The Space Traveler – Personal Space for Kids

Krissy Pruske and Rachel Lincoln invented The Space Traveler to make traveling with kids easier. Picture a road trip with 2 (or 3 or 4…) kids in the back. Invariably, there will be bickering. This can be an aggravating time for parents who have to not only keep their eyes on the road, but also police the backseat shenanigans. Krissy and Rachel, life long friends wanted to do something to combat this issue, so they set about creating a solution.

The solution was The Space Traveler, a tent-like kind of enclosure that gives kids their own space while separating them from their siblings. Each enclosure has pockets for snacks and electronics and zip down panels to control their level of privacy.

The first “prototype” were collapsable clothes hampers Krissy utilized on a road trip with her three kids. On the next road trip, she tried collapsable dog kennels. Both worked well, but she enlisted her friend Rachel to come up with a better engineered solution.

The company is still in start-up mode. They only have working prototypes at this point and they are accepting pre-orders on their website. Very few true start-ups get into the Tank in recent years, so it is refreshing to see one get a shot. They want a Shark to help them get up and running (and selling) quickly. Hopefully they can convince one to invest.

My Take on The Space Traveler

When I was a kid and things got unruly in the back seat with my brother, a swift backhand usually did the trick for my mom. In these kinder, gentler times, backhands are not PC, so people need to be “creative” managing backseat mayhem. When my five kids were little, there were plenty of unruly road trips. We calmed the chaos with a mixture of treats and threats. I can’t tell you how many times I said “I AM GOING TO COUNT TO THREE!” I never got to three, thankfully; the tone of my voice put the right amount of terror in my children so they’d stop bickering.

I’m not sure how I feel about The Space Traveler. Part of me thinks it’s a good idea, part of me think it’s about the over coddling of kids and the “wussification” of modern parents. I lean toward the “old school” style of parenting and it worked out OK for us. Adding yet another accessory to the mountains of gear needed when traveling with kids strikes me as unnecessary at best. If only parents could learn to put their feet down with their kids! I can’t tell you how many complaints I hear from parents about device usage. My solution: take away the device – I’m paying for it.

But I digress. I think there is a market for this, but it isn’t anything I’d buy. If you want stress free road trips, raise considerate children. When they cross the line, give them consequences. It’s a lot cheaper than a tent and will ultimately lead to better adjusted kids.

Will Sharks Like This Space?

My first reaction to seeing The Space Traveler was that it was reminiscent of SlumberPod from earlier in season 11. Like SlumberPod, Space Traveler provides a barrier. In the case of SlumberPod, the product provides privacy for babies so they feel more secure in strange sleeping places. The Space Traveler is for older kids and is really a way for parents to control behavior without “counting to three.”

I’m not sure if the Sharks will bid here. It’s way “too early” for most of the Sharks, unless they get a significant chunk of the business. It is a bit ironic that Barbara, who invested in SlumberPod in episode 1108, is on the panel. That episode has a re-run next week to boot. Perhaps Barbara, as I did,  will see some synergy with the two products and make a Sharky offer. Barring that, I think it’s “too early” for the Sharks.

Rob Merlino

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.