Research and technology

Press, 29 May 1985, Page 33

Research and technology

The key to developing good outdoors gear is research and using new technology, says the sales manager of Macpac Wilderness Equipment, Mr Geoff Gabites.

“We have a strong commitment to researching and designing new products,” he said. “We have two people who test and design gear full time.”

Finished designs were proved by people who were tough end-users, such as ski instructors and mountain guides, before the gear went into the market place.

“In about four months an alpine guide can give a pack as much work as the average person would in three years,” Mr Gabites said.

Another unusual testingground for day-bag backpacks was schools. “Schools are realy getting into day-bags, simply because it’s a more comfortable way to carry school loads,” Mr Gabites said — and anyone who remembers using the two-handled school bags which were invariably hung over one shoulder is bound to agree.

Schools also tested durability, as children tended to be quite rough with bags. “It’s a good test to make sure zips are strong enough and seams are adequate,” Mr Gabites said.

The company, like any other, kept an eye on the overseas market and pursued anything new which developed. Space-age technology had radically changed the shape of tents in the last 10 years, he said.

“Ten years ago, tents were traditional A-frames with Indians painted on the sides,” Mr Gabites said. “Now they are domes and tunnels; some with no guy ropes.” The big diffference lay in using light, metal alloys developed in the space race.

“The poles make all the new designs possible, as the old types of metal wouldn’t bend the way the new alloys do,” Mr Gabites said. “And trying to use substitutes like fibreglass for metal made the poles too heavy to carry.”

It was vital to research what people wanted for their gear, he said.

“We develop all our designs for New Zealand and Australian conditions,” Mr Gabites said. “You can’t blunder along expecting overseas ideas to work here without any alterations.” The company has also been a leader in new ideas for New Zealand.

It developed a new backpack harness system designed to let the pack move with the body and put the weight on the wearer’s hips. “We did it by looking at what happens to people’s bodies when they move,” Mr Gabites said.