Camping or picnicking can be messy activities, especially when it comes to food. Both are made a lot easier with the Anywhere Fridge-Freezer-Warmer. As a portable three-in-one food storage product, the Anywhere Fridge-Freezer-Warmer can recharge in the car and is also solar powered. It travels well and looks like a suitcase, complete with a handle and wheels on the bottom. Prices for the Fridge range from $199 for the small version to $499 for the large version, a significant discount over the Solar Cooler, with an estimated delivery date of August 2014. The Anywhere-Fridge is looking to raise $125,000 on Indiegogo in a 60-day campaign.
Author: Julia Herrick
The Premise. Gerbils, hamsters, mice, lizards, hermit crabs and other small quirky pets generally live in small habitats in their owner’s homes. The drawback is that the habitats can sometimes be too small for these pets, but take up too much room at the same time. In addition, not all offer the props needed for enough exercise or interaction.
The Product. The Pop-Up Playland offers a fun alternative for puny pets pursuing a place to play. Similar to a pop-up books, the product is a cardboard area that folds and unfolds to provide fun and excitement for small pets. When popped up, the playland, which mimics an urban playground, has ladders, seesaws, wheels and other fun features for pets to play with. When playtime is over, the Playland folds back up into what looks like a large cardboard book that is easy to store. The sides of the Playland have little doors that make it possible to connect several Playlands together in order to expand the space your pet can ran around in.
The Pitch. Pop-Up Playland’s creators Shawn and Olivia, a father and daughter team, talk about how and why they wanted to invent a better solution for small pets in their video. Their pet hamster, Munchkin, was crowded in his enclosure and needed more room to run and play. Shawn and Olivia hope to raise $20,000 in their 35 day run on Kickstarter. More information can be found on their Web site.
The Perks. Early-bird backers can pledge $25 for the Pop-Up Playland, which otherwise goes for $35. Reward tiers go all the way up to a $750 tier, which includes the opportunity to name one of Olivia’s future pets (subject to her approval of course) and a few other perks. Reward tiers that include the Pop-Up Playland itself have an estimated delivery date of August 2014.
The Potential. There are of course lots of options for play areas geared towards small pets. Many are made out of solid materials that don’t store easily. Some, like the Prevue Small, call themselves playpens, but don’t actually provide interactive features and require additional wheels and toys, The Pop-Up Playland is unique in that it offers an all inclusive play area for pets that it is easy stored and completely portable. While there may be some concerns about long-term durability for such a product, the Pop-Up Playland seems to offer at least as much fun for pet owners as the pets themselves.
The Premise. Nothing quite compares to scuba diving, but it’s not without its challenges. Without a scuba license, underwater enthusiasts are limited to snorkeling. While a fun activity, snorkeling has its limits. It doesn’t allow for diving too far beneath the water’s surface and presents the constant risk of inhaling saltwater water into the tube. Perhaps the solution lies in removing the first two letters from “SCUBA.”
The Product. UBA offers a more evolved and versatile version of the traditional snorkel. The UBA looks like a traditional snorkel, except with a much more flexible tube that has a red fin attached to the top. Inspired by the anatomy of dolphins, UBA’s floating fin-like apparatus keeps the top of the tube above water no matter what position the diver is in and hides the top of the tube well enough so that water can’t get in. The fin on top also shuts the tube when underwater, giving the diver a little pocket of air for deeper diving. When resurfacing, the tube opens up again automatically. In addition, UBA includes a separate valve that allows for easy water purging if necessary, unlike traditional snorkels that need a big exhalation of air to clear out.
The Pitch. UBA’s Kickstarter campaign isn’t quite as cool as its product. UBA’s creators would benefit from including a better explanation of their product’s different features. The video showcases UBA in action, with swimmers on and below the surface of the water using UBA. UBA hopes to raise $50,000 in its campaign. More information can be found on the product’s Web site.
The Perks. UBA offers several early-bird reward tiers in addition to a regularly priced tier. For $55, $60, $65 (the early-bird prices), or $70 (regular price) backers get a UBA with travel bag from UBA’s first production run. The top tier goes for $1,000 and includes not only a UBA with travel bag, but also a chance to help UBA’s creators test new products as they come out. Estimated delivery is set at May, June, August, September and May 2014 respectively for the reward tiers listed above.
The Potential. There are no other well-known snorkel alternatives quite like UBA. UBA allows for range of motion and other conveniences that a traditional snorkel simply fails to provide. In addition, UBA presents a much cheaper alternative to divers who can’t afford or don’t have the time to get their scuba license. Its flexible tube and unique fin make it a must-have for water enthusiasts in summertime or on vacation.
For anyone who has ever been skiing, lugging around awkward poles and skis can cause trouble. Ski Mule offers a nifty bag designed to carry around multiple sets of skis and poles hands free with a strap to hold them in place. One Ski Mule goes for $51 on Kickstarter with no other reward tiers to choose from. Ski Mule’s creator, Joyce Amend, hopes to raise $3,550 in her 30- day campaign with an estimated delivery date of April 2014.
The World’s First Kids Guitar offers a six-strong guitar that’s specifically designed for kids. With a child’s size and accident proneness in mind, the right-sized instrument is designed to be lightweight with fragile parts better protected than they are on regular guitars. Different reward tiers offer a variety of perks including studio session time and the like, but the most basic reward tier that includes the guitar goes for $250; the project creator justifies the price by moting that the guitar uses premium components and materials. The current estimated availability is July 2014. The World’s First Kids Guitar’s creators are looking to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter in their 25-day campaign.
Guitar picks come in all different colors and patterns, but never quite like this before. Nose Picks offers guitar picks with different types of noses on them. Nose Picks’ creator, Luke Wattchow, includes sketches of different noses on his Kickstarter campaign, awkwardly displaying three prototypes he labels as “white man”, “jew” and “hairy”… may not the best way to attract backers. Also, each Nose Pick costs $10, a staggering amount of money for a guitar pick. Wattchow hopes to raise $1,000 with his 30-day campaign, estimating delivery by April 2014.
The Premise. Lace-up sneakers can take awhile to get on and off. Some people are too lazy to untie their shoes and opt to slip their shoes on and off, but this creates friction at the back of the sneaker. Because of this, their shoes end up wearing out quickly.
The Product. ZIPPED offers custom-made zippers that attach easily onto lace-up sneakers. The product resembles a narrow piece of cloth with eyelets on the side and a zipper in the middle. Instead of having the laces cross as they do normally, they stay on one side and ascend up the eyelets of the ZIPPED. ZIPPED com, ultimately being knotted solo. The product comes in different styles, shapes, patterns and colors.
The Pitch. ZIPPED’s Indiegogo campaign is rather sparse, but shows the different styles that ZIPPED can be ordered in, along with a guide for how to get the proper measurements for a custom ZIPPED that will fit. The video compares take shoes on and off with and without the ZIPPED and shows how much time using ZIPPED saves. ZIPPED has low goal of $2,500 for their 60 day campaign. More information can be found on the company’s Web site.
The Perks. Early-bird backers can enjoy a pair of ZIPPED in their choice of color and style for only $10. At a regular rate, ZIPPED costs $16. Reward tiers go all the way up to $250. Current availability is set at June 2014.
The Potential. Any product that appeals to the most basic of human instincts, laziness, is always welcome on the market. A similar product called Hickies had huge success on Kickstarter a year and a half ago, raising six times its intended goal. Hickies uses stretchy connectors in lieu of shoelaces, making putting shoes on and off that much easier. Lock Laces are another product aimed at battling the evil shoelace and are less expensive than ZIPPED. It’s easy to see how the ZIPPEDs might not look so pretty with age, but , once you’re done threading it, it presents an intuitive and colorful option for the lace-averse.
The Premise. For health nuts and gym rats everywhere, protein shakes are a must. The only problem? Mixing them requires either inconvenient stirring or shaking up, usually resulting in a huge mess.
The Product. PROMiXX is a battery powered mixer that utilizes what the company calls Vortex Mixing Technology to agitate liquids into a vortex. The mixer runs on two AAA batteries in the base, which is detachable from the rest of the bottle to make cleaning a breeze. PROMiXX comes in white, black and hot pink all with a clear body. The blade inside is capable of mixing protein shakes, cocktails, baby formula, beating eggs and more. The PROMiXX 2.0 has supplement storage, brushed aluminum features and runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The Pitch. The Kickstarter video is as posh and polished as the British men are who created PROMiXX. They definitely believe in the whole ‘sex sells’ tactic of advertising because they show half-naked women exercising a little too often, though none of them once use the PROMiXX. The best part of the video, however, comes at the end with the blooper reel; making the creators seem playful and less serious than the video suggests. More information can be found on their Web site. PROMiXX is looking to raise $30,000 to shake up their 60 day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. The PROMiXX costs backers $30, but for only $35 they can get it a month earlier in April 2014 instead of May. The early-bird and regular priced donation tiers for the PROMiXX 2.0 are $40 and $45 respectively. Reward tiers go up to $100, all offering free shipping to the UK and US.
The Potential. There are plenty of other products out there with PROMiXX’s same goal in mind. The All Ware Typhoon Portable Mixer actually looks and operates exactly like the PROMiXX, except its motor isn’t detachable, making it far less convenient. On Kickstarter, the Umoro mixer bottle received full funding last year and is known for storing supplements on top and then releasing them into the bottle with the push of a button. While not motorized like PROMiXX, the Umoro bottle has the convenience of adding pre-measured supplements to the liquid without even having to open it. For the most part, the PROMiXX appears to be the most versatile bottle of its kind, but could definitely go even further to help beef up its loyal fitness-focused customers.
The Premise. When cooking, most people follow recipes pretty closely. It’s hard to do this, however, when using measuring spoons. Either you end up putting in too little or too much of whichever ingredient into the mix. It can also be frustrating to have to rinse measuring cups and spoons as you go.
The Product. The pun-embracing Liquidy-Split offers a solution for measuring out fluid ingredients. It looks like a simple squeeze bottle, but has a dial on top with different measurements from ¼ tsp to 1 tbsp along with comparable metric measurements. To use, simply turn to the dial to the desired measurement and squeeze the bottle. Liquidy-Split will dispense the correct amount and then all you have to do is pour. Any excess liquid is sucked back into the bottle. Each bottle has a label section on it to write what it contains. The bottles are compact and easy to sot
The Pitch. Liquidy-Split’s Kickstarter campaign outlines the different problems that the creators’ product solves such as pouring out too much liquid or having to use several measuring spoons for one ingredient. The video contains a demonstration of Liquidy-Split along with some awkward footage of its creator. The campaign has a low goal of $5,500 in 60 days and a series of stretch goals that range from $15,000 to $35,000. These consist of different sizes and colors possible for the Liquidy-Split bottles.
The Perks. The Liquidy-Split campaign features only three reward tiers — $1, $10, and $15. The early-bird tier of $10 and the regular priced $15 tiers are the same; both include one Liquidy-Split bottle with the choice of size and color. Estimated delivery is set for July 2014.
The Potential. The Liquidy-Split bottle is a neat little invention for cooking and baking enthusiasts. Similar products exist, but most claim that they are only for oil, such as the Portion Pro Oil Dispenser. Liquidy-Split’s Kickstarter campaign is a bit lacking in reward tiers, but the product is still a good one. Liquidy-Split also would benefit from creating an equivalent product that could be used for solid, powdery ingredients, such as flour and sugar: Powdery-Pinch?
For those times when you’re stuck between standing and a seat-place, try Purrch. Purrch is essentially a little stool to lean on when seats are scarce. It looks like an angled cane with a bike seat on top. The shaft of Purrch is made out of lightweight aluminum and designed to hold up to 400 pounds. Purrch’s Indiegogo campaign has a goal of $75,000 in 60 days and features an early-bird price of $70 and a regular price of $77 (which includes a ‘Strrap’). Purrch is for people who either spend too much time sitting or standing or people who need to take a load of at inconvenient times. An alternative to canes with integrated seats, Purrch is not recommended to use if weight loss is desired; fortunately, it can sustain up to 400 lbs. of backward-leaning girth. Purrch currently has not specified an estimated delivery date.