What's in a Prototype?
I moved to Montana in spring of the late twenty-teens, chasing a whim and heartstring that would not turn down the volume. Denver traffic, the feeling of suburban life pressing in, heading early to the mountains only to find a full trailhead, all contributed to seeking the road north.
When I landed in Ennis, Montana, every waking moment spent outside the fly shop was on the river, road or trail. Mid-week camping on a work night was no problem, and sometimes necessary while driving to and fro in the vast river valley. Tips from the town’s fly fishing sages floated around my brain.
Bear spray, forceps, and headlamps rattled off the windows in my OG brown Xterra, hanging from a homemade gear strap, each bump in the road a constant reminder of our humanness in big sky country.
Fast forward 6 years later. Living in Bozeman now, I've connected with extremely talented product folks, and worked for some of the top brands in outdoor.
Determined to solve the car-gear-chaos problem, I enlisted the brains of product designers/developers to bring to life a gear organization solution that takes care of the unsorted jumble. This product is now the go-to station on every road trip, car-side rig-up, and the catch-all of the innards of daily life.
Prototyping this Product Start to Finish
It started with a trip to ol' Joann's (RIP). What fabrics are they selling to the everyday sewing grandma? Besides finding a polyester stretch fabric, I soon tapped out with what Jo's had to offer. But it got me going, and one thing leads to another.
Image: First product outline sketch on stretch poly.
Through a connection, I met a sewer from a local company, who heard me out and put together an outline. Nowhere near what I wanted, but movement in the right direction.
Image: Patches and pockets on canvas.
Ready to build a prototype I could use, test, and put to work, I reached out to a pro developer from my time at Simms Fishing Products. In the dead of winter, we met bright and early on Saturday mornings, and finally landed on a product that met the design guidelines and vision of the product. Now to take this and make it ready for production...
Image: The most polished prototype yet.
In the heart of southwest Montana, surrounded by mountains, trout rivers, and sheep, I met my production partner. He put the final touches on the first product and made it ready for production. We produced a limited run and seeded it out to folks for feedback.
2-3 years of prototyping. Each step equally important. And the best part, every piece of fabric, all the components, and the construction are All made in the USA.
