It’s a chair! It’s a tent! It’s a hammock! No, it’s Bushwhack, an all-in-one tent-chair-hammock. Designed for backpackers and hikers, this product will be whatever you need it to be, whenever you need it.
Bushwhack is the brainchild of Chase McMicken, a double major in entrepreneurship and marketing at the U. He came up with the idea while backpacking and thinking about how to improve the experience. Students Jordan Manor, Jake Rubart and Branson McKell joined the startup after they met in an entrepreneur class at the David Eccles School of Business (ENTP 1020).
The Bushwhack 3-in-1 tent.
“I wanted to pursue the idea before the entrepreneurship class, but it gave me a foot in the door to build a team,” McMicken said. “That really pushed us forward and put us in the spot where we are now.”
Their product is a convertible device that can be any of these combinations: a tent and a chair; a hanging tent hammock; or a traditional hammock and a chair. They are currently refining and testing their design. They have received support from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, including $2,600 in Get Seeded grants and office space.
“The ultimate goal would be an outdoor equipment company to create adaptive gear to be able to adventure without limits,” McMicken said.
More articles like this in ‘Student Innovation @ the U!’
Find this article and a lot more in the 2018 “Student Innovation @ the U” report. The publication is presented by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute to celebrate student innovators, change-makers and entrepreneurs.
