Meet the Gear Designer Behind Some of the Best Travel Packs Out There

We've all been there: you’re hiking an alpine trail and stop to take in the view on a promontory. You lean over to tie your shoe and, before you know it, your water bottle comes flying out of a pocket in your pack never to be seen again. You might call it bad luck but Graeme Wagoner would call it bad design. “We always talked about the people who hit their own dogs with their water bottle when they're hiking,” said Wagoner. An industrial designer, he believes strongly that a pack needs to work as expected — including not allowing water bottles to fall out of pockets. Travel gear has become a huge and growing business in recent years, and companies are constantly scouring talent for the next big thing in design and functionality, especially now that the pandemic has created legions of travelers looking to be outdoors. [caption id="attachment_441393" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Graeme Wagoner is an industrial designer who worked on some of REI's top packs. These are some of his working drawings. Source: Graeme Wagoner.[/caption] Wagoner, 41, has designed some of the top packs in America in recent years. During nearly five years at outdoor retail giant REI, where he worked on the Ruckpack collection — the Ruckpack 60+ called the “best travel backpack” of 2021 by the Wirecutter — and the Traverse collection. Prior to that, he was on the design team at bag-maker Dakine. But designing the “best” pack is not a simple task. It's a lengthy and intensive process involves everything from collecting reams of user feedback to sketching ideas, building and testing prototypes, before it all comes down to what is ultimately an affordable — and buildable pack — for the public. This is a process that every hiker and traveler can appreciate; no one wants their water bottle to fall out and