Former ER nurse patents outdoor skort after Camino journey

Morgan Patterson, a former ER nurse in Tallahassee, has launched a patented women’s outdoor skort and a new book inspired by a 500-mile Camino de Santiago walk. The invention and the book both reflect her push to give women more privacy, safety and confidence outdoors.

Why it matters: - Morgan Patterson turned a personal outdoor inconvenience into a patented product aimed at helping women relieve themselves outside without exposing themselves. - The Stealth Skort targets hiking, kayaking, gardening, travel and golf, where privacy and ease can be hard to find. - Cover Yer Assets also pledges 10% of profits to clean water and sanitation initiatives for women worldwide.

What happened: - Patterson, 68, is the founder and CEO of Cover Yer Assets, a Made in USA women’s outdoor apparel company. - Patterson invented and patented the Stealth Skort after starting to cut apart skorts at her dining room table. - Patterson’s new book, 52 Weeks to Santiago — The Road Is In You, is now available on Amazon.

The details: - Patterson’s idea started during her 500-mile walk on Spain’s Camino de Santiago, where she faced a lack of restroom access and privacy on an open mountainside. - The Stealth Skort includes a concealed opening in the shorts. - Patterson’s Vaya briefs also unsnap for outdoor relief, letting women keep their clothing on. - The skort includes four functional pockets, UPF 50 sun protection and fabric made from recycled water bottles. - Patterson spent 35 years in health care as an ER nurse, Life Flight paramedic, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and hospice professional. - She also spent five years building high school certified nursing assistant programs before retiring at 65. - Three years after retiring, Patterson began working on the invention that became the basis for Cover Yer Assets. - Patterson taught herself product development, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing and business operations. - She developed the business through the Florida State University Jim Moran Institute’s LEAP program. - Manufacturing in the U.S. and using recycled materials raised costs and forced difficult production decisions. - Patterson’s career also included work as a minister, spiritual coach, author and speaker.

Between the lines: - Patterson’s background in emergency care and advocacy appears to shape the company’s focus on dignity, vulnerability and self-trust. - The business is balancing sustainability goals with affordability and production realities, which often makes growth harder for small apparel brands. - The book extends the same theme as the invention: a new chapter that began with a problem, a long walk and a willingness to start over.

What's next: - Patterson will keep building Cover Yer Assets while promoting the new book and sharing her story through writing and speaking. - Patterson says her next chapter is about encouraging women to learn, ask for help and begin before they have every answer. - The company will continue weighing U.S. manufacturing, recycled materials and pricing as it grows.

The bottom line: - A 68-year-old former nurse turned a Camino de Santiago mishap into a patented product, a business and a book about starting again.