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Case Study

How we redesigned a cult-favorite travel bag that crowdfunded $2 million

Case Study

How we redesigned a cult-favorite travel bag that crowdfunded $2 million

/ Pakt Bags: Intro

Pakt Bags

Alongside longtime friend Malcolm Fontier and The Minimalists, Sprout redesigned the classic Getaway duffel bag with clever upgrades, environmentally-friendly materials and plastic-free packaging.

/ Pakt Bags: The Challenge

The Getaway bag
that can’t get away

Industrial designer Malcolm Fontier’s Getaway bag had been out of production for several years when it was featured in the 2016 Netflix documentary, Minimalism. As the bag of choice for The Minimalists chronicled in the film, the Getaway bag quickly collected a cult following — and thousands of requests to bring it back. Sprout, Malcolm, and the Minimalists decided to collaborate on a new and improved version of the bag.

/ Pakt Bags: The Approach

Updating a classic

The Getaway bag broke ground in 2011 because of its dual compartment, zip-around body style, so the team wanted to keep the essential structure of the bag. 

However, we also wanted to give the bag a major upgrade by adding thoughtful features, updating the color, material, and finish of the bag, and using only animal-friendly mediums with the lowest-possible environmental impact.

Minimalist values

We also needed to work within The Minimalists’ values of creating intentionality in products and encouraging travelers to think about conscious consumption. This value system trickled down to the features and minimal design included throughout the bag.

Pakt One Getaway duffel bag in the snow
Pakt One Getaway duffel bag interior key ring
Pakt One Getaway duffel bag laptop sleeve
/ Pakt Bags: The Approach

Plastic-free packaging

When it came to packaging design, Sprout and Malcolm decided to focus on creating 100% plastic-free packaging for Pakt. Manufacturing also became another challenge: Pakt chose a manufacturer with safe, fair, and humane working conditions for conscious production. 

These plastic-free packaging efforts spawned a second company called SeaHive. SeaHive helps companies replace virgin plastic in their product packaging with stunning brand-building alternatives.

/ Pakt Bags: The Outcome

A lifestyle brand

The Pakt One has raised over $2 million dollars on Indiegogo — a popular crowdfunding platform. The bag reached its goal within the first 10 minutes of launching with over 400k in sales on day one alone, and almost 10,000 bags have been sold to date. With this much financial success — and over 10,000 followers on Instagram, Pakt quickly transitioned to becoming a lifestyle travel brand of choice.

Pakt One Getaway duffel bag crowdfunding page
/ Pakt Bags: Recognition

“Awesome to work with. Easy to communicate with, responsive with next iterations, and beautiful work.”

Malcolm Fontier

Founder & CEO

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