Creating the most comfortable outdoor sleep system the world has ever seen ironically used to keep Zenbivy founder Michael Glavin up at night.
Tapping into 30 years of experience in the outdoor gear space, Michael successfully devised a state-of-art sleep system that’s not a mummy bag, not a sleeping quilt, but instead a draft-free, lightweight, versatile and warm backcountry-worthy bed.
If you’re like most people and don’t sleep on your back with your arms motionless by your side, you might find a mummy bag rather constricting. Conversely, a sleeping quilt might be a bit too drafty. “Every other product is a bag,” Michael claims. “And this is not a bag, it’s a bed.”
Even though Michael grew up with his nose buried in Annapurna and REI catalogs, he studied communications in college and started his career in the 90’s at CNN as a TV video journalist. Shortly after meeting his wife, the mountains were calling and the two quit their jobs in Atlanta, packed up their van, and drove out west to climb.
Michael started his next career with Mountain Safety Research (MSR) in Seattle earning $6.00 an hour as a customer service representative. He eventually got into conceptualizing, designing, and manufacturing products for the brand, which is where the origin of Zenbivy started to take form.
Later as a product designer, tester and marketer for more well-respected companies like Cascade Designs, GSI Outdoors and Sierra Designs, Michael continued to blaze trail in the outdoor sleep space, even leading the invention of MSR’s Hubba Hubba tent and Sierra Designs’ Backcountry Bed.
Despite having his hand in product development, Michael still wasn’t satisfied with the sleep systems on the market. Even the Backcountry Bed, of which he was the named inventor, could be more accommodating, he thought. “The bed still pinned you to the mattress, which was a different kind of constriction. And then you were very free until you didn’t want to be free,” he laughed.
Introducing the Zenbivy Bed: the first of its kind, two-piece sleep system consisting of a backpacking quilt that attaches to a sheet that is fitted on a mattress.
The patented design allows the quilt to float on top while keeping you tucked in, shielded from drafts and without added constriction. The system has the warmth of a mummy bag and the freedom and comfort of sleeping with a blanket. “It makes it as secure and warm as a mummy bag when tucked, but also as free as a quilt when not tucked.”
Michael knew the brand would be much more successful if he and his team were the ones selling directly to the customer, earning their trust one at a time. “We’re not a mummy bag, and we’re not a quilt and a lot of people were just unsure. I do think Zenbivy provides a better solution than a cobbled one, and works for everyone right out of the box.”
Up until recently, the Zenbivy team of five worked remotely across Washington state. While Michael still resides in Spokane, the brand made the exciting move to Bellingham earlier this year where all design and development will now take place.
With a constant flow of sleep-centric backcountry-worthy gear in the pipeline, the brand never sways from their oath to create simple, comfortable and peaceful shelters. “It’s about minimalism, but also not suffering,” Michael said. “A lot of people think they have to choose.”
Zenbivy doesn’t want people to have to choose. “A lot of people are enthusiasts, but they suffer. That’s what we’re trying to get behind. We want to redefine and transform the outdoor experience by making a bed so comfortable and therefore it will help people get out there more. That’s the point.”
The Zenbivy Team!
Originally from Alaska, Maria currently resides in Montana with her husband, two young daughters and chocolate lab named Echo. When she’s not chasing her kids or that next running goal, you can find her weekend-warrioring in the mountains or thinking about her next cup of coffee.
