About
It all started with a pandemic and a need for a better fitting lightweight backpack...
Our founder, Jennifer Villamin, went on her first backpacking trip right at the start of the pandemic. She was literally on a California mountaintop with friends when the "shelter-in-place" order was declared in March 2020. Originally a competitive outrigger canoe paddler in San Francisco, she and another teammate found themselves hiking and backpacking around California during most of the pandemic. The shelter-in-place and social distancing orders made it impossible to be in an outrigger canoe.
Excited to be on the trails, she struggled to find a backpack that worked well for her. After trying out four different backpacks over three years, nothing fit right. By spring 2022, she decided to teach herself how to sew and create her own backpack.
While teaching herself how to sew and figuring out how to create her backpack, she discovered other women had the same problem with backpacks. As a Filipino American woman, she also noticed a lack of diversity on hiking trails, especially among women of color. This made her wonder "Do women of color go backpacking?"
Thus, Jennifer founded Sojourn Trekkr. She wanted to create lightweight outdoor gear that focuses on the female form, and also inspires other women of color to explore the outdoors.
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When Unisex Options Won't Fit
There is an outdoor gear gap. Gender is not equally represented in the outdoors, it does not always accommodate for female sizes and shapes.
Sojourn Trekkr is driven by the belief that when women have proper fitting gear, they will be more empowered to explore, and to push, their limits in the outdoors. The outdoor gear industry needs a sustainable brand that focuses on better-fitting gear for women for equitable access to the outdoors.Â
We see you—we're here for you to fill the information gap with female-focused perspectives and strategies for backpacking the trails as a woman with just the essentials.
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