Design Student In Need Of Your Thoughts On Backpacking! :)

[brownsugar]

Hiya I'm a design student currently doing an ergonomics module where
I'm redesigning a backpack. The user group i am primarily focussing on
is 18 - 24 year old students taking a gap year. As part of my research
I need to find out as much as possible about the issues that users have
with their backpacks / backpaking eg going through the barriers at
railway stations, security issues, something you'd find useful...
anything! I'd much appriciate it if you could just put down your ideas,
thoughts ...anything related! Thanks!!!

[Ant]

Post by brownsugar
Hiya I'm a design student currently doing an ergonomics module where
I'm redesigning a backpack. The user group i am primarily focussing on
is 18 - 24 year old students taking a gap year. As part of my research
I need to find out as much as possible about the issues that users have
with their backpacks / backpaking eg going through the barriers at
railway stations, security issues, something you'd find useful...
anything! I'd much appriciate it if you could just put down your ideas,
thoughts ...anything related! Thanks!!!

Please design one that prevents terrorists stuffing it with explosives, I
think the backpacking industry would appreciate that.

[Ian/Cath Ford]

Post by brownsugar
Hiya I'm a design student currently doing an ergonomics module where
I'm redesigning a backpack. The user group i am primarily focussing on
is 18 - 24 year old students taking a gap year. As part of my research
I need to find out as much as possible about the issues that users have
with their backpacks / backpaking eg going through the barriers at
railway stations, security issues, something you'd find useful...
anything! I'd much appriciate it if you could just put down your ideas,
thoughts ...anything related! Thanks!!!

Blimey - the big outdoors companies do ***lots*** of work on this -
for the different markets. I assume you've looked at them to start
with - Berghaus, Karrimor etc? Iirc, I heard about one company who
came up with a frame and a hip belt which you could mould to your body
- you cooked it i the oven for a while and then it fitted perfectly.
Marvellous.

I use a pack all the time - we don't do suitcases here :-) Railway
carriages are apain in the arse, especially with a sleeping mat on the
bottom, but if you get immune to knocking commuters about with it then
generally it's OK. I'm short which doesn't help - and it can be a
bugger to get the hip belt fitting just right as well.

I don't often fly, but the whole baggage handler thing can be a bit
dodgy unless you get a nice rig on the bag to pull it all in tight.
That and double zips to padlock anything can be handy. Side pockets
need to be optional or able to be taken off - good for hand luggage
that way and you can vary the rig. A nice tight fit for big hills is
good as well.

I guess cost for your market and ease of packing - nothing too tricky.
Nice rugged material would be nice too - and at least water resistant.

A lot of nice bags out there. Is there anything new to develop???

Ian
--
Ian, Cath, Eoin and Calum Ford
Beccles, Suffolk, UK

I loved the word you wrote to me/But that was bloody yesterday

There's no e-mail address. We can talk here and go back to your place later