Today we’d like to introduce you to Ross Ellis.
Hi Ross, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Drifter Hydration started from a simple sketch Co-Founder Joe Gauvain and I drew up in 2017 after a hunt and years of being frustrated with the lack of innovation in the hydration bladder market. Joe and I met while serving in the Coast Guard and have both spent most of our lives outdoors — from guiding in Alaska, serving in the Coast Guard, flying private jets, to raising families that crave adventure. We learned the importance of staying prepared, and how good gear can make all the difference.
When we first drew it up we thought someone would surely offer something like it in the near future. However, as time passed, nothing showed up on the market, so we decided we’d take the leap and see if we could bring a solution to people who had the same frustrations we had with soft shell hydration bags.
We launched in late 2024 with a focus on building a rugged, pressurized, modular hydration system that were built to handle the abuse hunters and backpackers put their systems through, that was easy to clean, and offered features not found in a single system. Everything we designed we personally ran for 2 years before our initial inventory was ordered. We wanted to be sure it would work the way we wanted it to.
Neither of us came from a product design or business background — I came from a guiding, militrary service, and aviation, Joe is still active duty with 15 years in service, and grew up in the mountains. We both care deeply about purpose, people, and building something real. Today, Drifter Hydration is still small, Joe runs most of our content while I run the logistics and personally fulfill every order myself. We are committed to supplying a product that whether a customer is guiding, hunting, rafting, fishing, or chasing after kids on a trail, they have a positive experience getting access to clean drinking water.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall this has been one of the best experiences of my life. I’d say things have gone really well, but definitely not without its challenges.
Early on, one of the biggest challenges was simply getting from idea to product. Neither of us come from a manufacturing or business background, so we’ve had to learn everything — sourcing, prototyping, packaging, branding, intellectual property — all while juggling full-time jobs and supporting our families. Thankfully, our families have been incredibly encouraging and we’ve developed relationships with several people from popular outdoor brands that have been great and have offered advice along the way.
Perhaps the biggest setback for us actually happened at our first ever show, in Salt Lake. We spent months prepping and on our first night in town, our trailer locks were cut and we had over $15,000 worth of product stolen. The show staff stepped up and made sure we had what we needed to put our best foot forward and it ended up a blessing in disguise. The support from other vendors and customer response blew me away.
Drifter has never been just about gear — it was about solving problems for people who live and work outdoors and providing an experience for people.
I’m proud of what we’ve built so far. We have a long way to go and have lots more ideas for the future.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Drifter Hydration is a veteran-owned and operated small business that specializes in the only rigid reservoir, pressurized hydration system on the market. Our gear was designed to solve the common frustrations outdoor professionals and adventurers face with soft-shell bladders: they leak, they’re hard to clean, difficult to pack, and almost always end up breaking down when you need them most.
What sets Drifter apart is our commitment to function-first gear. We engineered a pressurized, rigid reservoir system that doesn’t just survive tough environments, it thrives in them. Whether you’re on a backcountry hunt, hike, or guiding in the heat of summer, our hydration systems deliver clean, reliable water flow with no sucking, squeezing, or fumbling around. A feature thats proving to be the most popular is that due to its shape and rigid construction, your pack can be loaded down and straps tight, and you don’t have to tear apart your pack to refill it.
We live the same lifestyle as our customers. We hunt, we fish, we raft, we hike, and we raise our kids outdoors. That means every product we make is built from firsthand experience. We know what works and what doesn’t. We’ve used it all, and we built Drifter to be better.
What we’re most proud of, brand-wise, is that we’ve stayed true to our roots. We’re small, intentional, and mission-driven. We’re not chasing trends. We don’t have a large budget and nearly everything we sell is word of mouth.
At the end of the day, it’s about trusting your gear, staying ready, and a more positive experience. If you reach out to us it will always be Joe or I on the other end to answer your questions.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Starting something from nothing, especially in a space dominated by big brands and mass production — takes persistence, thick skin, and a willingness to show up even when things don’t go as planned. There have been a lot of roadblocks, setbacks, and times where it would’ve been easier to throw in the towel We’ve done this with limited resources, and the steep learning curve of building a product-based business.
That same grit shows up in the gear we build. We design products for people who push hard, and don’t settle for gear that cuts corners. Our customers are guides, hunters, backpackers, wildland firefighters, military, and weekend warriors.
Being intentional about surrounding yourself with the right team of people has been huge for us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drifterhydration.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drifter_hydration/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561403582880
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrifterHydration
