creators & Innovators, point them somewhere without much cell service, and see what they make. There's no schedule beyond the work: shape it, glass it, surf it, then cook dinner for the crew.
Up dirt roads and deep in the hills, our Creators & Innovators made camp for five days of foam dust, resin, and woodsmoke. Timmy Patterson and his son Keone joined the crew, and the channel bottoms Archy made famous became the blueprint for every board shaped and glassed under canvas. The Creators Collection was shot somewhere between the shaping trailer and the campfire.
The centerpiece of the week was an Archy board, built start to finish with Timmy. Thomas Campbell set up on the hill to paint, the laminating tent stayed busy, and the boards have been surfed plenty in the months since. The film below has all of it.
Channel Country: the full film from The Creators Gathering '26.
The Archy Board
Timmy took the planer, shirt optional, and built an Archy board from blank to finished on a vintage Clark Foam blank. Every channel got cut under the eye of the guy who shaped the originals.
Derrick Disney and Thunder, head of quality control.
Shop the look: Let Loose Baggy Jeans
On the Hill
Thomas Campbell claimed the old gazebo up the hill and turned it into a studio for the week. Paint, odd-shaped panels and a view nobody could complain about. More from Thomas soon.
Under Canvas
Shaping is half the job. Alex "Superwolf" Villalobos kept the laminating tent running all week, glassing every board the crew turned out, while Donald Brink set wood fins out in the open air.
Shop the look: Puerto Jacquard Eco SS Shirt | Creators Chino Pant | Centered Oversized Heavy Organic Tee
Water Test
The boards stayed dry that week. In the months after camp, the crew took the new channel bottoms out for their first sessions, and the film picks up from there.
Credit Where It's Due
When the planers went quiet, the trailer lights stayed on. The week closed around the fire with the crew. Every board in the quiver traces back to Timmy's channels.
Layer up for cold nights: Creators Thermal Eco Popover | Wookie Wool Overshirt | Creators Salt Eco Pullover Sweater
The Crew
Thomas Campbell | Nick Melanson | Alex "Superwolf" Villalobos | Trey Martinho | Alex Lopez | Jack Coleman | Derrick Disney | Donald Brink
More From Channel Country
Every Creator gets their own video, starting with Timmy on Friday 11/13. Next up are a deep dive on channel design and a film on Thomas Campbell's art. We'll add each one here as it drops.
Special Thanks
A huge shoutout to Andy Bonin and the Bonin family for opening up their place to us for the week. Five days of planers, resin and a crew that never went to bed early, and they still let us call it home. We couldn't have asked for better hosts.
Thanks also to our friends at YETI and Kung Fu Tonic.
All photos: Jeremiah Klein, Aaron Regan, Thomas Campbell & Jack Coleman
FAQ
What is the Vissla Creators Gathering?
An annual trip where Vissla brings its Creators & Innovators together for a week of shaping, laminating, art and surf. The '26 edition is called Channel Country.
Who was the special guest at the Creators Gathering '26?
Timmy Patterson. The crew built boards inspired by his original Archy board, drawing on the Patterson channel bottoms Archy made famous.
What is the Vissla Creators Collection?
Vissla's winter collection of heavy organic cotton flannels, wool and thermal layers, and workwear-inspired jackets and pants, shot at The Creators Gathering '26.
When do the Channel Country creator videos come out?
One per Creator, starting Friday 11/13 with Timmy and running through mid-December. Each one is added to this page as it drops.