So after all this resistance to the idea, why did we make them? Because enough people asked. If people want to help us share FNO then we will happily take them up on the offer. Yes each decal costs a little bit of money to produce, and yes the postage costs a little bit of money, but if someone feels strongly about your venture you should be grateful. We are grateful to have the supporters that we do and we are grateful to them that this venture got off the ground. So starting today FNO will be giving out free decals (with one simple requirement) to anyone willing to support. 

So thank you for your support and enjoy! Grab one here!

Drive safe.

We have decided to use special Fridays to update our friends, fans, and Founding Family to the going-ons at Father Nature Outdoors. You may already receive Founding Family emails, but if you do not then you probably don't receive all the updates. We think it’s imperative to keep the operations of FNO open to our fans so they can have input into our operations and grow with us. You don’t get to see the inner workings of too many small businesses and we think this segment will provide some cool insight for fans and customers.

Before Kickstarter we had small-scale sales which were crucial to the development of our products, in particular our blanket. We took to Kickstarter to release our blanket on a larger scale and continue to get feedback to perfect the blanket.

We are happy to say that we have had encouraging feedback (as we had hoped/expected) on the blanket, but we are always looking for ways to improve it. Over the past year we’ve had a number of emails roll in telling us what users like about the blanket, but only a few about how we can improve.

The few improvement emails related to one topic: the blanket compression sack. Typically we have used the same materials for the blanket as for the compression sack. Normally this material tends to be a tough, nylon rip-stop material and it serves the purpose well.  However as of recent our blankets are getting more and more use, and tougher testing which we are glad to hear. That means a tougher stuff sack is necessary to deal with the conditions, and the few emails we had were concerned that our stuff sack may fall short. It seems to be well-known in the outdoor industry that many standard stuff sacks can fall short.  

These emails prompted further investigation of sleeping bag/quilts/hammock stuff sacks from well-known brands. While we believe our traditional stuff sacks have been good, we found there may be better methods out there. So we took action-

We studied materials and construction to come up with an affordable alternative for our blankets. We found a 210 Denier oxford weave (basketweave) nylon that had water resistant properties and more durability. Then we had our seamstress double stitch each enclosure for a reinforced structure. Both improvements led to a stuff sack that looks the same and has the same function as our traditional stuff sack, but can take 5x the beating. The stuff sack takes the largest beating of the whole product after all- It must protect whatever you decide to store, be it blanket or apparel.

Starting today, we are excited to offer the (s)Tuff sack in addition to our current blankets in our online store. In the future it is our goal to include a (s)Tuff sack with our new blanket models.

While it may seem excessive to write 5+ paragraphs about a compression sack, it represents something larger. We strive to improve our products detail by detail and we are receptive to every email with ideas on how to do that. We’re thankful for the feedback we’ve received thus far and we look forward to continue to perfect our products. We want to offer products were proud of, and products you are proud to use!

So thanks for your continued support and we look forward to hitting the trails again with you soon.

-FNO Team

Founder Chris DeVore

Now going on Day 20 of our Kickstarter campaign and we’re standing strong around $7500. We’re starting to get excited with idea of a race to the finish. We have an important strategic move ahead so continue reading..

Successes: We’ve been reaching out and building our Founding Family with some new faces. We have more new faces than old (but beautiful) faces at this point.

Challenges: Continuing to stay present in the media and keeping some eyes on FNO. Most importantly communicating what is probably our best reward on Kickstarter- The Founding Family.

The Founding Family is a group that you can only join by pledging at least 10USD on Kickstarter. FNO has a current emailing list, but the Founding Family will have their own exclusive email list. We plan to use the FF as a soundboard on all projects and products in the future. What does that mean? Impressive discounts on gear.

Let us say, hypothetically speaking of course, that we have a pretty sweet design of a new camping mat we plan to market for 100USD to the public. First dibs are going to the Founding Family, but even more importantly the FF will be looking at the product for nearly half that price. And its brand new gear! Why would we do this? We’re not looking to the Founding Family for profit, but we’re looking to build a small FNO team. The ability to get gear in the hands of the Founding Family means more feedback and ideas for us. Win-win. 

What to look forward to (Strategy): We plan to do the last of our media outreach over the next week. Then next Tuesday 9/9 we plan to launch the last of our social media push in order to move our campaign up the “U” and over the edge.  We hope this last push will serve as the catalyst that increases awareness as we climb the “U”. So, like us on Facebook now and we will let you know when this final push begins..

Chris DeVore

Final Note: Lastly we’ve partnered with a few different projects on this journey of ours as we’ve tried to learn and grow. These guys have been great resources and they are the last of our partners. Check them out, and maybe even help them out to help them reach their goals too.

Sun Strap- Harness the power of the sun and keep all your devices charged. Why wouldn’t you?

VIER- The most compact and durable bike lock we’ve ever seen. If you missed the “Today Show” this morning on bike theft, you should watch it. And return to your computer to back these guys.  

HYDAWAY Bottle- This isn’t some roll-up plastic bottle. The most durable bottle that disappears before your eyes.

 

April 2014 Update 

It is now mid-April and it seemed like an appropriate time to deliver a short FNO update to our loyal fans. Some of you may know, and some may not, that FNO intends to take a large leap of faith in the coming months. Unfortunately I have to write about this in future tense and not past tense, but it the element of the unexpected that makes the start-up adventure most challenging.

Early in 2014 I had planned to take Father Nature Outdoors to the public. Up to this point FNO is followed by my friends, friends of friends, and occasional camping fanatics who stumbled upon FNO in its early stages. We have used a total of $0 on marketing up to this point, and that was on purpose. I didn't see the point in advertising on a large scale until we had a product worth showing off, and for that matter, a product with a substantial inventory behind it as well.

Well in late 2013 we finally had a product worth showing off. It is an integrated camping blanket which took about a year to design and perfect. It is a three-season (summer-focused) camping product which takes an innovative spin on a backpacking design. There are a few backpacking type blankets on the market, but they are restricted for a number of reasons; some require additional sheets, partner pads, cinch cords, etc.  The design we made eliminated these constraints, and attempts to garner more universal appeal among the camping market rather than backpacking market. And it is as comfortable as anything.

We went through a number of rounds of prototypes in 2013 testing the right outer shell materials, inner lining materials, and synthetic fillings. We knew what we wanted, but we wanted them to be perfect. Outer shell was easy for us- soft, yet durable nylon. Inner lining was simple too- lightweight and smooth to the touch. The filling was the challenge.

Superloft Filling

We eventually created our own mixture of synthetics which felt soft and lofty like down, but had the benefits of being a synthetic. On the spur of the moment we coined it “Superloft”, because every brand in the camping industry has to make their filling better than the next. With the filling created, we had our trifecta finished in December 2013.

So with our product in place we were set to take off. Due to previous small sales we had two options for a small funding amount. First we had the option of a low-risk small business loan with a former start-up program, or we could attempt to gain the same funds on a Kickstarter. Either could be used in order to secure our first round of inventory and both were low risk. So with everything in order we went to prepare our manufacturers, but it was there we were hit with the biggest bump in the road yet.

Due to a shortage, part of our synthetic mix Superloft was out of stock. The process of making it was so unique it couldn’t be produced without a substantial investment upfront, or without a much larger order. And this meant 5X the size of the original order.

We tried to find other solutions and get the product back on track, but it hit a stall. It is still possible, but in the meantime we searched out other avenues to make the product happen. Luckily, two of those avenues have appeared to pull through. So a little behind schedule it appears that we are back on track. In the next month we should have confirmation if were a “go”.

The quick update ended up being not-so-quick, but it is all details of the journey to start-up. It is a challenge, but I am actually happy it took place. It has given us even more time to prepare and calculate our next steps as we try to grow. Hopefully in the next few months you will be seeing us much more, and we still appreciate your support every step of the way.

Chris DeVore
Father Nature Outdoors
Because Mother Nature (and some manufacturers) can be a pain

Big news. Maryland, Kickstarter, and more..

If you have been following us at all for the past year or so you have probably seen some small changes, but nothing too dramatic. In a few days I plan to change that. 

Most likely if you've been following us you are a friend of a DeVore. Most likely myself (Christopher DeVore). One year out of college and a few adult experiences down I have came to a conclusion about my professional pursuits. I really believe I will find the most passion in my life following my own path. By this I don't mean being a lazy bum and getting into weird things, but I mean putting in some hard work and trying to run my own business. I think FNO is a great way to start that path. 

So what is next? Well Maryland for starters. I am returning to Maryland to give Father Nature Outdoors one big push. If that push works then awesome, if it doesn't then it is one more step in the learning process. 

That one big push will take place in the next two months. We have a FNO Kickstarter Campaign set up to start running in just a few weeks. The campaign will include bandanas, waffle shirts, and a final camping product we have been perfecting for 10+ months. We are looking to raise just over $6000 because due to previous sales and other sources, this is all we need left to get on a larger scale. 

For those of you who don't know, Kickstarter is a crowdfunding website. It is essentially a way for customers to pre-order a businesses product or service in order for them to start up. Outdoor Industry products have done surprisingly well on Kickstarter with more successful campaigns including a sleeping pad raising $140K and an alpine hammock raising $40K in the past year. We just need $6000 and I think we can do it. Because Man it would be suhweeet!

What can you do to help? Lots of things-

1) Help fund the project monetarily and get sweet products in return (Do not feel obligated, I stopped guilting people after my 4+ years selling raffle tickets as a kid for Boys and Girls Club)

2) Just simply share our campaign once on Facebook. Even if you can't afford to help fund us, the fact that you are willing to say hey check out my friend (who isn't crazy) and his company would means loads to me.

3) Even liking our Facebook posts is support. This makes FNO more visible to customers, businesses, fans, and possibly Mark Cuban with a spare $6000

4) There a millions of other small ideas, but those are the three biggest areas where I will need help.

It is said that running a Kickstarter campaign is a full-time job in itself. I have put about 4 months of research into how to make a successful campaign, but you never know until you try. You can learn best from trying.

"A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others"

Let's hope I have learned enough from others, but here goes nothing!

-Christopher DeVore