Our new volleyball backpack just arrived
DIG and VOLLEYBALL mag have reviewed this bag several times and one of them even called it the best volleyball backpack ever. But what goes into building a sweet backpack, and what makes it so special that we can continue selling out of it every year since its first model in 2005?
My original favorite volleyball backpack was a DaKine bag. Like every volleyball junkie, i carried around all my stuff in that bag pretty much everywhere i went. I was set to surf, play volleyball, and go out clubbing all from the contents of that bag. I would use it as a big carry on when i traveled and kept it stocked with all the essentials always. I lived out of it and always had it with me. If you play a lot of volleyball and travel, you know what i’m talking about!
WHY CHANGE IT?
Like the rest of my products, i felt like I could make it better. That’s why i’m in business, plain and simple.
I took the DaKine bag and went over it with several top quality factories, trying to learn what went into a good backpack and putting a lot of thought into how that bag could have been made better. We made sample after sample with many factories- costing out material, extra pockets, and trims (buckles and zippers), adding suspension straps, etc. As with my other products i started with a good product as a model and worked to make it better. The overall goal was to create it as a volleyball backpack, specific to our sport and lifestyle.
Our first pack looked and performed great. I sold a bunch, and gave some to a few top outdoor volleyball pros to test. after that first summer i had some great feedback- the bag lacked in some areas, and i saw room for improvement. The ball pocket needed a change. The buckles didn’t work with sand. Some of the fabric was snagging. We moved onto the 2nd version. Now we are working on the 16th.
Since our distribution is direct, i hear from most people that buy the backpack which gives me great direction as to what to add and change. Colors and tastes are continually evolving and its easy to respond to requests when they are made face to face. Some of my best ideas weren’t mine at all, but simply listening to customers.
WHY KEEP CHANGING?
I see the brand as less of a product and more of a service. Its my job to use my skills and resources to continually evolve products to fit the outdoor volleyball lifestyle. Creating and maintaining the sharp side of the knife keeps us fresh which is such an important part of a brand. PRODUCT EVOLUTION is where its at!
WHATS NEW?
The 2019 version has ballistic nylon added to all the high stress points- its the toughest fabric available. Black on black with a bit of white piping makes this years bag look super clean. We upgraded the zippers and zipper pulls (detail!) and changed the way the bag opened so it sat on the bad ready to pack in a more natural way. We also lengthened the wool lined phone pocket to fit the biggest phones. We were able to keep the pricing the same as last year too! Order yours today…
