Our Story
We are an outdoors company making useful things for folk that love to play outside.
In our workshop we create tactile, hands-on things that make outdoor times better. That look good, work better and last (at least) a lifetime. Every useful thing we make is designed for durability and sustainability. To be used and used and used some more. And to make as small a dent in the planet as is humanly possible. You see, we want your kids to inherit your useful things. And also pass on a thriving planet, where there are still wild places to get outside and play.
Full Windsor is based out of Eagle Rock, California. We have bootstrapped and crowdfunded our way into existence, and are still 100% founder owned and operated.
Beginnings
Our Founder is a lanky Kiwi industrial designer named Mark Windsor. Mark began Full Windsor back in 2011, with the founding principle that design and innovation should be at the heart of everything we do. From an old warehouse in Hackney Wick, East London, he quit his day job at a well-known design firm and released Full Windsor’s first product on Kickstarter. We hopped across the pond to sunny California in 2018, and are more focused than ever on designing sustainable and innovative outdoor gear, that helps people to enjoy getting outside and has a minimal impact on the planet.
Giving Back
We are a proud member of 1% for the Planet. As a member we are committing to donate the equivalent of 1% of our gross sales directly to our chosen environmental Non-profit - Endangered Species International. In particular we are donating to their Ocean plastic removal program. They are currently set up to remove 400 pounds of floating plastic every day from the Pacific Ocean's most sensitive marine environments.
Design Ethos and Process
There is a way of thinking that is becoming more common, especially with outdoor enthusiasts. It reverts back to a previous generations attitude towards their possessions. Visit any museum and you'll see artifacts that were people's prized possessions that were kept safe and looked after meticulously. People are beginning to realize cheap plastic goods are of a disposable nature and over time they will nearly always develop a weak point that will break leaving the entire product as yet another thing to simply throw away. The reality of throw away culture is that there is no such place as 'away'. Cheap plastic products are causing a massive environmental problem, polluting our Oceans and killing our sea life. Items of value made from durable materials are more likely to be cherished and kept for a lifetime.
With this way of thinking, purchases are much more thought through and considered. To create such items requires a lot of thought and consideration, high quality materials that stand the test of time, and functionality that works so well, it is simply a pleasure to use. The key to sustainability is efficiency. A design should use less material and energy for the most useful result. No amount of recycling will equal using less in the first place. DO MORE WITH LESS. This is the thought process and a consideration we try to implement every time we design a new product at Full Windsor.