Who We are
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Ryan and I have been friends for over 10 years now. Ryan is a mechanic, loyal husband, and father to three crazy dogs. My wife and I have only one crazy dog and I've done a little of everything: fisheries technician, woodworker, ski bum, land surveyor, etc. No matter where we are or what we're doing, fly fishing is something that has always brought us together. We've shared many great adventures exploring the mountain west.
Fly fishing is a part of who we are and how we connect to the natural world. Tandem Fly Company started as a way for us to be a part of the fly fishing community that we are passionate about. There was a need for better rig storage and no product out there provided a good solution. We decided to put in the time and effort to make the product that no one else had. |
Ryan Willis | Owner
Elliot Martin | Owner
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Developing the box
It takes a lot to bring a product to life. Careful design, patenting, and manufacturing all come with unique sets of problems. It’s pretty interesting stuff and we want to share some of the process with you.
Why hasn’t this been done yet?
That’s what we asked ourselves back in 2015. Yes, there are other solutions to storing tandem rigs, but that means adding more gear to your pack. Everyone carries a flybox, why not configure the leaf to hold rigs as well? Simple.
Made in USA
Outsourcing production overseas is the norm, many assume it is a necessity. We think otherwise. From the beginning, we have chosen to source close to home. Working with domestic suppliers can be more costly, but that's because it supports living wages and safe working environments. It also gives control over processes, allows for quick troubleshooting, easier communication, and quicker delivery. All of these things allow us to continually make the product better.
Design Considerations
We wanted the box to be straightforward and easy to use. Easy to open and easy to wrap rigs. No fumbling with latches, simply open the box. The dropper page was going to be a modular feature, and having the correct attachment for it was key. Many iterations of magnetic and press-fit attachments were tested, but none were reliable. They would often fall out of the box while wrapping a rig, or if accidentally bumped. We finally settled on a mechanical snap-clip attachment. Simple and secure.
That’s what we asked ourselves back in 2015. Yes, there are other solutions to storing tandem rigs, but that means adding more gear to your pack. Everyone carries a flybox, why not configure the leaf to hold rigs as well? Simple.
Made in USA
Outsourcing production overseas is the norm, many assume it is a necessity. We think otherwise. From the beginning, we have chosen to source close to home. Working with domestic suppliers can be more costly, but that's because it supports living wages and safe working environments. It also gives control over processes, allows for quick troubleshooting, easier communication, and quicker delivery. All of these things allow us to continually make the product better.
Design Considerations
We wanted the box to be straightforward and easy to use. Easy to open and easy to wrap rigs. No fumbling with latches, simply open the box. The dropper page was going to be a modular feature, and having the correct attachment for it was key. Many iterations of magnetic and press-fit attachments were tested, but none were reliable. They would often fall out of the box while wrapping a rig, or if accidentally bumped. We finally settled on a mechanical snap-clip attachment. Simple and secure.
3D printed attachment prototypes. Snap clip, press fit, and magnetic varieties.
Materials
Our product had to incorporate high quality materials. We tested many different foams to find one with the dense, resilient qualities that would hold flies secure. Shatter-resistant polycarbonate plastic was chosen for durability and longevity. We researched and tested the best impact-resistant adhesives and foam tapes capable of withstanding wide temperature ranges.
Functionality
Design should not skimp on function just to save money. The dropper page is a good example of this. It is made by laminating foam on either side of a rigid plastic sheet. It would have been easier and cheaper to create it out of just one foam sheet. However, we found that a single slit-foam sheet would be too flimsy to keep flies secure. We also went to great pains to configure the page in a way that the tippet, when wrapped around the page, would not contact any foam adhesive (leaving gunk) or the inner plastic sheet (leaving kinks).
Our product had to incorporate high quality materials. We tested many different foams to find one with the dense, resilient qualities that would hold flies secure. Shatter-resistant polycarbonate plastic was chosen for durability and longevity. We researched and tested the best impact-resistant adhesives and foam tapes capable of withstanding wide temperature ranges.
Functionality
Design should not skimp on function just to save money. The dropper page is a good example of this. It is made by laminating foam on either side of a rigid plastic sheet. It would have been easier and cheaper to create it out of just one foam sheet. However, we found that a single slit-foam sheet would be too flimsy to keep flies secure. We also went to great pains to configure the page in a way that the tippet, when wrapped around the page, would not contact any foam adhesive (leaving gunk) or the inner plastic sheet (leaving kinks).
Flimsy slit-foam dropper pages. No bueno.
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Protecting the tippet: no gunk from adhesive tape, no kink from resting on plastic
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Prototyping
3D printing is an amazingly fast and cheap way to do this. You don’t need to spend thousands on a 3D printer. In fact, there are many online 3D printing services available. Just upload a design file, choose your material, and order parts. Next add some craft foam, double-sided tape, steel wire, and you’ve got a prototype.
3D printing is an amazingly fast and cheap way to do this. You don’t need to spend thousands on a 3D printer. In fact, there are many online 3D printing services available. Just upload a design file, choose your material, and order parts. Next add some craft foam, double-sided tape, steel wire, and you’ve got a prototype.
A variety of colorful, 3D printed design iterations
Patenting the Idea
It’s important to protect an idea if you can. Unfortunately, lawyers are expensive and patent law isn't a DIY thing. Luckily, there are programs out there that level the playing field by offering pro bono (free) patent prosecution to people of lesser means. We worked with ProBoPat, an organization in the mountain west that connects inventors with patent practitioners for patent preparation and prosecution. We got a patent. Even if we didn't, knowing the IP regarding other products in the industry can be valuable. You don’t wanna step on anyone’s toes.
Manufacturing
We were just a couple of guys with an idea, manufacturers weren't exactly drooling over us. With a little persistence, we were able to find a local injection molder who was the right fit. Then it was time to invest some serious money to get our molds tooled. It's an intricate, time-consuming, and expensive process. Once complete, a mold can last for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of parts. Check out one of our molds in action...
It’s important to protect an idea if you can. Unfortunately, lawyers are expensive and patent law isn't a DIY thing. Luckily, there are programs out there that level the playing field by offering pro bono (free) patent prosecution to people of lesser means. We worked with ProBoPat, an organization in the mountain west that connects inventors with patent practitioners for patent preparation and prosecution. We got a patent. Even if we didn't, knowing the IP regarding other products in the industry can be valuable. You don’t wanna step on anyone’s toes.
Manufacturing
We were just a couple of guys with an idea, manufacturers weren't exactly drooling over us. With a little persistence, we were able to find a local injection molder who was the right fit. Then it was time to invest some serious money to get our molds tooled. It's an intricate, time-consuming, and expensive process. Once complete, a mold can last for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of parts. Check out one of our molds in action...
Foam
A major headache. We went through multiple suppliers (and scrapped more material than we’d have liked) before finding someone capable of providing consistent quality and thickness. Even finding a die-maker who was able to create the intricate design of our slit foam inserts was a challenge. We talked with dozens of manufacturers before we found a great partner out of Pennsylvania who would take on the challenge.
A major headache. We went through multiple suppliers (and scrapped more material than we’d have liked) before finding someone capable of providing consistent quality and thickness. Even finding a die-maker who was able to create the intricate design of our slit foam inserts was a challenge. We talked with dozens of manufacturers before we found a great partner out of Pennsylvania who would take on the challenge.
Good quality, beautifully cut foam inserts
A Learning Process
We're not engineers. The learning curve has been steep. I did not learn CAD overnight, in fact, the first prototypes were made using a free online program called Tinkercad. Designing for manufacturability, gaining knowledge of materials, and experience working with different manufacturing industries are some things we've picked up along the way. I'd like to think we've earned honorary industrial design degrees.
A Long Time Coming
We launched the product in 2019. Yes, it took a while. If you look up bootstrapping in the dictionary, our pictures are there. All I can say is that we’ve put in countless nights, weekends, and everything in between.
We’re extremely proud of the Dropper Rig Box. It turned out great, it’s useful, durable, unique, and made in the USA. We hope you like it too.
We're not engineers. The learning curve has been steep. I did not learn CAD overnight, in fact, the first prototypes were made using a free online program called Tinkercad. Designing for manufacturability, gaining knowledge of materials, and experience working with different manufacturing industries are some things we've picked up along the way. I'd like to think we've earned honorary industrial design degrees.
A Long Time Coming
We launched the product in 2019. Yes, it took a while. If you look up bootstrapping in the dictionary, our pictures are there. All I can say is that we’ve put in countless nights, weekends, and everything in between.
We’re extremely proud of the Dropper Rig Box. It turned out great, it’s useful, durable, unique, and made in the USA. We hope you like it too.
