LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Natural disasters like floods and hurricanes can cause significant damage to our lives, both physically and financially. With the aim of significantly cutting down on property damages, Maurice Huffman and Miles Huffman invented a reusable alternative to sandbags, StormBag.
In just a span of three to five minutes, these unique StormBags can absorb about 5 gallons of water! Marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to sandbags for flood control, flood prevention, water containment, or any emergency excess water situation, these StormBags are all set to make their big debut on ABC 'Shark Tank's Season 15 Episode 2.
While we will have to wait and watch to see if the Huffmans can storm the pressures of 'Shark Tank' while pitching to Sharks- Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, and returning guest Shark, Daniel Lubetzky, in the meanwhile, you can learn all about StormBag and its founders here.
What is StormBag?
Like umbrellas and raincoats, lately, sandbags have become the need of the hour thanks to the frequent flooding in the United States. While there's no denying that sandbags are extremely useful in controlling the damage caused by floods, one of the biggest downsides of using them is the sheer amount of labor and manpower needed to lug these heavy bags around during times of disaster. But thanks to StormBag, now you can kiss goodbye to shovels and all the heavy lifting involved with using sandbags.
StormBags are basically water-absorbent bags that help prevent floodwater damage. Unlike traditional sandbags, StormBags aren't filled with sand, but instead, they are filled with small amount of crystallized polymer. According to the brand's website, the StormBag weighs less than 1 lb and rapidly expands to ~30 lbs in just three to five minutes.
StormBags are sand-free alternatives to traditional sandbags. They work by absorbing roughly thirty five pounds of fresh water in three minutes, expanding from what looks like an empty burlap sack into a full-sized "sandbag" without the need for labor shoveling sand.
StormBag is a quick, easy, and cost-effective product in an emergency situation.
Despite its measly 23" x 13" size, these bags can be reused several times and are both non-toxic and biodegrable.
Who is the founder of StormBag?
Maurice Huffman and his son Miles Huffman are the founders of StormBag. Maurice, who also runs a military surplus company, Swiss-Link, invented StormBag in 2007. He is also a musician, who has dabbled in songwriting and playing guitar. As per his LinkedIn, his specialties are: "Entertainer, Songwriter, Lyricist, Entertainment, Event Coordination, Producer, Band Leader, Business Development, Marketing."
In an interview with Innovation Toronto, Maurice explained, "It’s for the backline, for the museums, the national museums, hospitals, any kind of a place that doesn’t have all the people in front and they’re getting a secondary flow, they’re getting high winds and heavy rains.” "You really can’t compare them to a sandbag, it’s a totally different item. You don’t need sand, you don’t need all the labor and all the work involved. You also have very small storage areas for it," he added while explaining the difference between traditional sandbags and StormBag.
What is the cost and where to buy StormBag from?
StormBag is available for both retail and wholesale. A pack of 10 bags retails for $79.99, and a pack of 25 bags retails for $199.75, though it's currently available at a discounted price of $159.99. StormBag also sells specific kits to protect your doorways and garages, which retail between $54 to $219.99, depending on the size of the doors/ garage. If you're interested in buying StormBags in bulk then you could pick up a pack of 250 bags for a discounted price of $1250, from the brand's website here.
While the price of the StormBags may appear significantly steeper compared to the regular sandbags, the products' ease of use and the reusable factor ensure that you are getting a bang for your buck. These bags have managed to garner some rave reviews on Amazon. A customer named KK wrote, "Third time ordering, Use for moderate water control in yard and driveway. Will dry out and can be reused until the burlap is weakened. Gel can be mixed with soil to help plants keep moisture."
Where is StormBag now?
Maurice Huffman came up with the idea for StormBag, formerly known as Stromtec, in 2007. Most weeks he sold about 2000 bags but in 2011, his sales took off when he sold more than 10,000 bags, thanks to Hurricane Irene. According to The Wall Street Journal, he got his biggest order of 5000 bags!
Since then there has been no looking back for StormBag. With options for wholesale purchases as well as individual purchases, this nifty disaster relief product seems to be selling like hotcakes. With StormBag getting featured on 'Shark Tank', the brand's sales are only set to see an upward trajectory.
Who will steal the deal?
Since Mark Cuban has already invested in a disaster relief product- LuminAID, the billionaire Shark may want to expand his portfolio by adding StormBags into the mix as well. Although the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
'Shark Tank' Season 15 Episode 2 airs on ABC on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like StormBag, Toast-It, Matador Meggings, and Return Home.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
