Kickstarting The Ultimate Hockey Bags
You may have caught a glimpse of the Player Bag and the Pond Pack in our Kickstarter. You may have even took part in the Kickstarter and ordered yourself a bag, but you haven’t truly met our bags until you know the story of how they came to be.
Not surprisingly, the idea for the Player Bag and Pond Pack came from hockey players, Pacific Rink co-founders Brad Serkin and Jason Withee. Serkin and Withee went through more than five hockey bags in just two years and decided it was time to end the frustration so many hockey players have with bags and just design the bag they have always wanted themselves.
Serkin and Withee went into creating and designing the bags with one thought in mind - build the ultimate hockey bags. They wanted to build bags that were strong but functional, were made of only the best materials and construction and were versatile with a style that was timeless and innovative at the same time. Not an easy task.
"We set the bar pretty high for what we wanted to do. We truly set out to revolutionize hockey bags and I think the Player Bag and Pond Pack do that," said Withee.
It quickly became clear to Serkin and Withee that it would take two bags to satisfy the needs of the traditional and outdoor hockey players, coaches and refs. With this in mind, they put the Player Bag together as the larger, all-encompassing bag which can hold all of a player's gear and still be functional, easy to carry and look good. For the Pond Pack, they had outdoor players, coaches, parents and referees in mind and wanted to create something that was closer to an everyday rucksack with hockey features.
"I live and breath hockey so I was getting insight, tips and ideas from the hockey players and teammates I interact with every day," said Withee. "Also, working with Brad was particularly important because he brought an addition perspective to the table."
As a player and two children who play hockey, Brad specifically worked to make sure and add the elements that he personally knew parents of hockey players wanted to see in hockey bags.
"Hockey coaches and parents have their own set of needs when it comes to bags and that's why we built so much versatility into the bags," said Serkin. "What I love most about the Pond Pack is that it's also the perfect bag for life outside of hockey."
The story doesn't end once Withee and Serkin finished the design and construction of the bag. They wanted to get the hockey community involved, so they launched a Kickstarter campaign which allows those interested in the Player Bag and Pond Pack the chance to get in the story. Hundreds have already joined and added their name to the story of the revolution of hockey bags.
For more on the story of the Player Bag and Pond Pack check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKln7DdfoMw
The Pacific Rink story isn't just about hockey bags either. Serkin and Withee have also developed a premium line of apparel with a high-end design aesthetic. Stay tuned for more on the story of Pacific Rink's apparel.
www.pacificrink.com/kickstarter