Interview
Ripstop by the Roll (Kyle Baker) Interview
A few weeks ago the MUL team had the chance to discuss with Kyle, founder of Ripstop by the Roll which for years now has been supplying most cottage gear around the world.
Come discover printing with OutdoorINK !
Design your own custom printed fabric with the OutdoorINK
Custom Design Tool! The first 50 people will receive 10% off their
entire order when you use the code MercantileUL-10%
https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/outdoorink
Since when RBTR exists and why and how did you come to create this?
Kyle: I founded RBTR in early 2014, so this is our 9th year of existence! I initially created Ripstop by the Roll as a way to fund custom fabric creation for another business called Appalachian Hammock. We weren’t selling a lot of hammocks at the time, but we wanted better fabric. To make ends meet, we created RBTR as a way to sell some of the extra yardage we couldn’t immediately turn into finished gear like hammocks and tarps. But after a few months in, I was getting a lot more enjoyment out of supplying the market with innovative fabrics/materials and other capabilities as opposed to creating finished products. It also helped that we got a lot of support from the outdoor DIY and vendor communities right away. Over the next year, we slowly dialed down App Hammock and focused all our energy on building RBTR.
Are you yourself a designer or do you make your equipment?
Kyle : I wasn’t at first, but I learned how to sew right around the time that RBTR was starting up. I remember my first DIY project very clearly – a double-ended stuff sack in 1.1 oz Multicam Silnylon. This was actually a custom fabric that we developed through RBTR. Nowadays, I don’t get behind the machine much. A lot of people blame being busy and I am busy for sure, but really it’s that I haven’t made the time. I’m aiming to change that when our phase 2 facility opens in about 2 months with a dedicated maker space. I freaking love sewing and making things on my own. With the coming maker space, I’ll be all out of excuses!
Could you tell me where exactly your store is and the story behind it?
Kyle : We’re located in Durham, NC, about 3 minutes from downtown, Duke University, etc. We purchased our HQ facility about 2 years ago and are finally close to finishing all of the upfit construction. We’re pretty stoked about it.
How do you find new products? Do you have people who try before offering them for sale?
Kyle: Several different ways, but in the case of new materials, it’s a lot of imagination and trying to work backwards from a desired set of characteristics to a material that could achieve those. From there, it’s like a puzzle to try and figure out how to actually make that ideal material that you came up with on paper.
OutdoorING is a brand that belongs to you?
Kyle: OutdoorINK is the digital printing brand within Ripstop by the Roll, yes.
Example of equipment made with DCF fabric printed by OutdoorINK:
Design your own custom printed fabric with the OutdoorINK
Custom Design Tool! The first 50 people will receive 10% off their
entire order when you use the code MercantileUL-10%
https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/outdoorink
Thank you RBTR for giving me your time and finding all the products directly on their website,
