This project started in the summer of 2022, when I started to develop a passion for rock climbing, and wanted to bring my engineering design skills to the sport. I did significant research on current packs, features I would want to include, and what materials would be the best fit. With my limited experience at the time, I set out to design the best, most versatile pack out there. I'd later learn the importance of simplicity. Some draft drawings from this time are still around, but I put the project on the backburner to focus on my academics.
Jumping to early 2025, with significantly more climbing and design experience I took up an interest in the project again, with a new mindset. I decided to build a simple, small pack designed to stay out of your way leading hard pitches. I wasn't satisfied with the current options on the market, being either too running-focused with the wrong features (in the case of a running vest) or too movement-restrictive (in the case of a climbing backpack).
I focused not on what features to add, but which to strip away. I wanted to create a simple, pared-down climbing vest, merging the comfort and fit of a vest with the load carrying ability of a pack. I steadily worked at the project through the spring and picked up momentum during the summer, learning pattern making and CAD skills with CLO3D.
This project has been a great opportunity to develop skills in sewing, soft goods CAD, user-focused design, design for manufacturing, and iterative prototyping. It blends two signficant passions, rock climbing and engineering design, and has already provided me with a lot of learning experiences.
I am actively working on the project, with the first complete prototype expected mid-August 2025.
