This new hammock project on Kickstarter is something worth looking at. Hammock’s are becoming more popular for camping, and this one looks like a pretty neat idea. The design is unique, and I’m really looking forward to trying one on a future campout with our Boy Scout Troop. But not only is the hammock unique, the company is also giving one away to the homeless for each hammock sold.
Head on over to their Kickstarter campaign. They are looking for $4,000 to get off the ground, and they are getting close. The campaign is running until 12/14/2015. I have backed them, and I hope you will too.
The following is some background information on the company, reprinted with permission.
“HIGH HOPES
By Jef Rietsma
MT. PLEASANT – A trio of Central Michigan University students is relying on High Hopes to bring comfort – and a degree of security – to a population of people in need around the world.
High Hopes Hammock Co. was founded as the result of a project for entrepreneurial students at the Mount Pleasant school. Its founders, Grand Haven native Connor Moynihan, Georgiana Klem of Spring Lake, and Christian Cullinan of Detroit, came up with a concept that they hope ultimately lands them a spot on the NBC television program, “Shark Tank.”
“Our highest priority right now is funding our Kickstarter campaign, then winning the Central Michigan competition,” the 21-year-old Moynihan said. “Shark Tank would be cool but we have some more-immediate goals to reach first before we can think about getting to that level … we really want to be taken seriously and that begins with reaching our Kickstarter goal.”
Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Moynihan said the Kickstarter goal for High Hopes Hammock Co. is $4,000. There is a sense of urgency, as its campaign ends Dec 15.
Moynihan, Klem and Cullinan designed a hammock that can fold and fit easily into a backpack. Made of a durable but lightweight vinyl, a High Hopes Hammock hangs from two stationary objects and is designed with a trio of Velcro strips that allows the capability of creating a cocoon-like environment for its occupant. Moynihan said the feature provides a person a degree of safety from the environment, insects and even other people.
But High Hopes Hammock Co. has a feature that Moynihan said provides its greatest appeal.
“Buy one, give one … when you buy a High Hopes Hammock for $49, we donate one to someone experiencing homelessness,” he said, adding that the trio has established a solid network with homeless-advocacy groups who are able to effectively distribute the hammock after one is purchased. “The way the hammock is designed, it can be attached to bunks inside a homeless shelter when there aren’t any beds available, or it can even be attached to trees, which would be helpful to someone who prefers to stay in the woods, for example.”
Moynihan spent 10 nights in a High Hopes Hammock over the summer as he joined a friend hiking the Appalachian Trail. He reported that under the circumstances, he slept well and the option of enclosing the hammock into its cocoon state proved to be a strong defense against insects.
The group has a trademark on the High Hopes Hammock name and is close to securing a utility patent on the cocoon feature, Moynihan said. It is relying on social media – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and blogs – to promote its Kickstarter campaign and showcase the product itself.
If the Kickstarter goal fails, they still stand a chance of nabbing a $30,000 prize through CMU’s New Venture Competition, a challenge among students in a CMU business program. The contest ends in April.
Based on what he has seen from his group’s competitors, Moynihan said he remains confident in the High Hopes Hammock.
“We have workshops where all the team members get together every other week and to be honest, I think we have the most plausible product,” Moynihan said. “We’re the only team right now that’s actually selling product and raising capital, so I think we have a pretty good shot at winning it.”
In addition to working with homeless-advocate agencies, Moynihan said the team is attempting to partner with organizations that could pass out High Hopes Hammocks to victims of a natural disaster, as well as to refugees in other continents.
He said a High Hopes hammock would be ideal for people under such circumstances because it is easy to carry and it allows occupants to not sleep on the ground. A High Hopes hammock can hold up to 500 pounds.
“We had a woman who bought 13 tents from us, one for each of her grandchildren, so that was 13 hammocks that got donated,” Moynihan said. “Someone who’s on the streets, their first priority is finding food and finding a place to sleep. We feel that if they have that hammock, it gives them peace of mind so they have that one problem of finding somewhere to sleep covered.”.
Moynihan said the three also spearhead a sleeping bag and coat drive, in addition to their efforts toward providing a High Hopes hammock to people in need. On the web: www.highhopeshammock.com“