An adventurous Suffolk couple are seeking £200,000 funding to launch their camping invention - the LayBakPak.
As parents of four children - three daughters and a son, Suffolk couple Jonathan and Jenny Davies looked to the great outdoors for many family holidays.
Now, with their children grown-up, they have taken lessons learned from those adventurous holidays, over hill, dale and coast - into their new business start-up.
The couple, from Woolpit, have spent many months developing the LayBakPak to get to this stage.
Their invention is a hiker’s rucksack or backpack that swiftly converts into a camp bed when you reach your destination, or erect a tent or shelter outdoors for the night.
Now, with a prototype made, they are going on to the Kickstarter website with the intention of raising £200,000 for the first production run.
“We went out walking a lot when the children were younger, and we had border collie,” explained Mr Davies.
“We had friends with children of the same ages and we had a lot of adventurous holidays together. We went to the Norfolk Coast, and to the Peak District and Kinder Scout. We went to the Yorkshire Dales and climbed Mount Snowdon. We also had canyoning holidays.”
That love of adventure has lead them to develop the LayBakPak for hikers and campers, from an idea years ago.
He explained: “We wanted to develop a bed you can carry with you, that is comfortable.
“Everyone who tries it says it is really comfortable. There are two sizes, for 5ft 10ins an 6ft 5.5 inches long.
“There is nothing quite like it on the market.”
The main aluminium frame of the rucksack is extended to become a camp bed, with a removable cover.
All the parts are carried in the pack which also has large pockets.
“I can put it up in two minutes,” said Mr Davies.
“We originally set out to get the manufacture in the UK, and if it is at all possible in Suffolk. We have the bed frame being made in Suffolk, by four different companies,” he added.
“Jenny has worked very hard over the past year getting the bed cover right. It has been a labour of love.
“Although we were thinking of camping we feel there is also a big potential market among fishermen,
“The message we want to get across is it is an opportunity to help create a new business and a possibility to own one of the first of these.
“We think there may be interest from around the world too.”
You can find it now on the Kickstarter website.
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