DADGEAR™

Success Through Play™ had the pleasure to speak with Scott Shoemaker co-owner of DadGear™.

What was the inspiration behind the creation of your company and line of products?

In late 2003, we were commiserating about our corporate jobs over a plate or two of nachos. We bounced around the usual topics for a while and as the topic migrated to our kids, one of us mentioned an idea that would make parenting jobs easier. As it turned out, the other had many ideas as well. We traded ideas for products for a few hours and, the next day, our adventure began.

After weeks of research we found that the "men's" diaper bags on the market lacked style and fell short of our expectations. Our opinion, shared by many fellow dads, was that none of the products out there inspired us as fathers. We decided to change that. After a year and a half, countless ideas and prototypes, research, education and meetings, DadGear™ was officially launched.

The concept behind the DadGear™ style is simple - a masculine look combined with high quality materials and thoughtful design. These basic elements allowed us to achieve the next evolution of diaper bag for dads. Our goal for our products is not just neutral or unfeminine, but style that reflects who we are - guys. Guys who take pride in caring for their kids. At DadGear™, we focus on our design concepts. We engineer our entire product line with a "hands free" approach and include a number of other innovative features.


Can you tell us about your product line?

We offer 6 products: Messenger Bag, Backpack, Sport Bag, Lava Tote, Diaper Vest™ Diaper Bag, and a Cargo Jacket™. All of our products are diaper bags.

We've worked hard to ensure that our products don't look like diaper bags; they simply look like great bags and jackets. Once you move beyond the good looks, you will find that our features truly are innovative and that we design them from a dad's point of view. The DadGear™ Messenger Bags have a number of great features and are easy to customize for both parents. The DadGear™ Backpack has a rugged look, structure, and includes a number of specialized pockets inspired by the hiking packs of our native Colorado. Our revolutionary products also include the DadGear Diaper Vest™ and Cargo Jacket™, which take all of the functionality of our diaper bags and incorporate them into a stylish fleece! These are ideal for trips out and about without the hassle of hauling the entire arsenal of child care essentials.

DadGear™ products are synonymous with quality. We use high quality hardware, zippers, fabrics and webbing so your DadGear will last far beyond your need for a diaper bag. We are proud of these products and we know that once you see and use them, you will understand why, and will be proud to carry and wear them yourself.

DadGear™ kindly sent us a Cargo Jacket™ and Messenger Bag which we will be highlighting today.

CARGO JACKET™



The DadGear Cargo Jacket™ is the long-sleeved brother of the DadGear Diaper Vest™. Our revolutionary twist on the traditional diaper bag sets the standard for our "hands free" line. Combining comfort and style, you can change, feed, and entertain your child with ease and no one will be able to tell you are wearing your diaper bag. We have strategically placed pockets for all of the baby-care essentials that a diaper bag would hold. The jacket is constructed with high quality materials for ultimate durability and longevity. It is better looking than most fleece jackets available in sporting goods stores but with specific functionality for carrying all of your essential dad gear!


Key Features:

• Cell Phone Pocket
• Internal Diaper Pockets
• Bottle Pockets
• Wipes Access Pocket
• Changing Pad (included)
• Wipes Pocket

MESSENGER BAG


This rugged bag sets the new standard for Dad diaper bags by not looking like one. It is designed after the classic style messenger bag and incorporates our "hands free" approach which allows you to change, feed, and entertain your child without ever having to set the bag down. Like all of our messenger bags, this bag has a removable front panel which allows for easy cleaning and interchangeability of additional panels (sold separately).


Features include:

• Our quick-access wipes window under the front panel that integrates with our refillable wipes container and also accommodates most brands of wipes

• Two large pockets on the interior for diapers and food

• Two bottle pockets accessible from either the exterior or interior

• Our slim design changing pad (included) in a separate pocket to eliminate cross contamination

• Two tall, skinny pockets for creams or lotions on either side of the wipes window.

• Over sized side release buckles, high quality coil zippers, heavy-duty fabrics, and durable hardware ensure our quality standards are met.

• This bag includes a large adjustable 2" strap with oversize cam buckle and an optional three point harness for a secure fit modeled after the classic bike messenger bag.

• This bag is available in several colors and styles

PURCHASING

To purchase from the online store, please click here

To find a retailer in the USA, please click here

For other countries, please click here



AWARDS

• JPMA Innovation

• I-Parenting Innovation

Success Through Play™ Comments:

Given the fact that almost all of the parent products on the international market today are geared towards moms, it's no wonder that Dads may be feeling left out! Men don't want to schlep around feminine Diaper Bags, period! Well, fear no longer because DadGear™ has come to the rescue! DadGear™ shipped us our samples immediately (Cargo Jacket, MessengerBag) and were always quick to respond to any questions that we had, which really impressed us. Our engineer was "highly impressed" with the top quality components of the messenger bag and said that "this diaper bag is built to last". Our engineer was equally impressed with the Cargo Jacket™ which he thought was well designed: functional yet sleek. Our panel of dads could hardly wait to test drive the Messenger Bag and Cargo Jacket! They admitted that they were terribly embarrassed having to carry/hold their wives floral silk diaper bags around town and were receiving "strange stares from other men"!!! We could immediately see the self esteem of the dads rise as they donned their Cargo Jacket™ and Messenger Bag. One dad exclaimed "these products REALLY are built with dads in mind". Another shouted "finally, I never thought this day would come". The dad loved the Cargo Jacket™ which he described as being comfortable and functional. He loaded it up with supplies and had success taking his 8 month year old to the park knowing that he had enough supplies on hand to take care of his baby's diapering needs! He was amazed that the Cargo Jacket has a mini changing pad which fits sleekly into the rear of the jacket!



He felt very empowered and confident in his Cargo Jacket!



The second dad couldn't wait to put the masculine messenger bag to the test. He loaded the bag up with supplies and off he to run errands with his 6 month year old baby. "I was stopped numerous times throughout the day by other dads who just had to know where I got this messenger bag from. I am not used to this kind of attention", he reported feeling really confident carrying this rugged diaper bag around and felt proud & confident to use it in a public setting! "It has room for all of my baby's diapering and feeding supplies and is so well made with top quality hardware".



DadGear's™ success is certainly not surprising. They have won several awards and we can see why! Their top quality functional diaper products are well designed and are truly empowering to men. These products encourage dads to play a greater role in raising their babies and we applaud them for their innovative products which certainly qualify as products that make our lives easier! To learn more about the innovative products that DadGear™ offers please visit www.dadgear.com

DadGear™ has recently launched their Daisy Line, which is geared towards women. Please click here to see the range!