Bend is the birthplace of many innovative products that have become household names. A local inventor is working to add to that list the name Hydaway; a reusable water bottle with a revolutionary design.
Niki Singlaub, a Bend-based product developer, says Hydaway is the answer to his quest to find a collapsible water bottle for travel. “I spend a lot of time on airplanes and nothing on the market fit my needs. I feel wasteful buying water in disposable bottles, and the collapsible bladder-style bottles out there now are unstable and hard to clean. Standard reusable bottles are bulky whether they’re full or empty.”
Singlaub spent over two years perfecting the patent-pending Hydaway design. When fully expanded, the large bottle holds 21 ounces and the small holds 12 ounces. Both models collapse into a disk just one inch high so it can be stored virtually anywhere; a pocket, bag or glove box, for instance. The bottle is made of food grade silicone so it is BPA-free, non-toxic and dishwasher safe.
Singlaub has spent nearly twenty years bringing consumer products to market. When asked if the world really needs another water bottle, he says his market research points to the fact that portability is Hydaway’s key differentiator. “There was a need that I had in all my traveling and I was surprised a solution didn’t exist. When I showed the concepts and prototypes to other travelers, campers, students and busy parents, I realized that many shared the same need. I still consistently hear of new ways people want to use and store a bottle like Hydaway. Now I wish I could compress everything bulky in my life.”
Slated for production this fall, Hydaway has already attracted the attention of outdoor retailers including REI. According to Singlaub the first production will be made in China in a factory that specializes in folding silicone and injection molded products. “All products coming off the line will be third party certified to meet our strict safety and toxicity requirements,” he said. “All materials used in the bottle are FDA-compliant and BPA-Free. In the future I am working toward manufacturing in the USA and I have interested factories, but it is only cost-feasible once the production volumes hit a certain (much higher) level.”
At this point, the Hydaway office is based in NorthWest Crossing in Bend. “If the Kickstarter funds then I will look into some warehouse space to house the first production that will be delivered to Kickstarter backers. All design, marketing, and operations will be in Bend once we are off and running,” added Singlaub.
Singlaub launched a Kickstarter campaign on August 10 and is confident the crowdfunding effort will raise the capital he needs to manufacture and ship his first large order.
“We have the tooling in place and are ready to put Hydaway bottles in people’s hands. It’s really exciting to see the vision for this bottle in physical form. But more than that, it feels great to bring to market a product that gives people exactly what they’ve been looking for.”
Hydaway
Location:/Website: www.HydawayBottle.com
CEO: Niki Singlaub
No. Employees: 1
Year Established: 2014
Product/Service: collapsible water bottle for travel
Hot News: as of August 22 the Kickstarter campaign for this product is over 25% funded ($10,500 and 155 backers) and still has nearly a month to raise the rest of the funding. The bottle is also getting a lot of national blog attention from product reviewers, outdoor enthusiasts, gadget lovers and more. Outlook for Growth: slated for production this fall, Hydaway has attracted attention of outdoor retailers including REI.
