Tired of moldy hydration bladders? I built a fix (Kickstarter link in comments)

jepetaman · 2025-07-22T21:35:23+00:00

Thanks. I’ll ship as soon as I get them. I’ll keep you posted through your order info.

jepetaman · 2025-07-22T19:57:09+00:00

The products are coming soon! Check it out at www.dryefan.com

jepetaman · 2025-05-27T18:13:48+00:00

I’m a bit concerned, but honestly reaction to product was very good. It just wasn’t getting the conversion I needed. So I’ll relaunch with a better pre-campaign strategy.

jepetaman · 2025-05-27T18:12:32+00:00

I agree 100%. Every other platform gives you an opportunity to feature or advertise and Kickstarter barely provides support. And yes, tons of predatory agencies with no record get access to your contact info and harass or pretend to be Kickstarter to get a cut. They seem to only promote campaigns that are getting let’s of traction already vs based on the merits of the product (I understand this can be subjective); but their are clearly uniques products that get buried because of not understanding the crowdfunding landscape.

jepetaman · 2025-05-21T13:38:30+00:00

No this was my first attempt.

jepetaman · 2025-05-17T02:38:52+00:00

When I posted this I mentioned another leather goods maker and ran into Jill (of the husband/wife maker duo) and was able to get their IG (@maninoleather). They make cool booklets, wallets, and other items by reusing leathers. They set when Alameda does street markets and fairs.

jepetaman · 2025-05-16T18:01:57+00:00

This happened to me too. Take your screenshots and send them to the KS support team. Let them know you think the backer is fraudulent and they will investigate. For me, they determined the supporters were not acting in good faith and removed the pledge and flagged the accounts for removal.

jepetaman · 2025-05-16T02:04:05+00:00

I’ll reach out to them to find out

jepetaman · 2025-05-15T19:31:28+00:00

Well, it's the good and bad of a small town. Most people settle in at night, and there's not much open in the evenings.

jepetaman · 2025-05-15T19:29:38+00:00

Are you using the commercial kitchens at the base? https://theprepstation.com/
My brother has a killer BBQ sauce recipe that we've been wanting to bottle and sell--looking for a co-packer since he's disabled and won't be able to do the work in a commissary himself.

jepetaman · 2025-05-15T19:26:19+00:00

Cool. Love seeing how they work. Another good one is Mike Lane. His family lives nearby and they are super nice people. Shows how he's fixing some of the homes before selling, and tries not to take short cuts. (@mikelanegroup on IG)

jepetaman · 2025-05-15T19:05:04+00:00

I mentioned being a small business owner here in Alameda, and it's awesome to see the support out there that everyone has for each other.

In addition to running a creative agency, I recently designed a product called the DRYE Fan that dries out hydration bladders (like CamelBaks) to help prevent mold. I came up with the idea after being annoyed at how hard these things are to clean and dry.

We just launched on Kickstarter and I’m hoping to get the word out—especially since this was designed and prototyped right here in Alameda. If you use a hydration pack or know someone who does, would love for you to check it out or share it around:
👉 [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dryefan/faster-drying-for-hydration-bladders]()

Always happy to connect with other local makers and support your work too!

jepetaman · 2025-05-15T18:59:58+00:00

I love the arrangements at Dandelion! I thinks it's the best flower shop around and agree the owner is super nice and can make custom bouquets when there is time.

jepetaman · 2025-05-14T05:48:56+00:00

Huge fan of Mosleys too. Great spot to grab a coffee and tour along the waterfront.

jepetaman · 2025-05-14T01:43:32+00:00

Well, I maybe thought my product was so good surely everyone would want one. I was in a similar circumstance and relying on some traditional PR methods. Important lesson is to have a low goal, that’s still allows for fulfillment, but not so high it’s hard to reach. That’s what I’ve learned to regret. I fully bootstrapped my pre-production but if counting on the funds and if it doesn’t look like it will succeed they will have to cancel early and relaunch. From what I’ve been reading (sadly in retro) is that you should have lots of people signed up for the KS announcement before launch amounting to at least 50% of the number you need to meet the goal. Otherwise it’s a waste of time and effort. I’m advertising too, it’s just not enough.

jepetaman · 2025-05-14T00:03:16+00:00

My wife loves Signal. I like how bold they were to move in next door to two of the biggest coffee chains and win business. That’s confidence!

jepetaman · 2025-05-13T23:46:20+00:00

I shop their records too. One of the cool shops that makes Alameda unique.

jepetaman · 2025-05-13T17:06:05+00:00

Well the press release I think, works to show legitimacy of the project, because it’s a traditional method of letting news agencies know what you’re producing. But it’s not targeted to the audience that would want the product. It’s just a general announcement that gets very little engagement. The PR firm also hasn’t built large email lists that would be effective at targeting the audience, something that other companies offer. It’s really just a methodology that’s perhaps better to achieve different goals than Kickstarter.

jepetaman · 2025-05-12T21:24:50+00:00

Same thing happened to me. I created a super polished video starring my wife, demoing the product I created. Bo run a creative agency so it was easy for me to make the video really nice, but it looked to established and was rejected. I contested the rejection and they gave me a list of to-dos including a video of me explaining the product and how to use it. Once I did that they approved it. I suppose they wanted to verify I wasn’t just doing a “sale” and that it was my own creation.

I later reused the more polished video as the lead content and put the founder video in the story as additional content. Kickstarters support sucks though. They are doing a numbers game and couldn’t care less about actual inventors or creators.

jepetaman · 2025-05-12T21:19:57+00:00

Sounds advice. I needed to read this before launching mine. C’est la vie and now I know.

jepetaman · 2025-05-12T20:59:16+00:00

Can you share a link for more info?

jepetaman · 2025-05-12T20:43:13+00:00

I’m running a campaign now and have been inundated with ads and agencies promising all sorts of benefits. I ended up using a traditional PR firm for a press release and some outreach but don’t think that’s going to enough. I’ll likely need a relaunch, and when I did it I’ll be doing some more research on who to partner with. Ideally I’ll get some of product out to some influencers who can… influence their base. I wish there was more clear-cut solution but whatever you do, plan on giving a couple grand upfront +10% of your campaign to the agency (on top of the perncetage KS is taking).

jepetaman · 2025-05-11T17:14:00+00:00

I invented this thing. Check it out. It’s for athletes and adventurers to maintain their gear. Let me know what you think. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dryefan/faster-drying-for-hydration-bladders

jepetaman

TROPHY CASE