$19,705 raised out of $189,500
Overview
Platform
Indiegogo
Backers
8
Start date
Feb 05, 2024
Close date
Mar 17, 2024
Concept

Max 22 CuFt per Unit | 320lbs TARE (160lbs per half) | 1-2 Person Carry +Wheels | Designed in Texas

Story

 

The ModCon is affordable roto-molded plastic container where every personal equipment item has a home. It is a stand alone space — It’s YOUR WAR ROOM™.

  • Transportable storage container that expands and collapses for easy transport   
  • You can store your equipment and protect valuables from the elements
  • Connecting compartments can infinitely increase the length of your containers
  • Tightly secured bins with lids eliminating movement during transport
  • Walk inside through detachable doors
  • Stackable for ease of transport in vehicles, aircraft, ships, intermodal cars, with forklifts, or even as a shipping container itself

 

My name is Steve. As a Soldier, the Army gave me a lot of gear. They dump equipment in your ruck and you are expected to find space in your barracks or home: leftover drawers, backyard sheds, closets, extra bedrooms, basements, or garages. Sometimes gear wound up in the trunks of cars and truck beds (against Army rules). Some bases and homes offered better storage than others – but it wasn’t consistent and I hated it. I quickly realized this was not just a Soldier problem, it was an Everyone problem. First responders, musicians, disaster relief teams, campers, hunters, sports teams, film crews, construction workers, and the list goes on.

The ModCon™ comes as separate weather-proof units, all bought individually depending on the size of your needs (1, 2, 3+ units) as you progress in your training, trade, or collection. Units connect to the other via internal and external rubber latches and with pressed weather seals for ultimate protection from the elements. We also added padlock security points to ensure each ModCon stays where you left it. The ModCon™ is also completely mobile – capable of being disassembled, carried onto the next mode of transportation for hasty reassembly and collapsing – with no need to unpack or repack a single item again.

I thought to myself in 2020, the entire US military deploys and moves its equipment and weapons from equipment yards and warehouses to every environment on the planet using 20′-40′ steel shipping containers, but when we move as individuals we all have to move our personal belongings using cardboard boxes and trucks. So why don’t we all do the same as the military does for deployments but using a better modular solution meant for individuals? And so, The ModCon™ was born.

Inspired by the U.S. Army’s WWII Field Desk, the production version of The ModCon™ comes with 12 bins – in gray color – but will have stretch goal options to make bins clear as well as customizable bin options. Just a single half of a ModCon (6 bins) equals 11 Cu.Ft. (82 US gal) of space – totaling 22 Cu.Ft. (164.5 US gal) per ModCon. These tight fitting, sliding bins prevent movement during transport and most importantly ease of organization for heavy, complex, or even loose & smaller items or knick-knacks without risk of unnecessary “spillage” or transfer into other bins when in movement.

No different than walking into your tool shed, garage, or walk-in closet at home – The ModCon™ was designed with users in mind who frequently need to quickly find gear, not be distracted by digging through equipment or items falling off shelves, and even provide a place to quietly test or customize your gear. We mean it when we call it Your War Room™.

If The ModCon™ can’t protect uniforms, radios and communications equipment, or your own boots from water and moisture – then what is the point. So, my Number 1 Priority for engineering The ModCon™ has been Weather Proofing – period. Not everyone has a basement, garage, or spare bedroom in their home for a ModCon™. Backyards, driveways, by the lake, camps, worksites, and harsh expeditionary environments are all realistic expectations for The ModCon™. Your ModCon™ can sit outdoors, for years in all weather, and keep your gear and your livelihood the way you left it.

For those who ship equipment or move regularly, the goal is always freight ready the same day pickups are scheduled. No more searching for serviceable pallets, and The ModCon™ should be forklift & floor loading capable with a single person. The ModCon™ has in mind first mile shippers, carriers, and everyone in imports and beyond. Troops in the military are constantly moving equipment in motorpools and freight container/vehicle yards by hand or forklift to trains, cargo ships, and aircraft – commercial shipping should be no different. Just roll units together, stack, shrink wrap, and loadit’s that easy.

When you have equipment that needs frequent upkeep (e.g. batteries, computer updates, accessory charging) or just need a place to provide relief from the elements while inventorying or searching for equipment on the job – The ModCon™ enables modern day readiness via utility inlet/outlets. Run your own choice of extension power cables, air ducts, or running water for full serviceability.

We are not obsessed with competitors, rather as a Soldier I had no choice but to be obsessed with my own equipment readiness, organization, transportability (and coolness factor). The ModCon™ was dreamt and designed with the user in mind from Day 0. With The ModCon™ now physically in hand, we can more easily see where other products just can’t match The ModCon’s™ superior design and simplicity. Below is our assessment:

 

We are targeting a delivery on all ModCon™ pre-orders, perks, and stretch goals achieved during the campaign by end of November 2024.

 

No project or product would be possible without teams. It’s true what they say when it takes a village to raise a child. In this case, The ModCon™ is that child – and after many sleepless nights worrying & fearing this vision would slip away, I rucked up and assembled a very small but potent team who works hard, is passionate, and doesn’t take themselves too seriously despite some serious expertise and skill needed for this job. We hope you find us relatable, because we ‘also can people some’ :

[jokes ahead]

 

 

Steve was born in the early ’90s in the Blackland Prairies of Central Texas, an area known for its cheesy nachos under Friday night lights and where everyone is required to ride a horse by age 4 – unless you’re the horse. He went to Moody High School where he mostly stressed out about whether his Chevy Colorado “Z71” meant it was 4-wheel drive or not – it wasn’t – and then went to Baylor University where he and the Air Force talked for a while, but he wound up eloping with the Army. The Air Force ‘did’ eventually let Steve jump out of planes and they ultimately became friends. 10 years, an online business school for eagles in Florida, and multiple ‘hurry-up-and-waits’ later a group of Amazonians recruited him for their tribe in Seattle, then, for 21st century reasons, let him leave the rainforest to keep working from Texas. But, he’s still based in Seattle… they’re both confused what time work starts. The rest is history. Except for The ModCon™, that is the future.

For those still wondering, Steve has an MBA, works as a product manager at a Fortune 100 company, and is a US Army veteran.

 

 

Mike was born in the early ’90s (before Steve) in the same Blackland Prairies of Central Texas but on the Hispanic side of town, an area known for its religious Festivals where he would “soñar” (dream) of being a yoga instructor. At Temple High School he joined in theatre, culinary arts, and the Hispanic youth org – and was once wrongly accused of being a high achiever. He went to Texas A&M University where odd jobs became his bread and butter, but not as buttery as finally becoming that yoga instructor, although nobody asked.  Like all millennials, he graduated with an honorary doctorate in social media from the tens of tens of social media platforms of 2010-2020, and he frequents renaissance fairs that attempt to enforce drinking and dress code standards, safe in the knowledge nobody follows them. When not posting The ModCon’s goings on, he teaches teenagers at a local high school – about yoga crystals, probably.

For those still wondering, Mike has a Master’s Degree in English, is experienced in social media marketing, and is a licensed education professional.

 

Jordan was born in the early 80s in Central Texas. His parents each loved different sides of the musical spectrum but it instilled a foundation of love in music that has persisted throughout his entire life. Like Steve, he attended Moody High School and excelled in Band and dabbled in athletics. When it became clear that he would continue to be the smallest person on the basketball team he decided to pursue music in earnest after high school. After moving to west Texas with friends and learning about life, music, and doing some schooling he returned home and became married and started a family. There he spent 10 years helping football coaches become better than they were the day before, dabbled in IT, and helps the great state of Texas administer healthcare. Throughout all of this he has maintained his love and pursuit of music with his old friends, their rock band, along with brief stints in a few other rock and country outfits. These days he explores what life has to offer with his wife and his son, be it camping at ren fests, trips to Corpus Christi, intense (for him anyway) Oscar competitions, or whatever the latest tabletop game is. For the past year he’s helped Steve (also a table top game fan) prepare for the ModCon launch by preparing music for social media posts, setting up amateur but effective audio visual studios, or whatever else The ModCon needs!

For those still wondering, yes Jordan is a credentialed IT professional, is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts degree, and is a credited music composer.

[jokes complete]

 

MAKO Design + Invent has provided superior contracted design work for Solid Steve’s “ModCon™” since early 2022 and is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, they are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. They operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). They have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist their startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, they help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories (MAKO Design + Invent, 2023).

And a very special thank you to, Nick, Lena, Tim, and Junnel for their hard work and meticulous designing of The ModCon – for which none of this would have been possible without!

 

Other Ways You Can Help

There are plenty of other ways you can help us find those who would be interested in their own ModCon™ and those who might be interested becoming contributors:

  • Ask folks to get the word out and make some noise about The ModCon™.

[clink any icon above to link to Solid Steve pages]

  • Also, you can always use the Indiegogo share tools!

 

Thank you for considering The ModCon™ for funding, and we hope to deliver on this amazing storage solution to you soon.

– The Solid Steve Team

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