Don Halpern got the idea for Loc Tote while swimming in St. Croix on a family vacation. He was 50 yards from shore and watched as a thief emptied his bag of his wallet. While the event put a cramp in his vacation, it began the journey to creating his new company which makes backpack-like bags that can’t be sliced open and can lock to a stationary object.
Think of Loc Tote as a traveling safe that you bring with you on your adventures. Wherever you go, it keeps your belongings safe. Loc Tote uses the same fabric found in body armor and has a steel reinforced, lockable drawstring. RIFD blocking technology completes the security features. It’s also waterproof.
Halpern got the business going with over $800K in Kickstarter funding back in 2016. Since then, he started making the bags in his home town of New Albany, Ohio. While sales on Amazon and from his website are strong, he wants a Shark to help him get into mass retail.
My Take on Loc Tote
I go to the beach and fishing a lot and I always worry about someone running off with my wallet or phone while I’m in for a swim. Luckily, I have an Aqua Vault. The one problem with that is I have to bring it with me in my bag to use it. LocTote makes the whole bag a vault. That’s pretty cool.
The fact that it’s water-proof is pretty cool, too. That’s a handy feature while at the beach. There’s no worries about my phone getting damaged or my wallet getting water-logged. I think they’re a tad on the expensive side ($179), but the product should last a long time, making it an “investment” rather than an impulsive purchase. For these reasons, I’m in.
Will Sharks Lock up a Deal?
Daymond invested in Aqua Vault back in season six and LocTote kind of competes with it, so he’s probably out. Any of the other Sharks are still in if the valuation is right. Halpern has a strong business background, so he won’t cave under pressure. The Sharks will like that.
There are other products in the works, too. This isn’t a one-trick pony. It might be a bit too pricey for Lori who likes lower-priced, mass appeal items, but the features are demonstrable and the security is something everyone craves. Mr. Wonderful, Robert, and Mark could make a play, too. I think Halpern fields an offer or two, I just don’t know which Shark bites.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
The whole Loctote story is a misconception and customer scam where nicely packaged marketing is done. Classic fraud.
I ordered and bought the product and when I got it I was not at all satisfied with the quality and asked for a refund. I have not used or damaged the product. I took it out of the canvas bag, and the neck.
To this day, I have not been able to get a refund even though I have sent them countless emails. They sent me incomplete address information because DHL does not accept if you do not have all the required information.
As of today, I have never received all the information from Loctota so that I can make a refund. All this is designed to mislead the customer, to sell him a plain backpack that can be cut by a bull with a sharp knife.
And now I feel like a fool who was tricked and prevented from officially returning the product and getting all the money back.
So far, no company through which I have bought online has worked similarly. It is a classic scam and such companies and the people who run such a company should be locked in a rat hole. It’s a shame what they’re doing.