Adventure supply company launches with focus on S.D. roots
July 6, 2023
A startup featuring outdoor gear designed and manufactured in South Dakota has launched its first product.
Dakota Adventure Supply was started by Paxton Alsgaard and Jeff Hayward, two friends who met as Eagle Scouts two decades ago and recently combined their skills to create a product designed to meet a need.
Alsgaard, an engineer and outdoor enthusiast, and Hayward, who’s part of the team at Startup Sioux Falls and has a history of entrepreneurship, decided last fall to launch a lifestyle outdoor brand.
“Neither of us have ever made clothing, so that seemed a bit out of reach,” Hayward said.
So they gravitated toward a gear hauler — “effectively a tote bag” — that would be designed for durability and to handle “more weight than you can carry,” according to the product description.
Then, Alsgaard put his engineering skills to work prototyping.
“There’s a benefit … to having a co-founder who is an engineer with a sewing machine,” Hayward said. “He can fabricate a product faster than we know if there’s a customer.”
But that proof soon came. The founders went through a Launch Lab program at Dakota State University’s Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center, and “we sold 10 handmade bags within 24 hours,” Hayward said. “We had to cut it off because Paxton had agreed to hand-make these bags.”
They also made another key connection through the program: Dan Rykhus, longtime CEO of Raven Industries, who connected Dakota Adventure Supply with Jim Nelson, president of Aerostar.
Dakota Adventure Supply wanted an American-made product but was struggling to find a manufacturer. Raven has roots in manufacturing products for L.L. Bean, Cabela’s and Patagonia. Aerostar, which was spun off from the company’s new owner last year, had capacity to take on the job.
“It’s fun to be able to partner with somebody who is also in South Dakota doing fun stuff and led our expertise to what we can do to support both our businesses,” Nelson said. “We share their passion for the outdoors, and we’re excited to help out a South Dakota company with South Dakota manufacturing … and our expertise and our team members really clicked well.”
The Dakota Adventure Supply original tote measures 16-by-13-by-13-inches and uses a three-strap system designed for carrying larger loads and holding up to “extreme stress.” The design is “vintage camping gear-inspired,” according to the product description.
Aerostar had some time in between jobs at its Madison plant to take on some prototypes and the first set of products.
“For us, it’s a small volume and relatively straightforward compared to some of the more complex things we typically do. Until it grows and is extremely, wildly successful, we have capacity,” Nelson said. “It’s their design, and we work with them to purchase the materials and do all the manufacturing for the bags. A lot of us are looking forward to when they complete it so we can get on the waiting list and order some up that we can use for our own.”
Preorders for the first batch closed recently, and now the online store is open again for regular ordering.
The tote “is our MVP,” Hayward said. “Our main products are planning to be gear bags.”
The original bag is designed as a multipurpose bag that can haul everything from firewood to groceries, he said. A promotional offer includes a signature patch with every bag, and lifetime repairs are offered for free for now if a customer pays shipping.
“Aesthetic is a big part of the brand,” Hayward added. “We’re dealing in durable and heavyweight cotton and canvas focused on a vintage … rural Midwest (look),” he said, adding that backpacks, smaller bag slings and clothing are all possibilities.
“And we’re leaning into the Scout thing with our patches. We want to make lifetime here,” he said. “This is heritage stuff, and we’re building a community of people. We’re not looking at our customers as transactions. We stand by it.”
The company primarily will sell online but is looking at pop-up events.
“We had good preorder sales, so I’m really hopeful,” Hayward said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of traction.”
