KUIU
PACK MANUAL

THIS BEGAN AS MY SENIOR THESIS AT WMU AND ENDED UP LANDING ME MY FIRST TRUE JOB OUT OF COLLEGE.

THE FOUR STAGES OF THIS PROJECT

THE IDEA

I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I WANTED TO CREATE FOR MY SENIOR THESIS. I HAD THE IDEA TO CREATE A THESIS ABOUT INSTRUCTIONS, WHAT INSTRUCTIONS I WASN'T SURE OF YET.

SENIOR THESIS

WHEN I BOUGHT THE KUIU PACK $400+ BACKPACK IT CAME WITH MICROSOFT WORD INSTRUCTIONS

IT BECAME MY THESIS THAT I WORKED ON THROUGHOUT MY LAST SEMESTER AT WMU.

THE LETTER

ONCE I HAD GRADUATED, WE HAD A TRIP TO CALI. PLANNED, KUIU HEADQUARTERS ARE LOCATED IN DIXON, CA.

THINKING I DECIDED TO SEND A LETTER IN THE MAIL TO THE OWNER PRESENTING MY THESIS.

FINISHED PROJECT

LITTLE DID I KNOW HE WAS MORE THAN EXCITED TO MEET AND HIRE ME AS THE DESIGNER ON THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY. I HAD LANDED MY FIRST BIG BOY JOB RIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE USING MY THESIS.

STAGE 1
THE IDEA

GROWING UP I LOVED BUILDING LEGOS, LOOKING INTO THIS PROJECT I DISCOVERED THAT LEGOS ACTUALLY HAVE VERY DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS WITHOUT WORDS. THEY ARE ABLE TO ARTICULATE BUILDING SOMETIME COMPLEX SCULPTURES TO KIDS AND ADULTS.

WHY DON'T ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAPTURE THIS?

MY THESIS BUILDING COMPLEX SUCCESSFUL INSTRUCTION W/O WORDS

STAGE 2
SENIOR THESIS

THESIS STATEMENT

You are planning your first hunt in the backcountry; you go out and buy your first KUIU pack system, most likely from their online store. The pack arrives at your house with an abundance of straps. Clear instructions are very important to have an excellent experience. The trek into the outdoors is a very unfamiliar place to a new hiker. Along with that, you have to pack your backpack properly and fit it perfectly to yourself.

STAGE 3
THE LETTER

My Letter I Mailed To the Owner Of KUIU

Dear Jason Hairston,

I have been following your company for a while now and am passionate everything that KUIU stands for. With that being said, about 2 years ago I was living in Half Moon Bay and was able to visit the store and get fitted for everything I would need for the elk hunt I was planing to go on. The elk hunt ended up falling through due to school and just not having the funds. The design program at Western Michigan University, was very fast paced and did not allow me the time to take off for a late September elk hunt. I am visiting my family in California till 5/30, and if possible, I am hoping to meet you in person to share my thesis project.

This year I was able to purchase the Icon Pro 3200, with the hopes I would actually get to use it this upcoming September. At the same time of purchasing the pack I was looking for an idea for my senior thesis. Upon opening the package I already had it in my mind that I would be designing instructions for something but had no idea what that was yet. When the package arrived I opened up the box and was super excited about my first purchases getting me that much closer to the backcountry. It wasnt until I saw the instructions that came with the pack when I had the idea to re-design the instruction manual to the Icon Pro 3200. Following KUIU for all these years I found that you take pride in handouts and product books that are sent out to customers. However, the instructions seemed like a second thought and did not live up to the brand you have crafted and built. I personally love the business motto of staying out of the retail space to cut down on cost, but I do think that it is another reason to take additional time on the instructions so they can be fully understood. As I began my research I had gone to REI near me in Michigan just to see how they would fit me into a pack in person, comparatively to fitting the pack two years ago at your store. Being a novice to the backcountry, and having little to no knowledge of packing it was good to see how someone would fit me into the pack because there was a lot of small areas I found I was fitting in-properly.

For customers of KUIU that do not have the luxury to visit the store to get fitted properly, it is key to have instructions that would fully help guide someone through all different aspects of the pack. For my thesis I focused on the one most important aspect to me, which is the fitting step. I tested the instructions with multiple people that had no idea about the process to get insight regarding what steps were not clear enough for them. I wanted to send you a copy so you have the opportunity to check it out as well as I was hoping to get some feedback regarding what you think of it. I was planning on stopping by the store on the way to or from Tahoe, memorial weekend to try on the new gear before my friends and I purchase them for our Elk hunt. I know you are super busy but if you were around it would be awesome to meet up for a moment and hear some of your feedback about the instructions I have created.

Best regards,

Ted