The Vecto will be coming your way, so what to expect?

After only 9 days on Kickstarter, the Vecto container is fully funded and will be going into production, but what does that mean? First, about the crowdfunding process:

Crowdfunding

The crowdfunding process, for us, has two aspects: one, get the money we need to pay the factory to make the product. Two, it tells us if you are even interested in what we are doing. The fact that we (well, me, Gilad, usually) have a nagging problem when hiking and backpacking doesn't always mean everyone else does. Running a crowdfunding campaign tells us if it is a real problem with a good solution. 

We started with Kickstarter, where the campaign will run until mid-July, allowing us to increase the order volume and try and add features to the Vecto. We have two features that we would really like to add, but require creating new molds:

1. Replacing the standard cap with a cap that has a holding ring (a la Nalgene). That means we need to make 3 new molds just for the cap, which is an expensive venture. To be able to achieve that we need to bring our campaign to $12,500.
2. Add a connecting ring between the container and the slider. This is a small feature that can make a huge difference in terms of functionality but will require redesigning the molds for both the slider and the container, again an expensive venture. If we can raise over $20,000 we can make both the cap and the slider string a reality.

To recap: the Vecto is going forward as is, but if we can source more funding, we will be adding two more features. That money will be raised until we go into production, either via Kickstarter, Indigogo (starting mid-July) or our own site in the form of pre-orders.

Testing

The Vecto needs serious testing at every stage (like anything else), so we are waiting on the final prototype that is presented on the Kickstarter campaign, which will be delivered after the 4th of July. Once we have that version of the Vecto, we will send a few around to be tested along with a couple to be tested in house.

Once the Vecto been through a month or so of abuse by several hikers, we will be making any further changes (if we sourced the funding) and produce a final version. This version will be tested again and if all is well, we will be going into production.

Final Design

We are working on making all our packaging recyclable or reusable, which means we need to find a way to pack the Vecto in a safe but eco-friendly way. The aim here is to have a very simple, thin cardboard packaging and no nylon or plastic. We need the final Vecto to be ready before we can design the packing for it, which might take a bit of time and will impact the start of production time.

Production

We have a great factory with a great team in China, who have been very accommodating about all the changes and updates we have been making. As a molding company, they really are all about making weird things in injection molds, so we trust them. 

Once we are ready to start production, the process itself is pretty simple: we have molds for all the parts which are injection made in batches of 4 per mold. Once all the parts are made (so there are piles of Vecto parts), it is assembly time, bonding and packaging.

The Vecto is ready

Our goal is to be able to complete all of the above by mid-November, so you will have your Vecto up and running for next year's hiking season. Unless, of course, you are in the Southern hemisphere, and that it is just on time.....

If you want to see those features added to the Vecto, make sure to support the production via crowdfunding or here. Thanks!