Pack smarter, camp better.
Pika Products started when we saw a problem with the way we pack for camping and backpacking trips. The contents of our top loading backpacks inevitably shifted and tangled throughout the trip, causing disorganization, unnecessary bulk, and frustration. Clean things got dirty, dry things got wet. We wanted to change the way we packed to make our outdoor adventures more streamlined and successful.
Pika's packing cubes are durable (made with outdoor-specific technical fabric), compressible to save valuable space, and can easily be converted into a day-pack for the adventures you embark on after setting up camp. They keep you organized to make your camping experience better.
Pika Products is a women-owned and local sourced Colorado business.
Founder Story The idea for Pika Products came during a weekend trip to the Colorado mountains in January 2018. Claire and Erika were heading up to ski and Erika had been frustrated with her backpack contents and constant state of disarray of her gear. Claire had always loved packing cubes but felt the ones on the market lacked the quality and features she was looking for. So what do you do when you have a problem no one else has solved yet? You find a way to solve it yourself.
We didn’t know how to start a company or create a product, but we knew we wanted a better option for our outdoor adventures, so we decided to run with the idea. With some guidance from a few connections (found through good ole’ fashioned Google searches!), we reached out to Sam Goodhue at Boulder Mountain Repair who helped us create our product by iterating upon our first prototype that included random bits of fabric hot glued together. We knew we wanted to make our products locally, so once we were happy with the look, features and function of the cubes we started working with Colorado Contract Cut & Sew to establish a timeline, costs and plan for production.
In the fall of 2018 we decided to do a Kickstarter to raise the funds needed to produce our first round of cubes. We quickly realized we would need some serious help with planning our budget and finances and brought Nicole on board as our CFO.
After multiple rounds of financial modeling (and more google research), we launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in January 2019 with the goal of raising over $15,000 to fund our first production run. With the generous support of family, friends and outdoor and travel enthusiasts, we exceeded our goal and were able to start shipping our first round of products in August 2019.
We’ve already learned a lot along the way and we are so excited to be creating a product we love and that we believe will benefit others who share our passions for the outdoors. We’ll continue to run as a bootstrapped company for the foreseeable future and are looking forward to the day when we can donate a portion of our profits to give back to the environment and in support of other women in business in the outdoor industry.
