Seat Bag - Working Model & Testing

I was inspired by the hoods on my sweatshirts after thinking about this convertible seat bag/protective cover concept. So to see if this idea would even work, before trying to design style and aesthetics into the product, I built a working model to test. The bag had to have a large enough opening to fit over the saddle, while at the same time not be too baggy so as not to sag down and touch the wheel when being used as a storage trunk. Keeping the opening waterproof was another concern, which I solved with a flap of fabric.

The next step is to stylize the shape of the bag to compliment Po Campo's current offerings, as well as design in some functional elements that deal with how the bag connects to the bike. In the testing video, when the bag is in seat cover mode, some of the straps that are needed for "bag mode" have no where to go and are left dangling. That will be addressed in the next iteration of the design.

Paper Model

A quick paper mock up of one of the shoe covers:

Preparing for Presentation to Po Campo

In the next week Greg and I will continue to develop working, testable prototypes of our 3 concepts - Rolling Bag, Shoe Cover, and Seat Bag.

We will present our sketches, models, and images and video of product testing to Emily's partner, Maria, on Wednesday, Oct. 28

Transformable Under-Seat Bag

This is a rough concept sketch for an under-seat storage bag that could transform into a seat cover to keep the seat clean and dry when parked outside.

Shoe Covers

These are concepts for a shoe cover that will protect the toes and shoes from pedals and road hazards. We're looking into a full shoe cover that will provide more foul weather protection as well.

Bag Concepts

Design ideations for a larger bag with a rolling "wheelie" feature

Email Correspondence

Emily:

Thank you again for inviting us to your release last night.

As promised, we have a few ideas we are exploring and I wanted to run those by you briefly as we continue to develop the products, specifically: a larger rear rack mounting rolling bag; shoe strap and shoe cover; under-mount seat pack with map and repair tools as well as a compact hand pump. We had a concern regarding the compact hand pump and wanted to ask you if it was in the realm of Po Campo's manufacturing capabilities or not.

Gabe and I also wanted to ask if we could get the information on your manufacturer so that we could possibly set up a tour and see exactly what goes into producing one of your bags, and would it be possible to get the color and pattern swatches from you?

Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Greg Clark
Product Design
Columbia College Chicago

Hey Greg,

Thanks for coming by, it was nice meeting your team.

Here are my thoughts;
-We currently do not have the capabilities to manufacture hard goods
(custom plastics/metals). We are open to custom ideas as a blue sky
concepts or I would suggest you look for stock parts or local
manufacturers to produce something custom.

-As far as a tour, I can't guarantee I can arrange something, but I will
see what I can do. The facility has the capabilities to do industrial
sewing, fabric die cutting (including leather).
-For pattern swatches; part of our plan is to constantly change fabrics so
that each production is a limited edition. We currently use outdoor
upholstery fabrics, but are open to anything that is water resistant and
fashionable.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

Emily