Our Story
How we started
I started tenkara fishing back in 2015. One thing I always wanted was a small minimalist bag or pouch that goes along with the simplicity of Tenkara. I found a small camera bag which I used for a couple of years. Later on I got an old sewing machine from my grandmom, and decided to try and make a small bag that exactly fits my needs, and that's how it began.
The first one I made was kind of crappy. I probably made at least 10 prototypes before settling on the current design. I tested the bag in the field extensively and I was so happy with it that I wanted to share it with other tenkara anglers.
My goals for pack design are: simple, lightweight and intuitive. I decided to use X-pac and Dyneema composite fabric.
- X-pac is a lightweight sailcloth fabric made with a nylon face and an added layer of polyester X-Ply reinforcements.
- Dyneema is an ultra-lightweight non woven fabric that has one of the best strength to weight ratios on the market.
We have tested different fishing accessories on the packs to ensure the weight and function works just right. We have designed three different sizes since 2018. It may not seem like much, but we believe that a good product deserves more time and attention to detail!
For the future we have some more ideas for tenkara packs, we are very excited about it! If you'd like, you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook for news and updates.
Rugged outdoor quality
Originally all our packs were hand made in the USA by my wife and I in our home studio. Eventually we were overwhelmed by orders. Especially in the summer, since I already have a day job. Many of you might have noticed that we were always sold out during the summer time. We made a decision to partner up with someone to help with some of the production.
We settled on a small family sewing business in my wife's home country of Taiwan. Our partner company is a hand made bag company with over 40 years in the industry. They started as a hand made leather bags company. The young second generation owner, Mr. Lee, has since transformed the business into making outdoor gear bags exclusively.
Mr. Lee is an avid outdoorsman with a keen interest in the outdoor bag industry. They are no longer making leather products, but he insisted on keeping all the experienced leather making masters who have been with them since the beginning. They might not have all the fancy machines to make the product faster, But they have all the master tailors with more than 30 years experience to ensure high quality.
It took us almost a year of discussion and sample making. I have to quote the words from one of their workers:
"I have never made so many samples for just one product. In someways, I am very impressed with your quality requirements, in another way, you guys are too picky!"
Well, we take that as a compliment :) And thanks to them, we cannot tell the difference between ours.
However, our X-pac material is still 100% made in USA and shipped to Taiwan for our partner.
Also, We still have products hand made in the USA. You can check the product description for details.
Photographer
She is a Photography Editor for the Reflector at Mississippi State University and her photos have been published in National Geographic.
She is definitely a very talented photographer and did a fantastic job on our outdoor photoshoot! We absolutely love it. If you are interested in her work, please contact her through her website.