Kressa Peterson of Woodstock, Georgia, was a busy, professional equestrian, running her business selling top quality show jumpers and taking care of her family. Even so, she always seemed to find time to participate in one of her favorite activities—outdoor competitions such as the Indian Mud Run or Green Beret Challenge.
Anyone who participates in these “iron man” challenges knows very well that at the end of the day you are not going to come off the course smelling like roses. After such grueling physical activities many participants want to go out with friends and have something to eat or drink. Many times the race course is a three or four hour drive home and no one wants to dirty up their car with mud, sweat and body odor! Many venues provided shower and changing tents, but they were often hot and crowded. So Kressa decided to shower outdoors in public!
In order to create something that would allow her to clean up outdoors, but still maintain the necessary privacy, Kressa had to buy a sewing machine and sign up for a sewing class. She purchased some material that seemed like it might work–diaper cover material that had a cute forest animal pattern. In an interview on March 29, 2018, Kressa described her creation as a “forest-animal-diaper-cover-wearable-tent” and admitted that when she first used it after races lots of people were laughing at her.
Eventually, however, it was obvious that she had created something very useful and dozens of racers were borrowing it from her at every event. Even though Kressa had not considered herself an entrepreneur trying to create a business, a light bulb went off and she realized “Holy cow, I fixed a problem and people love it.” (A Clean Break: The Story Behind the Innovative Outdoor Shower Toga Everyone’s Talking About, by Erin Rose; Clevertraining.com)
Kressa worked for about a year on perfecting the Shower Toga, obtained a provisional patent, and on May 8, 2017, launched a Kickstarter Campaign. Her goal of $14,350 was easily met over the month of the campaign and gained 181 backers.
Kressa and her husband promoted the Shower Toga as vendors at music festivals and events such as The Mountain Challenge. They donated Shower Togas to an auction raising money for the Purple Heart Cruise and made videos of friends using the Toga that were then posted on Facebook.
The final design is made from a silver nylon fabric (no more animal baby diaper theme), with stretching cord, high quality toggles, and is one-size fits all. After cleaning up and putting on clean clothes, the Shower Toga can be cinched at the top and bottom and used to carry dirty clothes and shoes.
So, with Shower Toga, it really is possible to undress, clean up, and get dressed again in public while still maintaining your privacy and dignity!
