Quick and dirty version
Backpackinglight.dk was founded 2008 and is one of Europas first outdoor shop nischat towards the lightweight market. Kenneth Shaw started and runs his blog Ultralight and comfortable since 2010 and even has a book out with the same name. Ken has been one of the earliest adopters of lightweight hiking since his early days of hiking in the California woods back in the 1990's. Marcus came into Backpackinglight in late 2020 with a long background in marketing as well as a genuine interest for outdoor life. Ken and Marcus have been backpacking and fishing together since mid 2000s.
Goals & ambitions:
1. To give you as a consumer the opportunity to buy the best equipment for just what you want to do!
2. That your walk will be funner, safer and easier!
3. I will equip you with both light weight equipment and knowledge that keeps you safe and warm even in the most extreme weather conditions!
 Kenneth Shaw Owner and CEO Backpackpackinglight AB and expert gear nerd: Kenneth Shaw has backpacked, hiked and trudged thousands of miles over the course of his life time. In 2011 Kenneth started the blog ULcomfort.com which has since become one of the most popular blogs within the lightweight marketplace. He has also written a book about his philosophy called "ultralight and comfortable". Kenneth has a long history of entrepreneurial endeavors starting and running several successful businesses. He has also been CEO and manager within several companies both within the private sector and government sector. |
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Marketing Director/Part owner Backpackinglight Marcus has a long experience from the media industry where he has been CEO and owner of Reklamlandslaget AB and owner/project manager of Grit Media. Marcus has a solid fishing interest and has spent several days along rivers and lakes in the Lapland mountains.
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Skalmo
We are obsessed with ultralight equipment. So 2018 we got the brilliant idea to start producing our own. We didn't want to just take cheap gear made in Asia and throw a logo on it. We wanted to propell the UL community forward. Improving upon old ideas and designing new ones. We Design, test and produce all our own gear here in Umeå Sweden using the worlds most advanced textiles and techniques. For more information about Skalmo visit here
About us - the long version:
We are a small company based in Umeå, Sweden. Owned and run by Kenneth Shaw. We don’t have a big PR firm, an external customer service or call center for that matter. We don’t have pricing robots, executives or massive purchasing deals. We are simply a small company with big ambitions - Our goal is to offer the best outdoor equipment on the planet at a reasonable price to customers in Sweden and throughout Europe. To do this we have to make sure our customers are the happiest customers in Europe. We go the extra mile for our customers. We don’t always succeed, but we try damn hard to do so.
Other information
Youtube: www.youtube.com/backpackinglightse
Instagram: Backpackinglight.se
Why Webshop?
There are several reasons why I went with a webshop first instead of a physical shop. While planning on opening Backpackinglight, I knew that we (me, my wife and son) would be moving back to Umeå in Northern Sweden. At the time of opening my shop, we were living in Stockholm. So the prospect of opening a physical shop only to close down and move it to Umeå was not very appealing.
Another factor was perhaps the single biggest reason: My wife and I have been in the middle of an adoption process that will require us to live in Zambia for up to 6 months. Meaning that a physical shop simply wouldn’t be a smart choice. We have now as of December 2018 received confirmation of our child and we will be heading down to Zambia in early 2019. With a physical shop this would mean I would have to close down and stop what I’ve started before we even begun, however, with the webshop I am perfectly able to keep everything running as if I was in Sweden.
While my ambition is to soon start a Showroom in Umeå, there are still many of the original factors that are delaying this opening. But if everything goes as planned, we will have a physical shop in Umeå by the end of 2019.
My thoughts on a webshop:
There is often a prejudice towards Webshops that they aren’t personal, they have no overhead and hence cut out the physical shop, they don’t represent the brands in a positive way so on and so forth.
I have done my best, and still working hard at representing the brands and products that I love the best possible ways that I can. I use these products, I believe in the products, I try to make videos, do tupperware style parties and more. While it is not the same as being in a physical shop, My belief and hope in many ways, is that the experience will be better. In a physical shop you never know who is trying to sell you a product, if they’ve used the product, or if they even care. While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, my guess is that many of the big box retailers hire people they can get their hands on. Rather than experts who know what they are selling.
I make videos because I want you the customer to know that I know the gear I am selling. I want you to have faith in our shop and the love I have for what I’m doing. My costs are no cheaper than a physical shop - I still have to have people packing and shipping, rental space for my inventory, logistical costs, backend systems, taxes, duties and fees all over the place. To top it off my purchasing power is much smaller than many big box retailers which means I don’t get the massive discount on purchasing that many of the physical shops get. If that isn’t enough, many producers don’t want to sell to webshops because of the perceived “advantages and disadvantages” webshops have.
Last but not least
I hope that I can change the perception people have for webshops with Backpackinglight - and I am doing my best to keep everything running smoothly. I am aware that our product texts are not always the best, but I am doing my best to update them as quickly as possible. Also, if you have any feedback you wish to give, please do so! We love hearing from our customers.
Other information
Youtube: www.youtube.com/backpackinglightse
Instagram: Backpackinglight.se