Morrison Outdoors - Shark Tank Update

Family camping gets the gear it deserves when Tavis Malcolm quits his marketing career in 2018 to build Morrison Outdoors, a specialty outdoor gear company devoted entirely to babies, toddlers, and the parents trying to bring them safely into the wilderness. Tavis's journey began as a new father who searched for appropriate outdoor gear for his infant and found almost nothing - the market offered baby sleeping bags that were either dangerously too warm, inadequately designed for outdoor conditions, or simply unavailable.

He built the solution himself. Morrison Outdoors' flagship products are the Mighty Mo and Mega Mo sleeping bag lines, engineered with safety-first insulation and age-appropriate temperature ratings to keep infants and toddlers warm on camping nights without the overheating risks that adult-designed bags present for small children.

The broader product line includes toddler sleeping bags, kids sleeping bags, Mega Mo adult sleeping bags, child carriers like Trail Magik, and a trade-in program where families can return gently used gear for store credit as their children grow. Morrison Outdoors is committed to the Pledge 1% movement, donating 1% of all sales to charitable causes and rotating its recipients quarterly.

The company is now celebrating seven years in business. Tavis entered the Tank asking $300,000 for 10% equity at a $3 million valuation, looking for a partner who could open retail distribution channels and help him reach the millions of adventurous families who want to start their children outdoors safely from day one.

Baby camping gear generated enthusiastic investment on Shark Tank Season 16 Episode 19 when Tavis Malcolm's pitch for Morrison Outdoors resonated with both Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban, who joined forces to offer $300,000 for 20% equity - a deal Tavis accepted despite the higher equity than his initial 10% ask. Barbara and Mark were impressed by the clarity of the market problem (parents who are outdoor enthusiasts and want to bring infants along safely have almost no quality gear options), the quality of the Mighty Mo and Mega Mo sleeping bags, and Tavis's seven years of bootstrapped operational experience building the company from a personal frustration into a going concern.

However, post-filming developments revealed that the television deal ultimately fell through during due diligence - a not uncommon occurrence in Shark Tank investments where the post-production due diligence process can surface issues that prevent formal closing. Despite not completing the television investment, Morrison Outdoors has continued building momentum through organic growth and strategic retail partnerships.

Tavis leveraged the Shark Tank exposure to significantly expand brand awareness and validate Morrison Outdoors' positioning in the family outdoor gear market, and the company now sells sleeping bags for every age group from newborn through adult, maintains an active trade-in program for growing families, and continues its commitment to the Pledge 1% movement to give back to charitable causes.