We are YOBOgear, creators of the world’s most versatile hammock stands. Some of you have tried our awesome hammock stands, some of you are curious about them, and some of you are patiently waiting to get your hands on one. We are still here and we are working diligently to make that happen. As you’ll read below, we’ve run into several hiccups (as has every other business in 2020. Oof.), BUT we (mostly) aren’t letting it get our hammocks in a twist.

Where have we been?

YOBOgear began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017. Cal (inventor and founder) had many excited backers who were eager to try the products. Problems with manufacturers both overseas and here in the U.S. caused many delays, but eventually the hammock stands were delivered. The feedback we received was great! People loved the new products, but Cal had many upgrades in mind for the next batch. He also needed to find a new manufacturer that was dependable.

So he got to work drawing up new designs, testing them, and getting samples from different manufacturers around the world. He also brought me (his girlfriend Kristen and the new author of this blog) on board to help with marketing and relations. (Cal will be the first to tell you that he is more Mountain Man than Customer Service Professional.)

By December of 2019, we were ready with new designs and a new manufacturer in China. (Nobody in the U.S. manufactures the type of aluminum poles that we need for these stands.)

“We will begin right after our Chinese New Year celebrations,” they said.

“Great! Sounds good!” we said.

You know what happened next. Thanks to Covid-19, all of China shut down, including the factories. Not long after, the whole world shut down. We kept moving forward but at a much slower pace, since it wasn’t an option to fly to China. We’ve been communicating with pictures via e-mail, and shipping samples back and forth.

Where are we now?

There is a roller coaster of emotional responses to all of these delays and we’ve been on it. From reminding ourselves, “Patience is a virtue and anything worth having takes time,” to “%$*@& CAN’T WE JUST GET THESE $%!_@ STANDS ALREADY?!?!?!?!?”

Mostly, we’ve just been taking off and backpacking in the gorgeous Wind River Mountain Range here in Wyoming. That helps.

While we feel we are closer than ever to finalized products, I won’t give you a date yet because that has backfired many times this year. We are holding out for the highest quality possible, and making sure every detail is right before we try to sell anything. I will give you some exciting hints on some of the upgrades from the original Kickstarter version of the stand: Telescoping poles! Lighter! Stronger! More compact! A no-stake version!

Our e-mail list was the first to hear about these, and we will be sending out pictures of products and more updates to them throughout this process. If you always want to hear about stuff first, sign up here.

Where are we going?

We’ve got big plans. After we launch our brand new website and our first products, we’ve got other products set for the design phase. A tent (patent already pending), hammocks, and tarps. We have also created a very unique partnership with Planet Earth, which we will tell you more about in the months to come.

We invite you to wait patiently with us during this home stretch. We will keep you updated here and on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. We are reachable by e-mail at admin@yobogear.com Consider signing up for our mailing list if you want to be the first in the know. Happy Hammocking!

With great anticipation,

Kristen and Cal