The Pakpod is meant for on-the-go devices such as smartphones and GoPro cameras.
After being frustrated in his search for a versatile tripod that could be anchored to anything and provide a stable base for taking just the right shot, Steve Underwood of Scarborough decided to invent one himself.
His Pakpod is a new type of tripod that is “quick to deploy” and can be used in “groundbreaking new ways,” according to the company’s website.
Since first sharing his ideas with Justin Aiello of Aiello Designs in 2014, Underwood has raised more than $51,500 on Kickstarter to help with the new company’s costs of production and development for the Pakpod.
The crowdfunding Underwood has received so far has also exceeded his initial campaign goal of $27,000.
Aiello Designs, based in Kennebunk, provides freelance invention and development services to help inventors take their product from the design stage to licensing to ready to sell.
Aiello has more than 20 years of experience assisting inventors, startups and small businesses “turn good ideas into profitable products,” according to the company website.
Team Pakpod consists of Underwood and three other part-time, paid consultants – Hanna Sanders, the chief operations officer, Molly Mallett, the social media coordinator, and Tim Chard.
Sanders called Pakpod a “real start-up.” She said the company has no offices and the product is not currently available through any retailer. The only way to order a Pakpod now is through the company’s website or on Kickstarter.
Underwood said his new invention is designed mostly for use with a smartphone or a GoPro camera – a digital video recording device with built-in WiFi. The Pakpod weighs less than a pound and can be mounted anywhere.
The Pakpod is “the first tripod that lets you stake securely into grass, dirt, sand and snow,” the company’s website states. “This ground-breaking new tool helps capture the shots you might otherwise miss with standard-issue tripods.”
“I’ve mounted Pakpod on just about everything – trees, fences, signposts, ceiling fans, car hoods, kayaks, rock walls, bicycles, hammocks, baby swings, sailboat masts, white water rafts and more,” Underwood said.
“I’ve staked it into sand dunes, grassy fields, river bottoms and the ocean floor. In fact, I’ve stopped testing its mountability because the options were kind of endless,” he said.
The new tripod weighs less than a pound, is slightly more than a foot in length when folded and the extendable legs can be independently set through 180 degrees. In addition, it comes with three, 3-inch stakes, which can be attached through any one of 36 mounting holes.
Underwood, who’s lived in Scarborough for the past 23 years, may be best known locally as the co-founder of the Good Theater, which is based at St. Lawrence Arts on Portland’s east end.
The Good Theater season runs from September to May. During the summer, Underwood has taken up diving and underwater filmmaking. He dives without the use of scuba equipment and to date has filmed in more than 100 of Maine’s lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
Much of his work has been focused on doing documentary work for the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. He filmed most of the movie, “The Hunt for Aquatic Invaders,” which debuted at the Maine Outdoor Film Festival this past summer.
Underwood said he was inspired to create the Pakpod because “doing solo documentary work requires the wearing of many hats. Moments unfold unexpectedly and rapidly (and) I needed a tripod that I could set up and lock down quickly.”
He said he kept “searching for a tripod I could anchor, adjust and aim while holding my breath. One that could stand its ground in white water, be hung up high overhead, be staked into substrates and tied to things.”
When he couldn’t find what he was looking for, Underwood invented it.
“If I hesitate, the moment’s lost,” he added. “Pakpod provides me with the freedom to travel light, move fast and bring home clips that give me the chills.”
A limited number of Pakpods are available for purchase at $79 on Kickstarter. After Nov. 5, the Pakpod will retail for $99 in the e-store on the Pakpod website.
Underwood said his new tripod has been through “the design, prototyping and tooling process” and that a limited number of units were manufactured for use as “seed product.” Any Pakpod ordered by Nov. 5, he said, would ship in time for the holidays.
The design for the Pakpod has gone through many stages in the past year, Underwood said, with Aiello initially producing five prototypes for testing.
In all, Underwood said, it’s taken him three years and more than “100 little ideas” to get the Pakpod from the design stage to introducing his new tripod to consumers.
He said Aiello “brilliantly brought my vision to life,” and the result is a “tripod that is beautifully functional and functionally beautiful.”
Aiello told the Current this week that Underwood has done “a great job of identifying a need in the market and coming up with a clever and innovative solution.”
Aiello said he’s not alone in thinking so, citing Underwood’s “huge success” in crowd funding, “generating almost twice his funding goal.”
Aiello also praised Underwood’s willingness to jump in with both feet and learn along the way.
“An inventor’s success is dependent on many factors, including the invention itself, the execution of the idea and the promotion and marketing,” Aiello said. “If any of these miss the mark, the product will not succeed. I think (Steve has) hit all three out of the park and predict the Pakpod will continue (to be) a success.”
Steve Underwood, center, of Scarborough, created the new Pakpod tripod that can go anywhere. Also pictured are Hanna Sanders, left, the chief operations officer for Pakpod, and Molly Mallett, the company’s social media coordinator.Courtesy photo
A new type of tripod – the Pakpod – invented by Scarborough’s Steve Underwood, provides versatility for shooting photos or video. Courtesy photos
A new type of tripod – the Pakpod – invented by Scarborough’s Steve Underwood, provides versatility for shooting photos or video.Courtesy photos
A new type of tripod – the Pakpod – invented by Scarborough’s Steve Underwood, provides versatility for shooting photos or video.Courtesy photos
Send questions/comments to the editors.
