While Arizona offers endless outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, climbing, camping, jeeping, boating, what do you do when you’re in the middle of nowhere and nature calls—especially if you’re a female?
This problem has been bothering Las Sendas resident Kim Gregory since she was a child, and now she has done something about it. She has patented a unique design of sports attire she calls Kimbos.
“I have been thinking about this invention since I was a little girl out camping with my four older brothers,” she explained. “Then, the idea resurfaced while I served in the Army. Being a rare female among many men, I realized this was needed every day while out in the field.”
Kim was adamant about her project. “I wanted to design something that would give military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts back their dignity of not having to undress in awkward or challenging outdoor environments,” she stated. “The final push came when my son Zach came back from clearing IEDs from the roadsides of Afghanistan, and told me, ‘All soldiers need a pair of these.’”
So, for the last two years, Kim has been refining her design, and has a patent pending on her unique sport shorts, which unzip in the middle using an attached pull cord. They are a stylish unisex design, which can be worn as shorts, swim pants or an undergarment. Right now they only are available in black and olive green, but Kim plans neons, metallics, hunter orange, camouflage and a variety of patterns. She also has designs for long pants and other items.
“Kimbos are made in the USA,” Kim stated proudly.
The fabric is an 80/20 nylon-spandex mix tricot, which stretches in four directions for comfort, with a soft, one-inch cotton knit, elastic waistband.
The nylon coil zipper has an internal fly, doubled over with material, to keep the zipper from contacting the body.
The pull cord has a Velcro end, so it stays attached and won’t get lost. It pulls like a surfing wetsuit to open and close.
Grip elastic on the inside of leg openings keeps the shorts from riding up.
An external pocket on the lower leg is perfect to hold a cell phone, ID, tissues or whatever.
“Another light bulb moment was seeing a Swiffer commercial with the dad who has only one arm,” Kim explained. “I realized the difficulty of dressing oneself, and started introducing Kimbos to physical therapists and orthopedic clinics.” With their input, she now is working on apparel specially tailored for the needs of those who may have a temporary or permanent disability.
During the summer, Kim and her 18-year-old daughter Michellie made a sales trip throughout the Midwest to fishing tournaments. They offered their unique garments to professional females who fish and had to spend all day in a small boat. The resulting acceptance was resounding and definitely understandable.
Kim and her daughter also attended outdoor events and visited physical therapy clinics. A clinic representative was so excited about Kimbos, she said, “You are going to change so many lives.”
Kim depends on her daughter’s expertise. “By having my daughter with me to watch, budget and negotiate the roadmap helps her develop important skills most young girls never learn,” she said. “Most vacation stories are about dreamy, languid days. Mine was about hard work, being a mom, and taking an idea from my brain to fruition.”
Kimbos cost $40 each, and are available in sizes XS to XL on Kim’s website at www.kimbosllc.com. To place an order, or for more information, you can call (602) 571-1114.