ZEN BACKPACKS is open and ready to minimalize your gear kit!

[Matt]

Hello BPL members!  I just opened Zen Backpacks, a cottage gear company dedicated to helping hikers explore the world of minimalist backpacking.  To kick things off, I invite you to visit my site ( http://www.ZenBackpacks.com ) and consider trying out The Raven backpack, my first minimalist backpack offering!  The Raven is a 35L, 9.1 oz. backpack constructed of Dyneema Composite Hybrid and ready for a thru-hike of almost any nature.

From February 1 – February 18,2019,  BPL members can take $80 off the purchase price of The Raven using Code: BPL80INTRO.  To insure I keep your delivery deadlines tight, the offer is currently limited to 15 backpacks.

I appreciate all the knowledge and encouragement that BPL and its members have provided over the years.  With your continued support, I hope I can now begin to give back by producing exciting new gear that opens the door to exciting new adventures.  – Matt

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Looks nice. Good luck with the business. On the “About” page you’ve got the same blue Patagonia sun stretch shirt as me.

Nice slogan too!

[James Marco]

Nice looking packs.  You need to add on a couple pad keeper pockets.

[Geoff Caplan]

Looks good, but I think you have a typo on your homepage:

At Zen Backpacks, I design and hand-craft every piece of equipment with a steadfast dedication to quality and a profound reference for minimalism.

I suspect you meant to say a “profound reverence”?

[Matt]

Thank you for the kind words, encouragement, and helpful suggestions.  Geoff, you read something a thousand times, and then you realize you need to read it a thousand and one! I’m on it.

[Matthew / BPL]

Hey Matt! Your site and designs look great! I enjoyed reading your About page. Two comments:

1) I think it’s useful to see a photo of the pack on a person with a caption mentioning height/weight of the person carrying it. It helps give a sense of scale and how it carries. Maybe it’s not needed given the target demographic of your packs but I think it’s worth doing.

2) I use my side pockets quite a bit. I’m always interested to know how a 1L Smartwater bottle fits in the pocket. I’d definitely like to see that on the site.

Congratulations on your new venture.

[Matthew / BPL]

Also, that Orange DCF is a gorgeous. Is that a new color? Special order?

[Matt]

Hey Matthew.  Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I totally agree with you about the pics.  I am currently working on adding several more visuals to increase perspectives.  Please stay tuned.

As for Smart water bottles, each side pocket on the Raven will hold two of the 1-liter bottles.  The pockets are quite deep and tall.

The orange DCF was new to me at Ripstop by the Roll.  I had not seen it before until recently.  They also have a reddish/pink at .7 oz. that looks “hard to forget”, as well.

[Lester Moore]

Thanks for sharing your new business Matt. The Wix website looks very clean and professional and easy to use.

[R]

The description of snaps on the roll top made me want to see it open.

Congrats on the launch!

[Matt]

Rene and Lester, that’s music to my ears!  It makes my obsession over the tiniest details almost feel normal. Thanks for sharing your impressions.  When you create something from nothing, every response helps you figure out what is working, and what is not.

[Chad B]

[Noel Tavan]

Didn’t pay the bill?

[Matt]

Regretfully, I took the site down.  I discovered that the market for my ultra-minimalist gear was too small to support a company in the short term.  To keep the lights cut on in the long term, I had to take on other unrelated projects leaving me insufficient time for sewing and customer service.

The situation saddens me, but the experience has certainly helped me understand why minimalist gear is so important to my enjoyment of the outdoors.  Hopefully, one day I can figure out a better way to show others how minimalist gear can enrich their outdoor experiences, as well.  That’s what Zen BP was really all about.   – Matt

[James Marco]

Sorry to hear that, Matt. We need some good companies out there.

[Matthew / BPL]

That’s a bummer. I was interested to watch Zen grow. Best wishes in your new ventures.

[Jerry Adams]

I admire people that run small businesses

It’s difficult to find a niche that enough people will pay for.  Get people enthusiastic.

[Author]

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