Over the last 30 years, I have owned and operated a construction company called Vision Pacific based in Whistler, British Columbia. During this time frame, I have learned time and time again that you want to use the right tool for the job at hand. The right tool makes the work easier, the work is safer, and the quality of the product and the experience is always better.

The creative spark that culminated in the creation of Shapeshifter tools occurred over the Covid lockdown. I am an avid biker, and I like to volunteer my time and skills to benefit my community. I was inspired to take action because I saw that the popularity of biking was growing with new riders wanting to access the outdoors and the fact our town had a disproportionate number of expert trails and needed more intermediate trails.

I joined the volunteer trail building group (Worca) and was instantly inspired by the passion and energy the volunteers. While working with these awesome people I made a series of observations.

The first was that carrying tools up a half-built trail for 30 minutes is tough work. The tools you bring need to be strong, light, and multi-use. I also learned that a pick axe is a form of torture if you are over 5’6”.

This experience launched me, and then my Shapeshifter team, into an exhaustive study of the available products on the market. Then, an optimization program where we made the tools better. We offer the most extensive trail tool/wildfire hand tool catalogue in the market, with different handle lengths and head weights to make the perfect combination. We then powder-coat the product with an array of interesting colours so the user can bond with their tool (new friend).

The reality is that everyone is different and has different preferences. I myself like a heavier tool (if I am not walking far up the trail). I can get into the rhythm of the work, and the weight does not bother me. I was recently at a trail night, and a number of the trail volunteers wielding pickaxes were sitting down and gasping for air after 20 minutes.

If they were using our tools, they would have gotten more done and had more fun in the process. I am going to bring more demo tools next trail night. Every time I am out building trail, I try and problem solve. For a while, I carried tools up in a bag. It was awkward and heavy. My team and I then set out to design a better system. I took inspiration from the Dutch MilkMaid yoke. We made a tool carrier called the oxen, sticking to the animal theme, that can sit on your shoulders (over a pack) and can take four tools. This makes carrying the tools in much easier and gives the ability to move between tools easier. When you get tired of swinging a hoe, you move to raking; when the raking is getting you down, you move to filling our collapsible buckets. In short, our goal is to make trail building and wildfire fighting as comfortable as possible. The tools are designed and scaled for all shapes and sizes. With the right tool firefighters and trail builders can get more done, enjoy the experience more and not put strain on their bodies.

As a company we are passionate about the outdoors and want to preserve nature, creating accessibility to nature so more people can experience it. Please share your experiences with us with our tools. If we can help with designing specific tools for your area we are happy to talk.

 

Tim Regan
Owner
Shapeshifter Tool Co.