South Lake Tahoe locals create Bakpocket eco-products

A new business in South Lake Tahoe is the creation of South Lake Tahoe locals Bryan Burnam and Jacob Hanneman, who have taken their passion for the outdoors to start Bakpocket Products.

Since August 8, the company has their newest product, the Adventure Hammock, listed on Kickstarter, which is a global funding platform designed to help small startup companies to promote their projects and products.

Burnam and Hanneman were both seniors at Humboldt State University in 2013 when they created their first Bakpocket hammock as a senior project. That first project has morphed into 20 different ultralight outdoor products including their signature hammocks, beach blankets, eco-friendly backpacks, bags and accessories.

“When we think about the future of Bakpocket Products, we strive to become one of the industries leaders in lightweight backpacking equipment,” Burnam describes. “With new technology and a growing outdoors industry, we aim to continue designing superior products for the backcountry that are unmatched in quality and comfort.”

Founders, Burnam and Hanneman, recently partnered with creative web developer and South Lake Tahoe local, David Williams, to assist in helping the company reach online markets.

Burnam was born in South Lake Tahoe and attended Meyers Elementary and South Tahoe Middle School and graduated from South Tahoe High and Lake Tahoe Community College. Williams also attended STMS and graduated from both STHS and LTCC. After LTCC, Burnam transfered to Humboldt State University and finished his degree in Wilderness Education and Safety. Williams went on to San Diego State University where he finished a degree in web engineering. Hanneman also graduated from Humboldt State with a degree in Wilderness Education and Safety and has now fallen in love with Lake Tahoe and calls it home.

People backing them on Kickstarter receive products depending on the dollar amount. As of Thursday night, 125 backers have contributed $14,097. There are still 16 days to go to help this South Lake Tahoe company take their products to the next level.