The Story of the Sling Pack

Today we unloaded our very first shipment of our newest product, the Sling Pack, at the carter joey office. It was a little unceremonious as the team hand-carried boxes from a truck in the parking lot and stacked them against the wall.  

 As we were unloading, the truck driver asked what was in the boxes. I told him about the Sling Pack and recited some of the features and benefits. After I finished, he paused and said, “So you just decided to make that? And did it all by yourself?” To which I responded, “Yeah, we did. We just made a product all by ourselves.” 

 

 

But the gravity of the moment and the length of the journey to this point, began to sink in. 

The climb started three years ago when our oldest son, Carter, and I were in the habit of taking walks during lunch. We were stuck at home through the pandemic, so lunchtime walks were a great way to break the monotony and stay sane. I didn’t realize it at the time, but these walks also provided Carter with an opportunity for “adventures.” They weren’t long, just to the end of our street and back, but Carter would always collect things along the way. After a few days of gathering, Carter began to display his sticks, leaves, and rocks on the front table in our house. That is until I finally confronted him, saying “Carter, please don’t bring these things into our house. They are dirty and make the entryway look messy.”

To which Carter responded, “But Dad, these are my treasures.” Wow! His treasures. In an instant my worldview changed and I felt inadequate as a parent. How could I be so blind? How could I not realize that these things had meaning to Carter? They weren’t just sticks, leaves, and rocks; these were mementos of his adventure and our time together! It was an amazing realization. And it wasn’t long before Catherine and I set out to design a product that would support Carter’s adventures, capture the magic of the moment, and keep his “treasures” safe. Thus, the carter joey Sling Pack was born. It was an amazing realization. 

 

 From that moment to today’s unloading of our very first inventory there were thousands of hours from our team, hundreds of design meetings, dozens of samples and prototypes, endless decisions, and countless moments of frustration, worry, and excitement.  

Bringing a product from an idea to real life is an experience that few people are able to enjoy. It’s exhilarating and exhausting at that same time—a lot like raising a child. But the journey is magical.  

 

Today, we stand atop a mountain and look back on the road that brought us to this point. But we also look forward with anticipation to what lies ahead.  

We’re nervous. We’re excited. Above all, we’re hopeful. We believe in this product, and we hope you will too. We hope it motivates you and the children in your life to go outside, to find life’s treasures. To hold them dear, and to be active, not busy.

-Damon