As a Massachusetts high school student, James Poss launched head first into ski apparel with a line of ski gloves.
After instant success breaking into the industry with a high school buddy, the two went off to college and closed-up shop. Poss said he considered the gloves a project, rather than a business, but called it a success nonetheless.
Now, years later, Poss is back for his second ski apparel go-around, calling on connections he made in high school to launch the Switch Designs Boot Bag.
"No one in my opinion had figured out a good way to carry your ski boots.”
“We broke into the ski industry with the gloves, and I’m still calling on those connections today,” Poss said.
The boot bag is made with a patent pending design that allows it to transition from backpack to slim tote bag configuration with the click of a buckle. The bag has two compartments for boots, with grommets for drainage and aeration, and a large central pocket for helmets, pants, jackets, gloves, and even laptops.
“The one part of my gear that I could never figure out was the boots, no one in my opinion had figured out a good way to carry your ski boots,” Poss said of his years skiing. “Twenty years after my first ski trip, nothing had changed at all.”
The Switch Designs Boot Bag was a way for Poss to mix functionality with an aesthetically appealing design. The slim tote bag feature allows the bag to slide into a closet, a trunk, an overhead bin, or even under a bed with ease.
With more and more people downsizing during the housing process, Poss said making the boot bag storable was a priority for him.
“Storage is at a huge premium. I wanted to create this slim dimension to allow people to store it wherever they could find the space,” he said.
Poss has spent the last two years developing and testing the boot bag prototype in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Just last month he made the move to Denver, citing the need to grow his business in a city that would foster the growth of his company.
“Jackson was a great place to develop and test this first bag, but there’s no infrastructure there to start a real business,” he said.
Although he’s left Jackson Hole, the boot bag still has a Wyoming flair. The leather for each bag's trim is sourced from a one-man elk hide tanning operation out of Dubois, Wyoming.
Since getting to Colorado, Poss took part in Denver Startup Week, demoing at the Physical Product Showcase on September 25.
After raising $16,000 during a Kickstarter campaign last year, Poss said the first production run of the boot bags will deliver later this month. The bags retail for $239 and come in two colors, black and coyote.
In the future, Poss said the company will look to expand its product line, even stepping out of the ski industry and into the luggage industry.
“The goal is to be much more than a ski brand. We’re trying to bridge the gap between fashion and outdoors,” Poss said.
