There’s an art to packing a backpack: Stuff you might need in a hurry (rain jacket, first-aid kit) goes toward the top; stuff you won’t need until you get to camp goes toward the bottom … things like that.
It’s simple enough in theory.
But what happens on day 3, day 4 and all the days after when you’ve unpacked and repacked so many times and you’re so exhausted that it’s hard to tell where everything should have gone in the first place?
This is the issue that TrailEagle Packs is tackling. Founded by two Eagle Scouts, the startup attempts to solve the problems of inefficient packing and disorganized pack storage by offering three layers of storage areas, each of which can be loaded and unloaded without affecting the other two.
“When you’re on a multiday hike with a big pack, it’s easy for things to get jumbled up,” says Kevin Burnett (Eagle Class of 2021), CEO and co-founder of TrailEagle Packs. “There’s always that one thing at the bottom that you really have to get to, and you have to take everything out to get it when you’re using a pack of that size.”
Introducing the TrailOrigin 75L, a 75-liter hiking backpack designed to make it easier to organize and reach the things you need when you need them.
“You can easily organize and access your gear in under 30 seconds,” Burnett says. “That’s where our pack is different.”
A love of the outdoors developed in Scouting
Burnett says he developed a general love for the outdoors in Scouting (as a member of Troop 27 in Ann Arbor, Mich.) and a specific love for backpacking at Philmont Scout Ranch, which he visited as both a youth participant and as a member of the seasonal staff.
It was while working at Philmont that he met Wesley Casselman (Eagle Class of 2020 from Troop 319 in Findlay, Ohio). The two struck up a friendship, became tent mates and eventually decided to go into business together.
“Scouting surely played a role in my love of the outdoors and backpacking, especially during my time at Philmont,” says Casselman, co-founder and CFO of TrailEagle Packs. “And Philmont increased my work ethic quite a lot, teaching me how to enjoy difficult conditions and situations.”
As members of Philmont’s conservation work crew, Burnett and Casselman spent plenty of time working, camping and using backpacks.
On one of their days off, Burnett asked Casselman if he’d consider starting a business in the outdoor space. Casselman was game.
It didn’t take long for them to decide that they could improve on what most modern backpacks have to offer.
Burnett, a senior studying finance at Michigan State University, handles the business side of things. Casselman, a senior engineering student at Ohio Northern University, designs the packs.
Getting started
TrailEagle Packs has secured funding from a few different sources.
They have a Kickstarter, and they also have received assistance from Michigan State’s Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, established to help students launch their entrepreneurial journeys.
The Burgess program helped Burnett and Casselman develop a pitch deck and also provided them opportunities to share their ideas at events such as the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
The TrailOrigin 75L is their third prototype and will be available in four color variations when it ships to Kickstarter contributors this summer.
“The question we’re really trying to answer is what experience can we provide to customers that they become lifetime buyers for us,” says Burnett. “We want to help the outdoors community. We want to help them organize their gear better.”
Down the road, Burnett and Casselman hope that their products will be available at all major outdoor retail stores. For now, though, they’re still trying to get everything off the ground.
Burnett and Casselman developed a love for the outdoors through Scouting, and they hope their gear will someday make it easier for more people to have those same experiences.
“I would like to see us make quality backpacks that have innovative function,” says Casselman, “and to let our products and relationships inspire people to enjoy creation and know God more intimately.”
Click here to learn more about TrailEagle Packs.
Photos courtesy of TrailEagle Packs
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