Meet David Deioma of Mudroom Backpacks

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Deioma.

Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
How I ended up where I am today has been very much a roller coaster ride and not planned or by design. Making backpacks started over 20 years ago by a chance encounter while teaching skiing in Utah. I had the thought that ski (or snowboard) travel bags should also have the capability to carry boots. The realization came as a result of a Nor’easter in 1993 bringing East coast travel to a halt. I was watching the news which showed many travelers sleeping in airports over the President’s day weekend with multiple travel bags.

Travel with ski/snowboard equipment should have been easier. It could be easier. My goal was to make it simpler and easier. From teaching skiing, I had already applied to graduate school and set on my goal to create a better travel solution for destination Winter travel. At first, the attempts were met with skepticism partly because of the rough draft proto-type that was created, but also because of the environment. This was a consumer product that I was attempting to create while studying at a school that was known for healthcare and industrial education – my business thesis was a square peg in a round hole. I needed a change and to be in an environment that was open and accepting of the endeavor.

That environment turned out to be in retail working in 2002 at a small outdoor chain in San Diego, CA – Adventure 16 (A16). Although A16 has since closed its doors due to the compression in the retail sector, its teachings and people live on. And I am one of them. From working at A16, I was able to learn and explore the endless equipment and variations and outdoor issues that the equipment solved, making backcountry travel easier and more efficient. Long story short, the ski bag design was later re-tooled into a backpack that carries shoes separately from laptops and personal items. I had been working in Sonoma County and wanted to cycle to work with one bag that carried all of my work and working-out items while preventing dirt (and sweat) from one getting on the others. And Mudroom Backpacks was born.

Mudroom is in reference to rooms in homes where dirty (or wet) clothes are removed before going into homes to keep dirt (and water) from getting tracked into the house. Mudrooms are common in the Midwest where I come from. Separate compartments for shoes in Mudroom backpacks reflect the idea of separate rooms in homes for dirty shoes and clothes.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been like a Jack Kerouac trip across the country – all over the place. From Utah to Cleveland, to San Diego, to Sonoma County and San Francisco and back to San Diego, CA. There have been at times out-right skepticism, which I can deal with by continuing to move forward and developing work-arounds.

While the most challenging aspect of the experience is missed opportunities. The challenge has been realizing the missed opportunities. Overcoming those challenges requires focus and drive.

Having seen and experienced these challenges first-hand, I have made it a goal that if I am in a position to assist someone, I do. It is no different than helping someone avoid an accident if possible. Life is full circle and a person who is helped today may be the person who is in a position to return the favor in the future.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Mudroom makes backpacks designed to hold a pair of shoes separately from electronics and personal items. The idea is to seamlessly travel from work to working-out while making commuting and travel easy and more productive and efficient in this time of working from anywhere.

With separate internal, siloed shoes compartments, backpacks are multi-use for commuting, travel and even for day-hikes. The shoe compartments make commuting with an extra pair of shoes easy and organized. Side-access to the laptop compartment makes air, train and public transportation efficient. And hydration compatibility makes the backpack versatile. One bag; multiple uses.

And oh yes, there is a rain-cover in the carrying handle – only available from Mudroom Backpacks. We originated and innovated the design (patent pending). Mudroom can be proud of the achievements of both the shoe compartment design along with the rain-cover in the carrying handle. These are original and innovative. That is why Mudroom is innovative above and beyond other major backpack brands.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I always wondered where the planes flying overhead were going. I even called New Zealand Air on the telephone at around ten years of age and asked about buying a plane ticket. The ticket agent played along until I said that I had asked my parents.

I love the outdoors. In Ohio, with around 250 days a year of rain or snow, it is necessary to get outside during all kinds of weather. We walked in the woods or went to the Chagrin River in rain, snow or sun. In Winter, we skied at the local ski hill and that is where I experienced true freedom. After learning to ski, it became a tool to escape. And I made the commitment to myself that I always want access to that tool. So having access to snowsports and the outdoors is a guiding factor in making daily decisions from eating to working to risk-taking because there is nothing like being in the mountains with a couple of sticks on your feet.

Pricing:

• $105 for the Mudroom Quartable
• $120 for the Mudroom Intermodal (rain-cover)

Contact Info:

• Email: whatsnext@mudroombackpacks.com
• Website: https://mudroombackpacks.com/
• Instagram: @mudroombackpacks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MudroomBackpacks
• Twitter: @mudroombackpack
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVIrl1U6w7XtV0w4zkntc8Q

Image Credits:
Rocky Arroyo Andrew Meyer Sarah Hallas Annie Herrin