Running Insight

16 runninginsight.com © 2018 Formula4media LLC. M ost designers in the running business will say they got their inspiration from a long run, or from an "aha" moment when they realized they needed something that didn't exist. Not David Deioma, the founder of Mudroom Backpacks. Deioma took his inspiration from growing up in the Midwest where folks would often come home from a day outside and remove their galoshes in the "Mudroom" where shoes and gear are stored before going into the house. That memory and years of experience working retail and designing bags for skis and ski boots inspired Deioma to create a versatile backpack that he christened the Mudroom Quartable. "I had worked with a designer named Mark Harris to create product for the ski market, but when it came to Mudroom packs, I thought the idea was strong enough to build a business around it," says Deioma. The Mudroom backpacks are indeed portable mudrooms, designed to let runners carry shoes in separate compartments away from the rest of their gear and devices. Deioma says the packs can carry "everything a runner needs and fit easily under airline seats, train seats, ferry seats, and rides comfortably on your back whether you're walking, cycling or motoring around." The company launched at The Running Event in 2014 with a single color in two sizes and has since made progress in the run channel. Mudroom now has two styles in five colors made from double layered ripstop nylon. The company has opened several Fleet Feet stores and Up'N Running in Charleston and recently signed on well-respected rep Mark Johnson to handle the Mudroom line in Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia and West Virginia. n A Product Idea Inspired by a Room in the House RUNNING INSIGHT Mudroom backpacks are designed to be exactly what the name implies: portable mudrooms.

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