In 2018, Steph Hon confronted a dilemma whereas preparing for a rock-climbing journey in West Virginia’s craggy panorama. Struggling to pack her multistep magnificence routine into a large number of leaky, plastic, single-use bottles. She felt annoyed by each the wastefulness and impracticality of conventional journey containers. Like many out of doors fanatics, she sought an answer that might stand up to rugged adventures with out creating pointless garbage. Even when she recycled the toiletry containers, she knew they’d doubtless wind up within the landfill anyway: In response to a current report from Beyond Plastics, solely about 5 to six% of plastics had been post-consumer recycled in 2021—and far of that also finally ends up incinerated or discarded on account of contamination and infrastructure limitations.
Hon believed there needed to be a greater method. Whereas the documentary filmmaker and dancer had no background in product design or manufacturing, she did have a transparent imaginative and prescient for constructing one thing solely new: a sturdy, adaptable, and sustainable storage system designed to satisfy the calls for of out of doors journey.
Constructing something revolutionary takes time, and Hon spent greater than three years, 207 prototypes and 4 patents designing the Cadence refillable, modular storage system. The model’s signature, leakproof Capsules are available a variety of sizes designed to carry all the things from tenting and backpacking necessities—like sunscreen, insect repellent and first-aid requirements—to non-public gadgets like skincare and medicines. The magnetic, customizable Capsules are designed to seamlessly combine into an out of doors pack, making it simpler for adventurers to hold precisely what they want—with out extra weight or waste.
“Everybody advised us it wasn’t potential,” Hon says. “The fee, the manufacturing, the complexity—it was all an excessive amount of. Modular merchandise are already difficult, and including a patented magnetic system and customized interchangeable labels? Nobody thought it could possibly be achieved.” However Hon knew it could possibly be—and he or she did it.
Hon designed Cadence to be greater than only a product—it’s a part of your journey. Whether or not you’re backpacking by nationwide parks, climbing regret peaks or heading out for a weekend tenting journey, the sturdy, TSA-compliant Cadence Capsules are constructed to face up to the weather whereas conserving necessities neatly organized. Made with as much as 20% recycled plastics collected from seashores and one other 30% from manufacturing scraps, Cadence Capsules replicate Hon’s dedication to decreasing plastic waste within the very out of doors areas we discover. And when you’re achieved utilizing your Capsules (years from now), you possibly can even send them back to be recycled into new ones.
The early days of constructing Cadence had been something however straightforward. “I didn’t come from this business, so I felt like an outsider,” Hon says. “My idyllic bubble burst after I realized traders don’t need to finance new merchandise.” For a lot of out of doors business entrepreneurs—particularly founders who’re Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x and Asian American and Pacific Islander folks—accessing capital, manufacturing capability, and buyer channels may be important obstacles to success. For Hon, discovering the suitable mechanical engineer was one other uphill battle—candidates for the place stored insisting her imaginative and prescient couldn’t grow to be actuality. When she met Graeme Greenwood, nevertheless, their shared scrappy, resourceful mindset instantly clicked. Greenwood turned lead of product at Cadence, overseeing high quality management, manufacturing and product improvement.
In 2023, Path Ahead Ventures, an REI Co-op company enterprise fund, invested in Cadence as a part of its dedication to supporting numerous founders who’re redefining the way forward for the out of doors business. Path Forward Ventures (PAV) is devoted to supporting founders with funding, assets, and networks—guaranteeing that revolutionary, customer-obsessed firms like Cadence can thrive and scale.
Cadence, led by Hon, embodies the values that PAV champions: sustainability, considerate design and innovation that enhances the out of doors expertise. By becoming a member of the Path Forward Ventures portfolio, Cadence good points entry not solely to capital but additionally strategic mentorship, retail experience and a neighborhood of like-minded entrepreneurs shaping a extra forward-thinking out of doors business.
Path Forward Ventures’ funding director, Payam Daniel Abbassian, emphasizes the importance of Cadence becoming a member of the portfolio. “Cadence is an ideal instance of the form of model we need to help—one that’s dedicated to sustainability, consumer-first innovation and elevating main voices within the business,” he says. “Hon and the staff at Cadence are constructing one thing really particular, and we’re excited to assist speed up their progress and assist them ship an distinctive buyer expertise.”
Yow will discover Cadence merchandise on-line at REI.com and in choose retail areas. Comply with @keepyourcadence to remain up to date, get behind-the-scenes design insights and see how each product is a real labor of affection.
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