Additive manufacturing for explorers

An everyday backpack with unmatched access, size, organization and aesthetics. A travel tripod with minimal dimensions. They are products without compromise, i.e. Peak Design.

Fascinating design for top products

When launching a new product, Peak Design engineers continually ask themselves: is it better than the competition? Will it make other products seem obsolete and create new, passionate users?

Driven by designers who only build products they want to use themselves and a customer base that associates Peak Design with innovation and unmatched quality, Peak Design holds itself to a higher standard than most consumer brands. When they come to market, they bring revolutionary changes that improve both the form and functionality of everyday items like bags and carry-on equipment.

Each product is meticulously designed from the ground up, constantly taking user needs into account. Development time is never shortened; engineering teams are given months or even years to refine designs and create innovative new mechanisms.

Unique design for daily use

Peter Dering, founder and CEO of Peak Design, says that «Every time we launch a product, it confirms what is said about our company. We pay close attention to the little details and think about how someone actually uses these products. And that’s the real reason why we never rush our design process.»

Backpack The everyday backpack exemplifies these design standards. Every part of the backpack was created from scratch, from creating a clever separation system to making every corner of the bag accessible and useful. When it came to creating a unique closure system for the everyday backpack, the team turned to 3D printing to test and design components never before seen on a backpack.

MagLatch is safe and easy to use, which can be difficult to perfect. The more easily a bag opens, the greater the risk of it being opened accidentally. The items inside the bag must remain safe even during long journeys. The MagLatch works because it can be adjusted effortlessly with one hand and expands.

Because the form factor was locked, it was impossible to view the clip in a 2D context. Peak Design had already invested in several in-house 3D printers and began creating MagLatch models to visualize the locking mechanism. These look-alike prototypes helped the team refine the ideal shape and evaluate how the product felt when attached to a bag. The efficiency of in-house 3D printing enabled continuous adjustments to the design, fine-tuning angles and small details to achieve the perfect fit. Gray resin became the preferred material due to its smooth surface finish, bringing them one step closer to finalizing the lock design.

Design engineer Max Maloney and the team found a rhythm: start a 3D print at night, come in the morning to do it, review it with the team, and start a new print before leaving the office. The ability to prototype daily encouraged the team to experiment, reducing the cost of design errors.

When it came time for mass production, the team printed a final version of the lock and sent it for processing the same day. It was a continuous process at every stage: from CAD, to internal models, to the final print. The manufacturing effort allowed Peak Design engineers to create a backpack closure system superior to any other on the market.

Guaranteed success, no expense spared

As a consumer products company grows, there is pressure to find shortcuts to succeed. This could come in the form of increasing harmful pollutants or reducing costs by exporting labor to low-wage companies. But Peak Design wants to serve as a model for others and demonstrate that a company doesn’t have to sacrifice product quality, employee retention, or innovation to be successful.

During a trip to Vietnam in 2017, Peter Dering analyzed materials from a warehouse. After returning to the United States, he decided he needed to get serious about the extent of the impact of using petrochemicals in the manufacturing process. Since then, reducing the carbon footprint has become a core mission of Peak Design. They created a simple formula that works and that Peter is sure will work for others too: measure, reduce and compensate.

“Environmentalists sometimes refuse to accept the world as it is and what capitalism has brought us. There is an unpragmatic side to environmentalism – in these green movements – that allows brands to capitalize on slogans to sell their products. It’s easy to use marketing stories that customers are eager to swallow.”

To understand the true impact of his business on the planet, Peter decided to measure, reduce and offset 100% of Peak Design’s carbon footprint. It has become one of Peak Design’s most critical missions, ingrained in the company’s culture alongside product development.

“We are committed to leaving this planet better than we found it. We understand that making and shipping things harms the environment. Offsetting this impact is a responsibility we feel both as a company and as individuals. We donate 1% of our revenue to environmental nonprofits. We also guarantee our products for life and refurbish broken items to keep them in use and out of landfills. We can and will do so much more.”

From a simple post-it to international fame

In 2011, founder Peter Dering sketched the idea for a new tripod on a post-it note. This simple drawing was the beginning of a journey that lasted almost four years until the launch of the travel tripod.

Traditionally, tripods are heavy and therefore are removed from the traveler’s bag to make room for other items or to reduce weight during long journeys. The challenges associated with creating something new were significant: reducing all the wasted space, reducing the overall diameter of the tripod so it was easier to transport, reducing weight but without compromising stability, height and durability. Over the course of four years, Peak Design created six fully engineered prototypes. Each project is made up of multiple parts, with individual parts reaching up to 20 models. With each new sketch, CAD design and print, the travel tripod took shape.

As a private company that cares about customers and not shareholders, Peak Design refused to deliver or rush the travel tripod before Peter’s original design was fully realized. But even without shareholders, expenses can still be an obstacle. 3D printing plays an important role in helping Peak Design create market-defining products in both aesthetics and functionality. By eliminating the costs and time associated with outsourcing, a small private company like Peak Design can cost-effectively create ten or even twenty prototypes. This gives engineers valuable time even if development takes several years. The result is unique solutions that are superior to the protection standards already present on the market.

Max Maloney says, “3D printing helped both aesthetically and functionally. It allowed us, as a small company, to create dozens of prototypes due to the time and money saved compared to outsourcing. It allowed the team to do more with less.”

After existing in various forms for four years, the travel tripod was released in its final form and became a real success. One reviewer said it succinctly: “The Peak Design Travel Tripod deserves a place in your travel bag.”