ADVNTR is here for 3 reasons:
to keep stuff out of landfills, to make useful, sustainable, ultralight gear, and to create with our actual hands (gasp!)
Waste Reduction
Our items were designed primarily for the backpacking/ultralight crowd, though everyone could use a tiny tin. You can feel whole- and awesome for buying upcycled, hand-made stuff.
Because we aim to reduce waste, we don’t want to buy cheap, en masse to maximize profit (that creates waste, and waste is gross). Instead, we gather actual waste (old yard signs, tins, etc.) to repurpose. They went on different, real journeys before finding us. Each piece is unique. Performance gear is purchased from folks who were looking to dispose of their items so we can do some art and pass them on to you (after laundering, obviously) so you can have a one of a kind, high-end item (no bulk orders of subpar gear). If you see something you like, go for it, because when it’s gone, it’s not coming back.*
*Some items will be print-on-demand (POD). These will be labeled as such, so you can make an informed decision. We’re doing POD so there will be no overproduction (waste).
We’re guided by principles that ensure our waste reduction goal includes our processes in addition to the gear we create.
Our Gear
The gear on our site comes to you from a place of love. The TRASH. That’s right, it’s trash. And if we didn’t step in, it would end up in a giant pile of more trash. Scientists predict there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish (by mass) by 2050 per the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. If we can keep a few pounds off a pile or out of an ocean, we have to do it.
Why UltraLight?
It starts from lived experience. As adventurers, we think about what could be lighter when we’re out there suffering for fun. Our flagship item, the EDC tin, was born when our founder noted her pill case was bulky, heavy, and didn’t have enough sections. She tried an Altoids tin, but including Rxs, toothpaste tabs, and incidentals mixed things up-she compartmentalized it. Because she’s a designer, she customized it. And so it began.
Our Process
Real sketches are the best and fastest. Then, depending on the product, we make small prototypes, typically out of cardboard that is already on its way to being recycled. We even use the coroplast signs that will eventually become a UL foldable backpacking table as drop cloths for our other items. This give them their own unique design.
The Equipment We Use
We’re proud to not own fancy laser cutters, 3D printers, or anything fabric related. Rather, to foster community connections, we use our local maker space. They have rad capabilities and keep us from buying big wasteful machines that would require us to rent big wasteful spaces and create big wasteful fumes. We can keep costs lower for you because we’re not trying to make up equipment costs.
Final Product
There is something about working with our own hands that garlics our bread, so we love making each product unique. We come up with a concept and make it happen. One of a kind, like you. We give it a name that probably only makes sense to us–or at best–a few people, and hope you’ll love it.
You
We make these things for you. For your adventures. And to keep waste out of landfills. We’ll cover the cost of shipping so you can head out in to the wilderness and get lost for a bit (but not for real, please plan ahead and make a safety plan).