UT student offers cheaper hammock option
Alex Adams, founder of Xada, sits at his booth on Pedestrian Walkway.
There aren’t many college students who can say that they are running their own business, but that is just the case for senior Alex Adams, who runs a company specializing in portable hammocks.
A popular college accessory, Adams’ product is cheaper than most commercial brands. He wraps up the entire hammock into one price and bag rather than competitors who charge for the hammock, ropes, and a bag for both.
Adams came up with the idea for the product during his freshmen year. “I started renting hammocks from Morrill’s front desk, and it got to the point that they were all rented out,” said Adams. “I wanted to purchase my own, but I didn’t want to pay $65 for the hammock alone.”
Adams prides his products on not stretching down which is a common issue with the commercial brands. “It works on the same idea as a Chinese figure trap,” said Adams.
His goal was to make it more affordable for college students who don’t have $100 to spend on a hammock. A Xada hammock is not only cheaper but is also softer and has a more accessible and user friendly rope system. “Most people will be like ‘oh that it is a $100 hammock’ and will think about it,” said Adams.
“It’s all in one bag, you don’t have to have more than one hammock bag,” said Adams. “It makes it a little easier to keep up with.”
Adams has done well selling the hammocks and has even made a sale in Norway. Adams hopes to continue working on hammocks after college and add a few more products to the line.
If you are interested in purchasing a hammock go to xadagear.com.
Edited by Maggie Jones
