Designing stupid
January 09, 2010 08:48 PM
Many moons ago I was working in a climbing shop. One day a certain - rather rotund - hardware manufacturer’s sales rep came in with an idea he wanted to run past us. He explained how the company had been looking into designing a new alpine/winter harness, which was proving taxing, as everyone seemed to buy the BD Bod or DMM Alpine. But this rep had thought up and idea that he believed to be a winner - one that would have climbers all over the world saying “how did I get through life without this?”, and no doubt trump every other design on the market.
Now I bet you’re sat thinking ‘what was this great invention or design’, no doubt because you can’t remember any startling alpine harnesses that have cropped up in the last ten years.
Well the idea - or concept - was simple, and like all great designs was aimed at eliminating a problem that most people were unaware off; namely that their harness fell down when winter climbing. The design this rep had come up with was startling in its simplicity, namely a bog standard alpine harness - but with braces attached.
As he spilled the beans to us - we privileged few - a hush went around the rock counter, each person taking in the magnitude of this innovation. Then someone said - matter of factly - “Your harness falls down because you’re a fat knacker and your belly’s too big” at which point the spell was broken, and no doupt so too were the dreams of a would be designer and we all fell about laughing.
Now this story is an important one for me because when some design idea or technique comes into my head, I always ask myself the question “is this just a harness with braces?”. Stupid ideas are were innovation comes from, but they are ideas that are best developed and tested cerebrally first; because once you share them they are no longer stupid; you are.
I read about a web design company a while back that had a great approach to design, in that anything was sayable, but if you knew it was a stupid idea you could put your hand on top of your head to prove that you knew it. A good example of this would be to ask “why not have pockets sewn upside down, so the contents fall out when you unzip them”, a very stupid question that would be expressed under the protection of hand head. But stupid ideas get the flow going, and soon you may be thinking of others things that may work better the wrong way round (this is how the recurved ice pick came about). The also kept a note of all ideas - good and bad, because ideas often come before their time.
So why am I rabbiting on about such things? Well for a while I’ve been having a braces kind of idea about a piece of kit that’s missing off many climbers clothing; but one I wasn’t sure that was actually needed.
What it is is a crotch strap (calm down at the back), a strap that goes through your legs and is attached at the rear hem at the back, and beside the front zipper, made from either nylon or elastic. Buffalo where the first to use this idea with their Big Face shirt, followed by the Montane Extreme smock, Moonstone, and even Patagonia, who thought it good enough to include it one one season’s speed ascent jackets.
What it does it keep your main layer in place, and stops it slowly riding up and exposing your midriff, a pretty important feature when most climbers are wearing trousers these days.
Of course great and unrestricted arm lift should reduce the importance of this this, and a big baggy softshell or shell reduces the need further, but never the less, the action of binding layers and normal movement will see a slow rise in layers, forcing you to keep pulling your hem down - especially in well fitted soft shells.
A crotch strap can also stop snow being forced up into your jacket hem when in very deep snow, or skiing in powder, generally keeps everything neater, and will reducing ‘bagging’ of fabric at chest level (which restricts visibility of your rack and feet).
To make a removable crotch strap you’ll need a 2 foot length of 15mm strong elastic (you can use thinner elastic, or webbing), a length of velcro to match and some thin tape (5mm or 10mm). Sew a loop on the rear hem (1 inch up inside, so it won’t be exposed and potentially snag), and another loop on the front, offset from the zipper. The loop should be sewn so it creates an open loop that corresponds in width with the strap you’re using. Now sew the velcro to one end of the strap (don’t scrimp on velcro - as you want it to be strong), so it can be attached and removed, then get the length right before you do the same on the front of the strap. When fitting don’t go for something that’s got G string tightness, just go for something that’s snug when you’ve got your hands above your head. You can add a tri-glide buckle if you want some adjustment.
Is this a stupid ‘braces’ kind of idea, after all if it was so good wouldn’t all manufacturers use it? Unfortunately it’s a prime example of one of those very functional features that suffers from also being very uncommercial and super unsexy; just imagine some Range Rover driving car coat buying punter being told that his jacket has a built in crotch strap!
Maybe I am wrong - but to be honest I don’t really care if this sounds stupid, because as I type this, I’ve got one hand firmly planted on my head.
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Comments
function always precedes form… have you tried it in the field? does it work? (in your head or in practice) - the best things in life are free, that is devoid of commercialism and mass appeal! just think what people thought of the person who first told someone that the earth was round!!
I have a Montane something or other smock that has a removeable one.
what about buckles or something that would attach the hem of the jacket to the pants.I know that Patagonia does this with their skiing stuff. thinking about your crotch strap, I was thinking that it might bind or apply uncomfortable pressure. that jacket is going to still ride up as far as the strap allows, this might tighten the strap on an unfortuante alpinists nether regions.
Wouldn’t clips on the hem of your jacket that attach to the undersie of your harness (al a Arcteryx) do the same job? Good idea though.
Have you seen the front of an F1 car?
Having used the system on the buffalo top and the speed ascent (and a Lowe ninga fleece) I’ve never found it uncomfortable, and unless you’re being hoisted up by your arm pits, it’s not a problem.
Havn’t seen the Arteryx system, but would imagine a non harness solution would be better, as you may not always be wearing a harness.
Buckle would be good, but it’s just a case of finding the right one.
I seem to remember a Patagonia jacket I had a crotch strap. Very functional. The other solution to a cold midriff is bib pants. I have a Cloudveil product that is no longer made. Bibs are hard to find because they too are not commercial.
the Furtech Claw 2 uses a loop of shock cord, that sits either side of your junk, so isn’t too uncomfortable.
Or go the caving route
http://www.inglesport.com/shop/catalog.php?category=Undersuits
I have been using mine for ice this year and its ace. Its light, warm easy to regulate and never rides up!
I’ve added crotch straps to a number of pieces in the past, a Patagonia R2 pullover being the most recent and successful. I got a Buffalo big face in the early 90s and realised just what a great idea if was, even if it looked silly. Buffalo’s designs were (are) in so many ways ahead of the curve if function is your only consideration.
Got a Montane Extreme, never thought the strap was stupid….
But then I’m from Canada, and we’ll wear anything if it’s cold enough…
Andy,
Your ‘hand on head’ caveat is identical in concept to the technique recommended by famed lateral thinker Dr Edward de Bono to help break free from conventional logic (what he calls, interestingly enough ‘rock logic’). Only difference is that he uses the invented word ‘Po’ to preface an intentionally absurd proposition rather than ‘hand on head’. So, for example, going back half a century or so one might have made the statement: ‘Po, a car with no wheels’, which might then have lead to a line of thinking that concluded with the hovercraft. Or, more up to date, ‘Po, a telephone kiosk with no phone in it’ which might have lead to the idea of WiFi Hot-spots.
Incidentally, I can’t see why the idea of harness braces is so laughable: most people start to lose their waistine as they get older so it’s not just fatties whose harnesses lack sufficient traction!
And no-one mocks salopettes.