Kulkea Founder Shares the Inspiration Behind the Brand's Epic Line of Travel Backpacks
Published by Allie Hochman
Where It All Began
When Kulkea’s first bag, the Boot Trekker, first hit the market in 2013, founder David Abramowitz knew this was only the beginning, as “the whole idea was to build a brand of products that help you keep going,” David proudly shared. By 2020, Kulkea had quickly rolled out over ten different bags to hold skis, boots, and other essential gear, but with skiing and snowboarding becoming increasingly popular sports, “I was noticing that the Ikon and Epic passes were consolidating mountains under these passes,” he recalled. “And that was going to obviously lead to people traveling cross-country or around the world, ultimately more to ski.”
And, while Kulkea’s array of boot bags certainly surpassed the quality of competing products, the truth is “They’re designed for going to your local mountain, and they do it beautifully,” David explained. “But when you’re going to take that big trip and you’re going to be on trains, planes, and automobiles, and you’re going to be running through the airport, going long distances, you need a different solution.”
But, as an intuitive business owner and traveler, “I think it would be a lot to ask people to buy another bag just to ski travel,” he said. “If you’re that person taking a one-week-a-year trip and you want to go out to the Rockies or over to the Alps to ski, to tell you to buy another boot bag just for that one week, I think it's a tall order, if you already have a boot bag.” So, it was back to the drawing board, as it was clear that a more versatile solution was a critical piece to the puzzle.
Introducing the Käydä 44L - The Travel Solution You Never Knew You Needed
“When developing the Käydä, I took my own personal experience and said, when I travel to ski, what do I need when I’m going over to Europe or going out to the Rockies?” David shared. “So, I used all that information to pull it together,” leading to the meticulous, durable design of the Käydä 44L. “We designed the Käydä bag with the mindset that we were developing and designing an all-around, all-year travel backpack which would be a perfect travel solution, but it can also perfectly carry all of your ski boots and other necessities that you need to carry for skiing,” he explained.
Expanding Travel Possibilities Through the Käydä 36L
“As to developing the 36L Käydä, we had a number of people who were probably in the 5’5 range and smaller, saying, ‘I love this bag, if you made one slightly smaller, like a little bit shorter in height and a little bit narrower, it would fit my body perfectly,’” David gathered. So, “with it being an overall travel pack, we’ve decided that we should make a smaller version as well.”
And what makes this brand new, 36L bag different than the original, which was proclaimed “best ski pack” by Men’s Journal, you might ask? “What it allows is for people who are slightly smaller to have a more ergonomic fit for them and still have that great product,” David explained.
Getting Versatile With the Kartta
Let’s not forget about the “Kartta line, which is a cousin product of the Käydä,” as David noted. Equally as durable and versatile, yet at a lower price point, the Kartta Travel Backpack “Allows someone who wants a really perfect travel carry-on bag to take their ski boots, and all their other apparel and accessories with them.” Complete with pockets galore, laptop protection, a helmet sling, and more, this baby has all the features you need, whether you’re hitting the slopes or heading to a tropical getaway.