Ultralight Hiking Pack

ENGS 21: Engineering Product Design

October 2014

Objectives: Design and build an engineered product to improve mobility.

Skills:

Outdoor Sports Product Development
High performance composite fabrics
Project Management
Life Cycle Analysis

The Idea.

10 Weeks

Team of 4

3 Prototypes

I led our team to a Citation for academic excellence

I filed a provisional patent

The Question: How might we design a high performing backpack for demanding multi day outdoor adventures, that is cheaper, lighter, and innovative beyond the normal product space?

Cheap: Come up with a product design so minimal and stripped down, it can be manufactured in one simple job line.

Our backpack! Ultralight, full feature, weatherproof, folds out into sleep mat at night.

Full pack access all the time thru dual full length zippers.

Removable Carbon Fiber Frame

Fully Waterproof

Hydration bladder

Resizable external pockets

Two step process:

Attach straps on bottom.
Add zippers and sleeve on top.

Light: Use innovative materials. For the pack body, use laminated woven polyethylene (Cuben Fiber), a material designed for ultralight sailboat sails.

Innovative: Design a top of the line backpack that is also convertible to a shelter system component, saving weight, cost, and emphasizing versatility.