How Chinese start-up Flextail is looking to take the puff out of hiking with its ultra-lightweight outdoor equipment
- Flextail has sold more than 2 million Tiny Pumps in over 160 countries since 2018, according to its founder
- After success in entering international markets, Flextail is now targeting China with its array of ultra-lightweight hiking and camping equipment
Chinese start-up Flextail was born out of a hiking trip by three student enthusiasts over a decade ago, with an idea to revolutionise adventure equipment with what they called “ultra-light electric outdoor gear”.
Following in the footsteps of other famous outdoor brands such as Osprey, whose founder Mike Pfotenhauer pioneered custom-fitting backpacks, Li and his two co-founders met at an outdoor activity association while attending college – in this case Dalian Maritime University in northwestern Liaoning province.
One of their bestselling products is the Tiny Pump, a lightweight yet powerful air-pump, which can inflate and deflate a range of outdoor equipment in seconds. It is priced at between US$27.98 and US$39.99, depending on the specification.
Flextail has sold more than 2 million Tiny Pumps in over 160 countries since 2018, according to Li Tao, co-founder and chief executive of the Shanghai-based company. It is currently the most popular product of its kind on the US Amazon.com site, according to Best Seller rankings.
But 30 year-old Li and his college associates began their entrepreneurial venture with a focus on backpacks.
A decade ago, there was a limited choice of backpacks in China. Inspired by US online outdoor forums where users shared stories about backpack customisation, Li and his co-founders began to experiment with their own lightweight, customised bags, which attracted attention from Chinese mountaineers and hikers.