Czech company seeks international success with combined backpack-seat
A brainwave stemming from an unfortunate accident has put a small Czech company on the path of developing international markets for its innovative backpack and stool that offers rest and respite whenever and wherever needed.
A small Czech company believes it has come up with the answer to that question – which also doubles as its main pitch – with a new invention, a backpack with a built in stool which allows users to sit down comfortably even in the most unexpected sites.
Petr Hudeček, the company’s marketing director, says the idea occurred to his father after he broke his leg and didn’t have a place to sit down outside. This is how he came up with the idea of constructing a backpack with integrated stool that would allow him to sit down whenever and wherever he needed.
The family owned business obtained money for the development of their product at a crowdfunding server hithit.cz, collecting twice the sum they originally hoped for. It took them a year to produce a final version of the backpack and the process included thirteen different prototypes. The manufacturers discussed the outcome with designers, as well as an orthopaedist, to ensure that the backpack won’t hurt anyone’s back if worn for a long time and would enable users to get up from the stool comfortably.
At only 400 grams and with a capacity of 22 litres, the backpack with integrated stool is designed to be used mainly in the city but thanks to breathable and waterproof materials, it can also be used for hiking. The stool is secured with two textile holders, and manipulation of the legs is ensured by a combination of rubber, a magnet and velcro. The embedded stool can support up to 130 kilos.
The BagoBago backpack has been patented since 2012 and according to its marketing director, Petr Hudeček, the company has no direct competitors so far. The backpack is manufactured exclusively in the Czech Republic, which makes it more expensive, but enables the producers to keep an eye on the whole process.
The company has sold some 500 backpacks so far, mainly to tourists, but also to photographers, sportsmen or hunters. The backpacks are also being distributed in France, Scandinavia, Spain and South Korea. The company would like to enlarge its range of products in the future, offering more colour and larger capacity versions.
