Our Story

As an airline pilot that is based in Anchorage, Alaska, I need to bring a coat with me on just about every trip I fly, year round.  As all air crew members know, we typically find ourselves going between different climates rapidly.  The problem is always the same, how do we bring the right coat so we can be comfortably warm in the cold places and not have to carry around a parka in the hot places.  I don't know about you, but I need one hand to drag my roller bag and the priority of my other hand is to hold my coffee, which leaves NO hands and maaaaybe my coffee arm to hold/drape my coat (lame).  I've tried balancing my coat on my roller bag between the handle but it inevitably falls off, and it could fall off without my knowledge and become lost forever which is one of the many irrational worst case scenarios that keeps me up at night.

When my airline rolled out a new uniform recently, and along with it, a host of different coat options, I knew it was time to act on this idea I've had for years.  Design a product that is simple, easy to use, durable, and will solve the problem of having to use up one of my arms/hands to carry my coat when it's too warm to wear it.

After drawing out the design on some scrap paper, I sent the design off to a local metal supply store and had the very first Coat Roper laser cut out of aluminum.  After cleaning up the burrs and sharp edges, I bolted it on to my Luggage Works bags that I've had since flying for the regionals, and brought it on my next trip.  Success!  The Coat Roper works! 

However, the initial design using aluminum looked a bit crude and the original shape, which actually had TOO MUCH retention, had to be tweaked.  Back to the drawing board, I made some modifications to the design of the hook.  This would allow easy latching and unlatching of the bungee cord while still having enough retention to not come undone unintentionally while in use.  Next, I sent the design over to a local 3D printer to see if plastic would be strong enough to hold up to the beating airline luggage takes on a day to day basis.  I discovered there is such a thing as carbon fiber reinforced plastic which is 6x stronger than normal plastic!  With a better design combined with a better performing (and better looking) material, I knew I had something special.

Inspired by how well the product turned out, I immediately ordered a Travel Pro crew bag in order to design another version of the Coat Roper.  While a little more complicated, a final product has been designed, tested, and made available to air crew everywhere!

I hope these products solve the same problem for you.  I really enjoyed developing these two versions and plan to design more going forward.

Smooth rides and fast tailwinds!