Here's a jacket that could very well be the Swiss Army Knife of travel wear -- it's got 15 features.
"This is the travel jacket you always needed, but never existed," said Hiral Sanghavi, co-founder of BauBax, which is making the jacket.
With a prototype ready, the startup debuted its Kickstarter campaign on July 7 to raise $20,000 to launch the jacket later this year. It hit that target in just over 5 hours.
To date, the startup has raised $6.1 million, with 7 days still to go in its fundraising campaign. The campaign is now Kickstarter's top six most-funded of all time.
"I'm thrilled to see how well this product has resonated with people from all over the world," Sanghavi said.
The travel jacket is designed with multiple hidden functions that promise to make commuting of any sort more comfortable and hands-free.
It includes:
A neck pillow in the hood that inflates in two seconds and an eye mask for shutting out the light.
Gloves concealed in each sleeve.
An insulated cupholder pocket.
It also has an earphone cable track inside the hood, a pocket with built-in microfiber cloth to protect and clean sunglasses, a zipper that hides an extendable pen and stylus, and double-layered handwarming pockets.
For the multiple devices, there are pockets to fit a 10-inch iPad and an iPhone, passport pocket, a BauBax blanket, and a portable charger pocket.
Sanghavi said the idea for the jacket struck him because of his frequent travels between Chicago and San Francisco.
"My wife works on the West Coast and I'm currently studying for my MBA at the Kellogg School of Management [at Northwestern University in Illinois]," he said. "It's a long flight and I'd forget to take my neck pillow and end up buying a new one at the airport."
After he accumulated a few pillows this way, Sanghavi said his wife, a designer, suggested a jacket with the neck pillow feature built in. "I thought it was a solid idea," said Sanghavi, who's also a serial entrepreneur.
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They took six months to research and design their jacket and add in more functions.
Sanghavi said his travel wear will come in a variety of basic colors and in four styles -- wrinkle-free blazer (for the business traveler), fleece-lined bomber, water-repellent windbreaker, and a cotton sweatshirt. The pre-order prices ranges from $89 to $120.
"The 15 features justify the prices," said Sanghavi. "If you were to buy each of these features separately, it would cost $315."
Sanghavi said he wants to have the jackets ready for consumers for the November travel season.
"Through my 11 years of experience [as an entrepreneur] I have learned that entrepreneurship is simple - finding a gap and fill it," he said. "With BauBax we are solving problems that every traveler around the world faces."
