About us
About Us – Gather & Grill
It started in a backyard in Ohio.
Hi, I’m Mike.
I live in Columbus, Ohio. I have three kids (8, 5, and 3 — yes, it’s always loud here), a golden retriever who thinks everything is a toy, and a wife with way more patience than I deserve.
By day, I’m a regular working dad. And like a lot of dads between 30 and 65, my life used to look like this:
Leave at 6:30 AM. Get home at 7:00 PM. Kids are already in their pajamas, rubbing their eyes. I want a hug, but they want Mom. Weekends? Emails, lawn mowing, fixing that leaky faucet. Maybe a quick lunch out — that’s “family time.”
Then one day my daughter (she was 5) drew a picture. It had Mom, my son, my other daughter… and a blurry figure on the phone. She pointed at it. “That’s Daddy. He’s always on the phone.”
I didn’t sleep much that night.
So I decided to do something small.
The next weekend, I left my phone in a drawer. I dug an old rusty grill out of the garage, lit a fire in the backyard, and burned some hot dogs (literally — I’m not a great cook). The kids ran around the fire pit. My wife tried to play guitar. The dog licked every single plate.
No phone. No “just five more minutes.” Just us. Outside. Together.
It was the best weekend I’d had in years.
But here’s the thing — doing it again felt hard.
Camping? Tents take forever to set up. Sleeping pads need a hundred stomps. Kids get bored before the first pole is in the ground. Backyard BBQ? The grill is fine, but the tools are scattered, the meat is ready before the plates are found.
I started buying gear to make “getting outside” easier. Bought a lot. Returned a lot. Some stuff was way too expensive. Some was just garbage. Some came with instructions longer than my work contracts.
Then my wife said something that stuck:
“You spend more time researching gear than actually taking them out.”
She was right. But she was also wrong — because I believe that good gear can take away one more excuse a busy dad uses to stay inside.
So I started this brand.
Not because our stuff is magic.
It’s not.
Our tents still need assembly. Yes, you have to put the poles in. But we designed them to be straightforward — fewer steps, clearer instructions, no late-night fights with tangled fabric.
Our grills aren’t Wi‑Fi enabled. They just get hot, stay hot, and don’t fall apart after two summers.
Our sleeping pads won’t inflate themselves, but they only take a few breaths — and your back will thank you in the morning.
We don’t sell “perfect.” We sell reliable.
We sell gear that works so you can stop fiddling and start actually being with your family.
What we really sell
We sell a Saturday morning where the tent goes up faster than you expected.
We sell a late afternoon when the smoke from the grill pulls everyone outside.
We sell the sound of kids laughing around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows that look terrible but taste amazing.
We sell fewer excuses to stay inside.
We are not the fanciest outdoor brand. We are the one for dads who want to spend less time reading manuals and more time watching their kids run through the sprinkler.
About our name – Gather & Grill
Gather because that’s what we all really want.
Grill because fire, food, and a little smoke make everything better.
We don’t believe in “work-life balance.” That’s a myth.
We believe in choosing what matters — and then making that choice a little easier.
Gather more. Worry less.
— Mike
Columbus, Ohio — some backyard with a fire pit and slightly burnt hot dogs
P.S. A new drawing from my daughter
(Last week she drew our family sitting around . Dad is flipping burgers.)
P.P.S. If you’re a busy dad too — welcome. This is your backyard gear shed.
Share your story with us
Post a photo of your family outside — camping, grilling, or just sitting in the yard. We’ll pick our favorite story every two weeks and send you a gift. Because the best ads aren’t written by us. They’re lived by you.
Dutigo | Free returns | 3‑year warranty | Real humans on support (most of us are parents too)