Last week we published an article highlighting our favorite Kickstarters of 2018. To make that article possible, we spent hours cruising through all of the outdoor Kickstarters that might be in consideration. While doing so, we also re-stumbled upon dozens of incredibly unique, odd, innovative, and weird Kickstarters. Some were funky cool in a good way, and others were funky bizarre in a not so good way. He are 8 outdoorsy Kickstarters from 2018 that caught our eye for their funk! Sure we've got opinions but you can decide for yourself if the idea is good or bad!
HoverGlide: World's First Floating Backpack
There are lots of things that you can do to "hike faster for longer" that don't involve adding a 9lb pack to your gear list. While certainly unique, the HoverGlide Floating Backpack might be the prime example of a "funky bizarre" Kickstarter. That being said, this controversial project did do exceptionally well on Kickstarter.
WhiSki Poles 2.0: High-Quality Ski Poles w/ Integrated Flask
While launched in 2018, this is the only Kickstarter of the bunch that is still live and seeking funding. Simply put, its a pair of ski poles can be filled up with liquid. Brilliant? Potentially hazardous? Both? Regardless of your feelings around its advisability, the punniness of the name is undeniable!
Because nothing says wilderness like constructing a small non ventilated hut to poop in! Sure, privacy is nice when going #2, but when you are outside, privacy is pretty darn easy to find. When it's not, there are usually designated bathrooms already established. This Kickstarter seems to address a nonexistent issue, or at least an issue we haven't encountered! Might be good for keeping out bugs? Ocasionally on road trips?
Nope, these trekking poles don't hold whiskey, but they do purify water. While we are all about functional multipurpose products, when looking at a new hybrid piece of gear, you should always ask yourself "do these things actually perform better/lighter/simpler independently?" In this case, you might be better off with a Sawyer Squeeze and a solid pair of carbon fiber trekking poles. That being said...
Mundo Trailboards: The First Snowboard Designed for Hiking
Do you ever get tired of the slow pace of hiking? Do you ever say to yourself: "if only I could travel these preciously few downhill sections just a tiny bit faster?" If you said yes to either of those questions (and also happen to like snowboarding), the Mundo is the Kickstarter for you! Hikers might despise you, snowshoers might laugh at you, and cross-country skiers might hate you, but shred on! Looks fun - we'd play around with it.
65 backers pledged $12,023 to help bring this project to life.
Ultimate Multi-Purpose Survival Shovel - The TUSK
Ignoring the video's music and the narrator's incredibly low voice, I'm disappointed this funky cool tool didn't get funded. While its utility for hiking seems ridiculous, as a winter car tool it seems pretty darn ideal. Overkill? Maybe. But we'd take that over a crummy scrapper any day. It certainly didn't help that this project was launched in the summer!
These boats look most similar to the makeshift cardboard boats you make in high school science/math classes. While I doubt these leak (or utilize nearly as much cardboard), these floating bathtubs as exceptionally economical. At just $120, these clever little collapsible boats feel like water travel simplified to its core! The progenitor of packrafts or the unevolved Oru.
1 comment
Kim
Lesson learned: your drinking buddies telling “yeah! that’s a great idea! I’d totally buy that!” is not a substitute for market research.