Fly, be free
over 7 years ago – Thu, Nov 10, 2016 at 11:00:43 PM

As many of you know, I took a quick flight from Denver to Salt Lake City the past couple of days. I brought my Firebiner on the plane with me, no problem. I put the Firebiner in a bin along with my tablet, phone, wallet and shoes and made sure the Firebiner was completely visible. The TSA agents didn't give it a second look.

The spark wheel is completely fine and the blade should not be a problem since it is quite small and concealed. 4" scissors are allowed to be carried on, so this should not be a problem. However, since the rule specifically states "scissors" are allowed and other blades are not, technically an agent could decide to not allow the Firebiner to be carried on. I doubt that would happen, but it is a possibility.

On another note, I did notice that Vial was added twice in Backerkit. That has been corrected. For our $75,000 stretch goal, everyone that pledged for 3 Firebiners received a free Vial (one not two). So, please double check your cart in BackerKit to make sure you are getting all that you want.

Thanks everyone.

Joe

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If you didn't get a chance to back our friends at Solo Stove, you can still do so on IGG.

Solo Stove Bonfire | The World's Most Unique Fire Pit  

Have you seen Solo Stove’s Kickstarter project? Check out their new Bonfire! It’s a killer backyard fire pit that uses their airflow design to give you the most efficient smokeless burn ever. They reached their goal in 2 hours and now have raised over a million bucks! Be sure to check them out here.

 

Not all wheels perform the same. Who knew?
over 7 years ago – Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 10:40:52 PM

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the delay with this update. I wanted to get it out earlier this week, but got delayed. Things are still rocking and rolling. We are making good progress on the development and production.

First, we identified an improvement to the spark wheel. Here is a picture of the spark wheel options we have found. We noticed a couple different types of wheels on our prototypes and realized one sparked better than the other. We didn't realize there were different options for the spark wheel and that they performed differently. The good news is that we identified this in time to now get the wheel that throws the best spark.

We also hoped to have the new titanium-coated prototypes in our hands this week so we could send you a picture. We don't have them yet. We do have pictures of the updated body style with the screwdriver tip though. We only have a couple of the colors ready. The rest of the prototypes are still out being coated. They look great.

The factory also sent us pictures of the new vial they got in. It is a little larger than the previous one but looks fantastic.

Many of you asked about the survey. I will send it out next Mon or Tue. I am hoping to have good pictures of the Firebiners in the different finishes for you to help with your color choices. Here are the Firebiner color swatches again for your reference.

So, look for the survey early next week. You will have a couple weeks to reply. We will need you to select your product choices (colors and Kodiak sizes), confirm your address and add on whatever else you may want. The survey will come from us on Backerkit.

Thanks for hanging with us as we work out all these details. And, thanks for a great campaign. Please continue to spread the word. We have moved over to Indiegogo InDemand and are continuing to take pre-orders there for now. After Indiegogo we will move the pre-order store to Backerkit where it will reside until we fulfill the pledges. Then we will have the Firebiner on our own website for sale at www.outdoorelement.com.

Take care,

Joe & Mike

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Here are some other campaigns that we'd like to share with you.

Talon - ultra lightweight pocket tool for everyday carry

The Talon is a pocket multitool that packs 17 tools + a swag of features. Made from an advanced composite material that is normally used in aerospace and military application, it is 40% lighter than titanium, has the strength of die cast metal and won't scratch your latest phone or tablet.

 

Relieve Pain & Get Weight off your Shoulder w/ C-REST

 

Big Squeeze: The First Ergonomic Tube Squeezing Tool

Check out another great project we backed. The BigSqueeze saves you money with every use on all your work shop products that come in tubes like liquid nails, tub and tile caulking and epoxy. Of course it also does a number on toothpaste tubes.

 

And now the real work begins...
over 7 years ago – Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 11:42:02 PM

Hot Diggiiitttyyyyy!

You all have been awesome. What a wild ride this past 24 hours has been. We did over 10% of our total funding the last day. We got a little crazy, unveiled a new add-on, offered up some free bonuses and got a little ahead of ourselves at times. It got a little confusing, so thank you so much for hanging in there with us.

So, what now?

This was my first (by Mike's second) Kickstarter campaign. What a learning process. You are some great teachers. Thanks for your patience, understanding and your faith in us. We will work hard to make sure we deliver what we have promised. We want you all to be 100% satisfied and ecstatic with Outdoor Element product and service. We have so much more we want to launch. Soon...

We will be using BackerKit to manage the pledges and get it all straightened out for fulfillment. We will also use both BackerKit and Indiegogo for pre-orders. As soon as we have it all arranged, we will direct our Kickstarter traffic to Indiegogo InDemand to capture any new pledges. BackerKit will be your place to manage your pledge and to add-on to your pledge. Easy peasy.

Missed the boat? Preorder on Indiegogo.

Since this is my first crowd-funding campaign, I am trying all sorts of things. We will transition over to Indiegogo InDemand for additional pre-orders. Indiegogo is like Kickstarter—it's a crowdfunding platform that helps people like us launch creative projects with the support of like-minded folks such as you. Indiegogo InDemand is a marketplace for successfully funded crowdfunding projects. We will use Indiegogo InDemand to collect pre-orders while we work to manufacture and fulfill the pledges from you, our Kickstarter backers. We're excited to keep the momentum of this project going, and to introduce our brand and products to a new community of crowdfunding enthusiasts. And to make things totally clear, Kickstarter pledge rewards always ship first, even before wholesale orders. You are our priority! Once we're live on Indiegogo, we'll place a link to it from our Kickstarter page so people who missed the boat can still get in on the action.

What is BackerKit?

BackerKit is a 3rd party service that helps project creators like us make our backers happy by sending out easy-to-use surveys and giving them another chance to take advantage of our Kickstarter discount via add-ons. We've been working with BackerKit recently and I have been very impressed. So, please don't be alarmed by the backerkit.com URL or the BackerKit logo at the top of the survey...you're in very trusted hands. BackerKit also helps us manage our pledges, prepare for production, and makes our fulfillment easier by providing key services. They make it easier for us to keep making you happy. I like that!

I want to add on (pledge more for more rewards) but didn't see the email until after the campaign ended. What can I do now to add product on or make sure my pledge is right?

No worries. You will have ample opportunity to add on to your pledge, to change rewards and to provide feedback. Within the next 10 days or so, we will send out a survey through BackerKit. The subject line in the email will read, "Response Needed -- Get your reward for The Firebiner". That email will contain a link to the survey and instruct you how to manage your pledge.

If you pledged more money than the value of your award+shipping, you'll see a credit when you get to the Add-On screen in the survey. As you add things to your reward, that credit will decrease. If your credit hits $0 and you keep adding things, then you will owe additional funds. Once you are finished adding stuff you can pay those additional funds via credit card in the next step.

In the survey, you will be asked the following:

• Colors for your Firebiners
• Colors and Sizes for your Kodiaks
• Your recommendation for the color of the Vial
• What add-on items you may still want
• To confirm your shipping address
• Some other information to help us with future development and campaigns

Why so many questions? Well, there won't be that many, but we really do want to know what is important to you so we can deliver more awesome products with great service. Without you, what would we do? Some questions are critical - like color and size of product & shipping address. Others are just very helpful for us and we greatly appreciate it.

We are still planning on shipping Feb 2017.

We will be receiving our next set of prototypes next week. After we test and approve these, we will start tooling. While the steel is being cut, we will place our POs with the factory and they will order the materials. Then it is time for production and lots of inspections. While that is going on, we will also be making the Kodiaks here in Colorado. When we get everything all in, then it is time for picking, packing and shipping. So, we need everyone's address ready and good, so please make sure to manage that well in BackerKit (instructions will be in the survey).

Sorry no cute pictures or anything for this update. I wanted to get this information into your hands as quickly as possible.

We will keep you updated on our progress and informed of any important news. For now, get ready to enjoy your weekend.

Take care,

Joe and Mike

Holy Schmakamoly! You all did it!
over 7 years ago – Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 09:22:44 PM

To express my excitement, I will will use this clip showing me and my son on the Great Wall of China during our family trip 3 years ago. Hint, I am the one not doing the back flip. My offspring counts for me though.

Why all this back flipping, worming and excitment?

We surpassed $100,000 in pledges thanks to all of you, over 3,500 backers strong. Yea!!!!!!!!! We are humbled and thoroughly excited for all the pledges and for all you backers supporting us. Just wait, we are just getting started. Lots of great products to come.

We have had a lot questions regarding the add-on process. If you want to add-on now, simply add up the dollar value of all the add-ons and increase your pledge by that dollar value. You will have a chance to specify what that is for later when we send out the survey from Backerkit to confirm address, colors, etc. By adding to your pledge now, you will only need to enter your credit card information once. If you want to wait to add on, you can do it later in Backerkit (links will be in the survey within a couple of weeks). It is very easy and you will be able to choose the exact add-on items. If you exceed your original pledge amount, you can put the excess dollars on your credit card at that time. Piece of cake.

Now, what is this Accessory Kit?

The Accessory Kit was unlocked for surpassing our $100,000 stretch goal. It includes the Vial, the Reflector/Screwdriver tool and 3 Tinder Quiks. The Tinder Quiks are a last minute addition that we love but weren't sure if we could get them. 5col.com has agreed to partner with us on these (thanks Andy). Here is a mock-up picture to show you what it will be like (one of the Tinder Quiks is in the Vial):

I hope this helps clear up any confusion. If not, message us and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Since we decided to offer the paracord and the Kodiak at a ridiculously low add-on pledge amount, we will give a free Accessory Kit to all those who pledge for the $55 Triple Threat Gift Pack level.

I mentioned earlier that we were able to get slightly better rates on international shipping, so we will be able to include one free accessory kit for all backers whose pledge includes international shipping.

As always, thanks so much for all your support. You all are the best!

Mike & Joe

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Here are some cool campaigns you might want to check out:

Get Weight off your Shoulder w/ C-REST

10 minutes! Relieve Stress in Neck & Shoulder. C-REST is comfortable personal massager. Portable, so you can rest anywhere! CLICK HERE

 

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FUTO - The World’s Most Ultimate Air Mattress

The last air mattress you will ever need! 20 sec to inflate, comfortable, durable, colorful and easy to carry. Take a rest. Anywhere! CLICK HERE

 

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LVL – The First Wearable Hydration Monitor

LVL is a wearable hydration monitor that gives you the complete picture of your health by also tracking activity, sleep, mood and HR! CLICK HERE

 

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Spéciale: Built-in Damascus Knife

The world's first built-in Damascus Knife on a Cutting board. 17'' long beautifully patterned Damascus Knife can spin around the board and make cutting easier. They are already 450% funded and extended their early bird deals! Check out their lovely video, CLICK HERE.

 

Stretch Goals
over 7 years ago – Tue, Oct 04, 2016 at 01:22:57 AM

Well, Mike took off with some of his Texas buddies to hike Maroon Bells and left me manning the fort alone for a few days. We will post his pictures in a future update. Hopefully they look like the above pic of Maroon Bells.

You all Rock!!!! We blew past our first stretch goal at $30k which unlocked the Silver color for the Firebiner, which is the one I personally want.

$45k is the next stretch goal which will unlock the Red/Blue Metallic color.

We will send out an update once we get the final samples with the above colors. I am hoping it will be before the end of the campaign, but might be right after.

$75k will be the 3rd stretch goal which will be a small vial with a crab claw to hook onto the bottom of the Firebiner. This small vial will be aluminum and water proof. It can hold solid or liquid fire starter or whatever else you can fit in there.  We will give one of these free to all those who pledged for 3 or more Firebiners. It will look something like this:

I will add these stretch goals to the campaign.

Check our our updated video for Peter Boyles interview on the radio.

Thanks again for all your support. You are awesome and we greatly appreciate your backing and helping spread the word.

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Tweet 

Thanks,

Joe & Mike

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Here are some other cool campaigns we thought were interesting. Check them out.

1) The Volt Planner is a proven planning system designed to help you accomplish everything you want in 2017 (and beyond!).

With over 270 pages of customizable productivity and planning tools, the Volt Planner has everything you need to track your weekly to-do's, outline big projects, and be amazed by your progress over a full year. It's made from high quality materials and has a beautiful, sophisticated design, so you'll be proud to carry your VoltPlanner into any meeting, anytime. You don't need to be perfect or have superpowers to be successful. You just need the right tools. Pledge now to get your Volt Planner and make 2017 your best year yet.

 

2) Quarter Century Watch - The best watch you can buy under $100

Sick of high retail markups on luxury watches? This Watch is Built to Last 25 YEARS & is Extremely AFFORDABLE at under $100. Made w/ the BEST parts - Swiss Ronda, Sapphire Crystal, and more. CLICK HERE