Designing gear is as much art as it is industrial. What is your design process like? Are you just staring at the wall until a new form manifests? Or is there some other tool you wield while working on new gear?

I typically start my design process by taking a deep dive into researching gear and materials. My favorite part about doing research is talking with core users and getting out to experience something’s functionality firsthand. A skill I use repeatedly throughout my process is sketching. I often sketch while generating ideas, but I also find it helpful when patterning and conveying ideas to my teammates. Whether I am drawing on printer paper, a whiteboard, or my iPad, sketching is the fastest and most efficient way for me to transfer complex ideas into visualized concepts .

One of my favorite parts of the design process is prototyping and being able to turn my ideas into a physical prototype that I can test. The process of building a prototype, whether it’s a rough mock up or a high fidelity sample, will show me how feasible an idea will be to produce. In my experience, when designing packs and softgoods, the function is impacted more than one might think by simple factors such as material thickness and seam bulk. This is why creating physical prototypes is such an integral part of my design process.

You went to school for Product Design, specifically Outdoor Product Design, can you tell us how that experience has impacted your time here?

Last spring I graduated from the USU Outdoor Product Design & Development (OPDD) program where I emphasized design. The OPDD program allowed me to play around with a little bit of everything which allowed me to develop a diverse skill set. After matriculating into the program I found a passion for outdoor equipment and softgoods, specifically packs, bags, and gloves. For my senior capstone I actually developed a line that emphasized durability, repairability, and an alternative product lifecycle in its designs. I try to keep that value set at the forefront of everything I work on here. I love that I work at a U.S. based brand and that we can repair everything that walks out the door.

What does it feel like carrying on ULA’s legacy and revitalizing things through a contemporary lens? Those are kind of big shoes to fill.

I feel excited to provide a fresh perspective to a company that has played a significant role in ultralight history and set a standard for thru-hiking gear. I am excited to use the skillset I have been developing to continue innovating in the UL space while retaining the ULA ethos of building high-end backpacks from scratch in Logan, Utah. I’m pretty confident in myself and our team here and I am excited to see what the future holds. We’ve got a great mix of experienced backpackers and thru-hikers on staff as well as the new design and ideation department, so we’ve got a lot going for us in that regard. We’re a core user base designing gear for core users. It’s a great energy and feels like we’re just getting started. I’m pretty stoked that I get to build off of such an already proven body of work. 

We all know you’re an overachiever, but what do you want to achieve while you’re here, and what part do you enjoy most?

I have been learning the ins and outs of so many different parts of the ULA operation. I started out working in the shipping department assembling orders and processing warranties and returns. Then, after graduating from the USU OPDD program, I shifted to working in production where I have been able to apply my design, patterning, and prototyping skills while also getting first hand experience using the tools and materials required to build high quality packs from scratch. It’s been awesome to see and be a part of all of the different components of running an outdoor gear company. That’s what I’ve enjoyed the most.

With my role, I hope to be able to combine the skills I have been learning at ULA with my background in product design and my passion for the outdoors in order to design and build the best products possible. My favorite part of the process is taking a drawing, drafting a pattern, and building a testable prototype. Whether it succeeds or fails in testing, getting the chance to learn and improve on my designs in this manner is an extremely rewarding part of my job.

Some people might not realize what goes into re-developing a pattern for a backpack, can you fill us in on what the process was like for you? Were there things you wanted to change?

While working on the new “small volume” Circuit SV, the main design problem I was aiming to address was that the gear being used in a Circuit nowadays has become significantly smaller and lighter than anything available when its predecessor was initially designed. With this in mind and user feedback from hikers struggling to utilize the full volume of a traditional Circuit, my goal was to retain the same feature set and harness system people love while creating a lower volume and sleeker form. 

I think an important element of this project was actually what I didn’t want to change. There are many dedicated ULA customers who love the circuit and the way it carries their gear. This has led to its timeless popularity amongst the hardcore thru-hiking community. I wanted those who are familiar with the Circuit to feel right at home wearing the SV version, so for this reason, both packs actually have the exact same back panel, frame system, shoulder straps, and hip belt. Overall the features have remained largely the same with only minor tweaks. Small details have been adjusted such as the compression strap and shock cord spacing.

Let’s get a little existential with it, what is it that you find inspirational when you’re going through your design process?

When thinking about design, something that inspires me are the items that people use every single day. If someone uses something daily, it means it is very useful, enjoyable to use, and it has been created in a way that facilitates daily use without breaking, wearing out, or requiring a replacement. For me, items that fit into this category are often simple, solve well defined problems, and are designed in a way that allows for easy maintenance or repair. As a designer, these iconic, innovative, and beautiful designs that stand the test of time and daily use, in my eyes, set the standard for inspirational design.