So, Why is it Called the “Weekend Warrior”?
As you build your first company, an oddly pressing—but honestly unimportant—question will sneak up on you:
What are you actually going to name your first product?
I’ll never get over the fact that I saw this first sample and said “okay I’m on to something.”
First, let me explain why I think this question doesn’t really matter - at least, not at first.
When you're in the thick of building, especially in D2C retail, it’s incredibly easy to get distracted. And the only thing that truly matters in the early days is the product itself. Everything else is secondary at the start. Yes - I’m looking at you moodboards.
But development is hard. And exhausting. Eventually, after reviewing the same damn shoulder strap design for the 13th time in a week, your brain will wander to greener pastures and you’ll start to think, “Wait... what am I even calling this thing?”
Yep, that was me. And in one of those spiraling late-night moments, I decided to call the bag the Weekend Warrior.
Here’s why.
The Weekend Warrior 1.0 in the Glacier Gray color way. Do we bring it back??
You’ve probably heard the term “Weekend Warrior” before. I heard it non-stop growing up (I’m 25, so not that long ago). My dad loved saying it on our ski trips out West.
Beaver Creek with Pops this past January. Highly recommended just not on your own dime.
“Look at us! Chasing the snow. We’re true warriors. Weekend Warriors!” Alright, I’m dramatizing a little - he doesn’t actually talk like the Red Guardian in Thundberbolts (well, Never Avengers) - but you get the point.
After about two years of hearing this at airport bars, I finally asked him, “What the hell are you talking about?”
Yep - that’s me. Emphasis on strenuous
He explained: a Weekend Warrior is someone who lives away from their passion but finds a way to chase it on the weekends.
In our case? Skiing.
More photos of pops skiing, because why not.
Obviously, that term stuck.
Fast forward a few years, and I’m just sitting there, staring at - what I thought was -a nearly finished backpack, and struggling to name it.
I cycled through every basic name imaginable:
Traveler
The Boot Bag
Diamant Boot Bag
Boot Pack
Boot Pack 40L
Travel Pack
Traveler 40L
Help Travel Boot Helper Thing
The Bag of All Bags
You get the idea.
“Traveler” sounded kind of cool. The rest? Not so much. They just didn’t add anything. Maybe that’s okay, but at this point I was dead set on the fact that our products name had to go further than the order confirmation email.
After all, names don’t matter that much. If a product is great, people will buy it. But when done right, a name can tell a story. It can even help you stand out.
So I looked at the bag and thought: who is this for?
It’s for my dad, balancing work and ski trips out West. It’s for me, starting a career but always carrying a laptop - just in case. It’s for everyone sneaking in a few turns between hectic work weeks.
It’s for - drum roll, please - Weekend Warriors.
After a very light trademark check, I said screw it - this is good enough.
I guess I owe all the Kickstarter success to my dad? Don’t tell him…
So thanks, Dad, for repeating that phrase a thousand times. It paid off.
Funny enough, we see customers refer to it as “The Weekender” all the time.
Luckily, those are almost always 5-star reviews.
So call it whatever you want. Once it’s yours, it’s your bag.
Al P, if you want it to be the Weekender, It’s the Weekender.
