Photo: Courtesy of Bryan Marville
I’d like to say WETSOX started on a surf trip, but it actually began a few weeks prior. I was working on a new business pitch, it was midnight, and I was stuck in a room full of “executives” screaming at each other about pitch minutiae. I walked over to the window and thought, This is ridiculous. I started looking for an exit that night.
A few weeks later I was in in Capetown, South Africa, on an annual surf trip with some buddies. We met up with a few local boys who were kind enough to take us around to their favorite spots. After a few days of working our way around the western part of the Cape, we started moving east toward Wilderness and J-Bay. Our suits were gross from not drying properly, and putting them on was becoming a nightmare. I had one of those moments where I was trying to get my boot on and was pulling so hard I lost my grip and smashed it into the car fender, resulting in a long stream of obscenities. That’s when one of our guides recommended the “plastic bag trick.” I asked him: if this trick was so great, why didn’t he have a trunk full of shopping bags? His response was: you can’t wear bags as socks under your boots. And that was it. That was the beginning of WETSOX. When I got home, we got started.
It’s sort of strange, I never really imagined that I would be going nuts trying to get an outdoor accessory company off the ground. Trying to find someone who can make socks with toes is a real nightmare. The margin is awful. Very few people have experience in these types of materials and these types of conditions. It’s been a steep learning curve. But, it’s also served as a bright spot on the horizon that says, “Hey, you’re doing something you love, keep at it.” and that makes it worth it.
Photo: Courtesy of WETSOX
We’re on prototype 14. Yes, 14. We’ve also got a bunch of preproduction prototypes that we’ve been riding in, and we’re really happy with the way things have come along. We ended up with a four-way stretch, blended nylon for WETSOX, and a sandwiched 1mm Neoprene for HOTSOX. They’re both quick dry – all you have to do is rinse them with fresh water when you get out of the water, just like you would with your suit.
We’re driving our awareness efforts with a KickStarter campaign, hoping to raise $15,000. This will give us enough money to do a scaled production run, fill our backers’ orders from Kickstarter, and bring the product to an initial batch of retailers. The response has been great because the product is durable, works really well and solves an issue with which every surfer can relate. We’re hopeful it will continue, and we can help folks end the frustration that comes with getting in and out of suits and boots.
It’s funny. I actually started surfing as an excuse to get away from a place I felt like I didn’t belong growing up. Now, in a way, I’m doing it all over again.
Getting into a wetsuit sucks. Now it doesn’t. Show some love and help us end the frustration. #wetsoxsurf
Photo: Courtesy of WETSOX
