For Shoe Geeks, The Mudroom BackPack Quartable Answers the Needs of Track & Field athletes and coach!

The backpack is an original design born from organic experiences working, running and commuting.  The pack is innovative for two primary reasons, which make the design and the pack stand out from all the other brands and packs out there:

1. Dedicated and separated footwear compartments with exterior and interior zippered access (Quartable and Intermodal)
2. Stowed rain cover housed inside of the carrying handle (Intermodal only)

Dedicated and Separated Footwear compartments

There are two vertically oriented siloed footwear compartments in the interior of the backpack.  Each compartment has the capacity to hold up to a single US-sized men’s 15 shoes (EU size 50).

The pocket can also hold a pair of smaller shoes oriented like shoes are stored in a shoe box.  This provides the opportunity to carry two pairs of shoes at a time inside of a single backpack.  Each footwear compartment has exterior and interior zippered access for easy stowing and removing items.  Mudroom has received patent protection for this feature.

Stowed rain cover housed inside of the carrying-handle

To the best of our knowledge, the Mudroom Intermodal backpack is the originator and only pack available that has a rain cover in the carrying handle.  The Intermodal uses a tubular construction designed to house a rain-cover inside the handle.  The housing inside of the handle is further designed to make removal and stowing of the rain cover easy and efficient, which was recently improved from the original handle design.  Mudroom has applied for both US and PCT-International patent protection.

These two innovations help create a pack with a complimentary product feature set that is versatile and multi-use for people who are non-stop including commuters for everything from working to working out.   The Intermodal pack is designed with product features to support three use-cases:

1. Commuting – by cycle, motorcycle, train, plane, bus or automobile
2. Travel – Destination event participants
3. Day-hikes with hydration compatibility

Target market

Commuters

Mudroom backpacks make travel with an extra pair of shoes easy and efficient.  Whether by cycle, motorcycle, train, plane, bus, or on foot.  With the need to be efficient in our daily lives, from going to meetings and to working out or seamlessly transitioning to second jobs, having dedicated footwear compartments enables a person who “wears many hats” also to wear many shoes.

For cyclists, dedicated shoe compartments are great for holding cleats while at work.  For motorcyclists, maybe using protective boots while riding and swapping out into shoes at work to give feet a rest.  For professionals and students, dedicated footwear compartments are great for efficiently transitioning from work or school to working out and after-school activities.  So the applications are many and diverse.

Travel – Destination events and races

A primary focus for Mudroom Backpacks is destination event participants such as marathoners.  Runners realize the benefit of carrying shoes separately for both keeping dirt and road grime contained within a shoe compartment and separate from interior items and electronics.  Many people who run in marathons and half marathons also have race day shoes which are important to them for getting over the finish line in the fastest time possible.   Runners want to securely carry their footwear and within arms’ reach under an airline seat.

There is overlap with other destination activities like trail running, cross-fit, climbing or any events that use a pair of activity-specific footwear.  Mudroom works with many organizations, including marathon companies, fitness, and rehab offices, running clubs, and travel tour companies.   These groups realize the benefit and utility of having separate interior compartments for stowing a pair of footwear.

Occasional Day-hikes

 Mudroom Intermodal is also hydration compatible with a tube port opening built into the backpack’s back panel.  Although a hydration bladder does not come with a Mudroom backpack, the laptop compartment doubles as a hydration sleeve for holding a water bladder.  Remove the laptop and hang any 2L bladder on the reverse sewn hook to secure it.  Why is the bladder hook reverse-sewn?  So that when the compartment is used for hold a laptop, the laptop does not break the hook.

The packs are feature-rich, with a lot of thought spent on the overall design of the backpack.   The features work in concert together to provide users with the widest range of uses possible, enabling people to carry one bag instead of multiple bags.

Additional product features:

• Zippered handle compartment for stowed rain-cover in carrying handle with extra fabric layer inside for easy closure and to prevent zipper from jamming.
• Front entry opening in the rain-cover compartment for easy removal and re-stowing of rain cover.
• Quick-stow pocket in the bottom of the pack for a second stow option for a wet rain cover, or wallet, or phone.
• Contoured overall exterior construction for airflow and minimizing drag (while on a bike or motorcycle)
• Double-layered 420D ripstop-nylon construction for lightweight feel (1.8 lbs empty) and durability on frontside of the pack with grosgrain binding trim for finish and to prevent fabric fraying
• Bottom padded and nylon construction for durability and additional electronics protection
• Padded and floating 15.5 in. laptop sleeve for electronics protection
• Floating laptop sleeve for easy stowing and removal of a backpack through the main compartment
• Side-access to laptop compartment for an additional option for removing laptops when the main compartment is full, especially in airport security lines
• iPad/eReader sleeve
• Bar-tacked triple stitching in high-stress areas such as the shoulder straps and webbing
• Shoe compartments with both exterior and interior zippered access for easy stowing
• Padded shoe compartments with DWR fabric for protecting items on the inside.
• Airflow back panel
• Pen, phone, and key holders
• Reverse sewn hydration hook
• Adjustable chest straps
• Hydration clips
• D-rings
• Nylon mesh pockets on the inside of footwear compartments
• Stretch mesh pockets on the outside of footwear compartments for holding bottles
• Covered hydration port
• Bass-mouth wide opening to the main compartment for vertical storing and easy access. Interior compartment organization prevents items from falling to the bottom of the pack.
• Fully packed, the pack fits under an airplane seat, making travel easy, efficient, and cost-effective, especially on discount airlines, while avoiding extra fees.

Conclusion

Mudroom is a small company that thinks big.  Mudroom has filled a space for marathoners and travelers, which larger companies have ignored, missed or inadequately addressed.  Mudroom backpacks are able to hold the largest shoes of any packs designed to hold shoes (https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a20866001/best-running-backpacks-run-commute/).  Mudroom is also able to hold two pairs of shoes separately from the interior space while other packs can only hold one pair.  And finally, no other backpack company has a rain cover in its carrying handle.  In the highly competitive world of backpacks, product features, multi-use versatility, style, and durability are keys to success.

Mudroom has designed a solution around what to do with shoes for an event.  Many people tie shoes to the back of packs.  Where Mudroom has been limited is in getting the word out.  Larger companies have big marketing budgets for advertising products that come up short for consumers.  While Mudroom relies on word of mouth and customer recommendations.