Drake Munson pounded out prototypes for Veyo kids mittens on his wife's sewing machine.
“I’m not a good sewer, but I was able to get to a point where I liked what I had,” Drake said.
Veyo debuted last winter with Mittyz, kids mittens without thumbs designed to stay on.
What makes Veyo mittens stand out is how incredibly soft they are. Yes, softness is their trademark. And, not only is the fabric soft, it's also water resistant – both the shell and the liner.
Drake puts it well when he says that Veyo mittens are, “so soft that kids can wipe their snotty, happy little faces and keep on throwing down the snow angels.”
Other features include:
- Machine washable
- A gauntlet to fit over the bulkiest coat
- An elastic adjustable cinch to keep out snow, a double pull wrist strap to keep the gloves on and a buckle for quick easy removal
The Veyo startup story
As a father of twins and former ski instructor, Drake went looking for a the best pair of gloves or mittens he could find as soon as his children were big enough to get outside. And like Goldie Locks, every pair he bought just wasn’t right. Some were too difficult to slip on. Others required a GPS to navigate the thumb and finger holes. And then there were the gloves and mittens that refused to stay on.
“That started me on the search,” Drake said. “I visited every outdoor shop trying to solve a problem. This started the concept in my head. Can I create and design a glove that doesn’t have a thumb but is still functional, where the kids can still go out and play and throw snow chunks?”
Once Drake developed a working prototype, he sought co-founders. He brought three other people on board who have deep experience in manufacturing, design and the outdoor industry.
“And the four of us all have kids and have experience for what we’re trying to solve,” Drake said.
This is just the beginning for Drake and his team. They currently offer sizes for 12 month olds up through kiddos wearing 4T. In the future, they plan to offer choices for bigger kids, as well as expand the line to possibly include matching hats, coats and pants.
“We want to make it easy for parents to get out and play with their kids,” Drake said.
Veyo kids mittens review
A field test with a not-so-willing 14 month old
I ordered the size for a 12 month old and the tiger claw style because, well, my daughter’s favorite sound right now is ROAR. We brought the gloves on a six mile cross country ski in Grand Teton National Park. The day was cold, in the mid-20s, and the Teton Mountains were wrapped in snow-filled clouds.
Some pros
- I slid the mittens on my daughter's resistant little fist easily. Really easy.
- I loved the pull wrist strap. It kept my daughter from wanting to rip the mittens off in protest.
- I love that the mittens are water resistant and I can flip them inside out and throw them in with any load of laundry.
- I loved the design and the softness of the mittens.
- My daughter's hands were warm after our three hour ski.
Some cons
- I did find that the mitten didn’t fit that well around my daughter's winter jacket. This is a consideration that Drake told me that he and his crew were working to improve – a wider wrist.
- The mittens will need to be re-sprayed for water proofing after 15 to 20 washes, Drake said.
- We did have to take the mittens off for my daughter to drink her bottle. This could just be the reality of a 12 month old. I imagine an older child would have the dexterity to drink and wear gloves at the same time.
- I wish I had a matching hat. ROAR!
