Survival, Empowered.
For this project, I endeavored to create a product that empowers the user to have faith in their own survival capabilities in any situation that they may find themselves in.
UST Aesthetics
UST recently underwent a rebranding to adopt a more friendly aesthetic to appeal to a wider audience of campers and hikers, rather than just die-hard adventurers.
Josh Conrad and his Family.
The Conrad family is highly active, taking day hikes every weekend in the Rocky Mountains, not far from their hometown of Durango Colorado. Both Josh and his wife Erika pride themselves on being prepared when they go out hiking, but sometimes life happens and they forget to let a friend know that they are headed out on the trail.
The UST Survival Staff.
For when “…I could’ve sworn I’ve seen that tree before…”
Water and Shelter.
Fact: we can only last 3 to 5 days without water, and Iodine tablets are a fast and efficient way to purify water. Secondly, it is imperative to find shelter from the elements. A safety blanket is a great survival tool that can be used to build shelters, reflect heat and flag down first responders.
Fire and Blade.
While a fire is not an absolute necessity for survival, it can help to fight off hypothermia, sterilize food and water and boost morale.
Anti-Jam Clasp.
In trekking poles, there are two types of clasps, screw-on and lever clasps. Screw-on attachments are prone to jamming in cold weather or when they are corroded, and a failure like this in a survival situation would render the survival components of this design unusable. For this reason, I chose to design lever-clasps.
GPS Tracker.
This trekking pole has an integrated GPS tracker that senses when the pole has traveled more than 5 miles from your chosen “home base” and sends an alert text to the user’s phone reminding them to text someone about their upcoming hike as they make their way to the trailhead. The handle can also function as an SOS beacon if the situation becomes dire.
Packaging.
