Strain Guard in the Media
Coverage, competitions and conversations about the problem we’re working on.
— Learn to RV: The Podcast ⭐ NEW
Learn to RV: The Podcast — Episode 49
“From RV Fire to Fix: Matthew Putman of Strain Guard on Preventing RV Power Cord Meltdowns”
Community Spotlight · 25 June 2026
Host Jennifer Schillaci sits down with Matthew to talk about the failure point most RVers never think about, the two-year search for a fix that didn’t exist, and the challenge from his wife that started the company.
— Performance Showcase
Load test video
Load Test — 2 August 2026
We put a scale on a 50-amp shore power cord and filmed the whole thing, calibration first.
A 50-amp cord puts about eight pounds of dead weight on the connector, before you add road vibration and wind. With Strain Guard fitted, nearly eleven pounds of upward force was required before the device released — consistent with the device carrying the cord’s load rather than the connector.
This is a show of load relief. Independent strain-relief testing is underway with a Western Michigan University senior engineering capstone team, with results expected in late 2026.
Grand Valley State University - Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur Lab
Matthew Putman, a US Navy veteran and AEGIS Fire Controlman from Battle Creek, Michigan. In 2013, after becoming disabled and unable to work in his trade, he and his wife, Valerie, remained active in the RV community they had long loved. It was a lifestyle that ultimately sparked their entrepreneurial journey.
Follow link for full article:
https://neugvsu.com/2026/04/03/mve-lab-success-stories-matthew-putman-strain-guard-llc
Recognition strip
Recognition
• Warrior Rising Business Shower, Iowa — 2nd place, $10,000 award, invitation-only
• Michigan Inventors Coalition, 14th Annual Inventors Summit — 3rd place, Spin, Pitch & Sell competition, July 2026
• GVSU Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur Lab — 3rd place
• NSF I-Corps, Michigan Tech — completed
• Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, Texas A&M — completed