We love backpacks—if you haven’t figured it out already from the thousands of reviews on our site of backpacks, daypacks, slings, and other accessories. However, sometimes we want more, and we’ve been lucky enough to work with some of our favorite brands to design gear that meets our exact needs and specifications for world travel.
There’s a lot that goes into designing a product, and it’s not always the straightforward, simple process you might think. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about what goes into the gear we’ve designed, and with a few collaborations under our belt, we wanted to answer them.
If you’d like to know what it takes to bring a design from idea to unboxing, read on.
How do we decide which brands to work with?
This is an easy question to answer! We choose the brands we love, first and foremost, with the products we’ve reviewed the most. We look to them for products that we like but think we can improve on, instead of putting our logo on something that’s already in a brand’s product line. We add value, such as the management panel and laptop compartment to the Matador ReFraction Pro or the organization of the front pack and the stabilization of the swivel straps of the Aer Ultra Sling.
That said, our editorial team does not interact directly with the product during the design process. That keeps our collaboration separate from our regular gear reviews, so you know that our thoughts on other brand products aren’t influenced by Pack Hacker working on a new item of that particular brand.
How long does it take to design and produce?
Unfortunately, the process can take longer than you might think: 6-12 months on average, and sometimes even longer. The first sample is rarely the same as the final product. We work with the product through multiple iterations and prototypes to refine it before finalizing the design.
Once we have created what we think is the best product, stock the product orders, and we can set a launch date based on the manufacturer’s delivery date.
How do you decide what price to make?
It is not entirely up to us how many bags we should produce for a particular launch. Although we have a voice, it ultimately comes from the product. They consider many factors, from market share to brand popularity and time of year. Although it sounds easy to just make a lot of a certain product, the manufacturer takes all the production risk, and they have a better understanding of the consumer’s interest.
When do you decide the price?
This can vary by product, but generally, they decide how many units to make after the design process is complete and before production begins. Ideally, the expected profit is the same as the determined value, but it is a difficult number to fix. The brand may not even know how much each unit will cost until final delivery, so they have to factor that uncertainty into the decision, too.
Finalizing production numbers is one of the most difficult parts of the process. We want as many people as possible to get their hands on the gear we’ve designed together, but we’re also asking products to hold true manufacturing risks, and getting that number wrong in any way has consequences. We’d rather be open about that tension than pretend it’s a simple equation.
Why not do more when you see the need?
Unfortunately, restarting the design is not as easy as it seems. Manufacturers must reset lines and ramp up production again, fitting it into existing production systems. Then, of course, there is that question of how much more there is to do. It may be easy to expect after the first run, which is why a second run isn’t off the table, but it’s a decision they can’t take lightly.
However, when the Pack Hacker combination is very popular, we try to work with brands to give more people a chance to get the product. While brands are incredibly receptive to the idea, the process of negotiating it takes time. As we don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver, we aim to get concrete feedback and a timeline from the brand before we publicly promise that a particular design is coming.
What about pre-orders?
Pre-orders are the foundation of every Kickstarter project and basically work like this: the brand puts together a design and launches a campaign to fund it. Backers are guaranteed a fund once the campaign has reached its desired goal and closes the pledge window.
This process can be good: everyone who wants a bag gets it, and no Pack Hacker or brand has to guess how many they will make. However, customers have to wait months to receive the product, and you may not even receive it if there is not enough interest.
While we are open to exploring this option in the future, we are a small company that works with niche products, and we want to prove that we can deliver the bag you want before asking for money months in advance.
How does Pack Hacker Pro Early Access work?
Pack Hacker Pro members get first access to all collaborations before anyone else. That means two separate buying windows: one during the special early access period, and one during the general public sale. Pricing available during early access depends on overall production performance, but the benefit is that you’re at the front of the line.
You’re reviewing gear—why do you want to, too?
In case you haven’t noticed, we have a lot of ideas on what makes great travel gear. Participating gives us the opportunity to get some of our ideas into products from companies that are doing it right, and it’s fun! We get to take products we already know and love and make them even better for the Pack Hacker audience.
It’s great for brands, too, because it allows them to take risks they wouldn’t otherwise. Selling a small fleet of features that they might consider adding to their existing gear allows them to get audience feedback without long-term risk. Plus, they get Pack Hacker’s direct feedback and testing experience to add to their knowledge as bag builders.
Will Pack Hacker do more collaboration?
Yes! We learn from each collaboration, refine the process to allow our wider audience to participate and share our technology and products to do what we want most: create the best gear you can use to get around.