Giving a loved pack a second life through upcycling

Keep In Play Backpack

PERSONAL PROJECT: SOFTGOODS/ PACK DESIGN

I found an 80’s ski/ backpacking pack at our local second-hand sporting goods store, and fell in love with its colors and unique design. I would use the bag to pack for weekend adventures, but it was too worn to use for practical purposes, so I sought to keep this bag in play through upcycling.

The objective for this upcycling project was to address weak points of the existing bag and reconstruct them to last another lifetime. I wanted to keep as much of the bags personality and unique trims as possible.

  • Retro adventure, authentic materials, playful trims

  • Colorful, maximalist, rugged

  • One of a kind statement piece, adventure ready

Weak points

  • Floppy straps

    The packs straps became worn and therefore floppy and lost their support when carrying gear

  • Weak back support

    The main reason I wanted to upcycle this bag was because it had practically no back support. The internal foam padding was worn and colored

  • Aged material

    When looking at the fabric, I tried to salvaged the material that’s color and strength was intact, and swap out the old, worn fabric for new ones

How might I transform this worn pack into a practical everyday backpack while preserving it’s vintage charm?

Product features

  • Laptop sleeve

    I padded the both the back, bottom, and inside laptop sleeve with high-density foam to ensure protection to any electronics stored in the pack

  • Strap guard

    A reinforced triangle on each side to add strength to the webbing straps

  • Bottle sinch

    To secure water bottle, I added a metal grommet and an elastic sinch on both side, which compliment the existing style of the bag

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