2015 - Where it all began

The Crashpad story kicked off in May 2015 in a dusty old shed in Ballarat, Victoria. We (Brett and Leanne Ellis) were over cookie cutter camping gear, bland designs, zero character and built for showroom shelves, not harsh Aussie conditions. So we rolled up our sleeves and got to work on building something better. Tougher, louder, smarter.

It started with late nights after getting kids to bed. Music on, a cold beer or coffee in the Ballarat winter and canvas spread out over an old table. They truth is we had no idea what we were doing at the start, but we had a clear vision of where we wanted to go. So we asked questions. A lot of them. We hunted down people who knew what they were doing and soaked up every bit of advice we could. We got taught pattern making, we experimented, we failed forward and we stitched every lesson into the next prototype. 

The First Builds

Leanne stitched the first samples on a wild old Toyota sewing machine that ran like a V8 - fast, loud and hard to control. But it got the job done and something was born. As the years rolled on the sewing machines became more advanced, more controllable and the gear got even sharper.

2016-2017 - Breaking the Mold

From day one we pushed the boundaries. While others played it safe, we launched with bold colours, including our now iconic Crashpad orange. We were the first to bring out black swags, the first to run two-tone colourways in swags and the ones who turned swags and bags into a visual statement, not just utility gear. We launched our Stealth wheel bag that has now become our signature pattern, today it is everywhere - a blueprint for competitors who just couldn't help themselves. 

The early gear turned heads. Then it turned into a movement. Word spread like wildfire. Our socials blew up - not with influencers, but with real people out there using our gear, tagging us from every corner of the country with our now well known #flashthecrash tag. The Crashpad name start popping up at campsites, 4wd meets and inboxes everywhere.

2018 +

In 2018, we shifted base to Queensland's Sunshine Coast - more space, more sun, more room to grow. And grow we did. From swags to storage, we became the brand that people wanted when they wanted gear that doesn't just look good - it lasts. We expanded the local manufacturing arm of our business added more sewing machines, more staff, more challenges. Of course we continue to learn, work through problems and challenges, fail often, but it is the failures we learn the most from.

We're now proud employers of a growing crew, backing our local community and other businesses and still designing every product with the same spark and core Crashpad DNA that sets us apart from the pack. 

Oh - and the name?

It came from a chat on a camping trip to the Vic High Country. Brett and his best mate were sitting around the campfire, struggling to lock down a name for this wild new idea. He turned to his mate and said "I'm really stuck on what to call this thing." Without missing a beat, his mate just said: "Crashpad. You know - a swag's basically a pad you crash on". And that was that. So here is a big shout out to you Fitz.