In an era where every little product refinement gets defined as innovation, consumers rarely experience groundbreaking changes in product performance. At Arc’teryx®, innovation is more than incremental product improvement. Twelve years ago our Vapor harness brought sophisticated thermoformed shaping to climbers. In 1995, we delivered thermoformed backpack suspension that has become the industry standard. In 1998, our Gore-Tex® outerwear debuted the WaterTight™ zipper and a host of other apparel construction firsts. These are the elements that define Arc’teryx innovation: fundamental materials development that lead to new construction techniques, creating designs that bring new levels of performance.
Four years ago we set out to apply our cumulative knowledge of harness, backpack, and apparel development to pioneer an entirely new approach to backpack design. Today, these packs premier innovative waterproof bondable fabric, custom molded components and a compact, lightweight suspension system. Our new packs are the culmination of everything we have learned and represent a new milestone in backpack technology.
The 420ACT fabric opened a new door for pack construction. Its bondable surface freed us from the constraints of traditional cut-and-sew manufacturing, enabling us to laminate components and suspension systems directly to the fabric. In searching for parts that we could laminate to the pack surface, we found that traditional components were incompatible due to their polymer makeup. We needed to fi nd parts made of urethane, a durable thermoplastic that maintains flexibility under extreme temperatures. In the end, we custom developed our own parts. One mould at a time, we developed components to fuse webbing, shock cords and buckles.
Further leveraging the bondable properties of the fabric, we created a tri-laminate backpanel frame. Composed of EVA foam, resilient Kydex plastic and aluminum stays, this Monoframe composite backpanel is thinner and lighter. As a unified structure, our pack’s curved shape and supportive form creates a direct link between spine, suspension and bag.
Full of the functional details, our new bags reflect aesthetic simplicity and beautiful design. They include dependable comfortable suspension, hydro ports, variable volume rolltop closures and a removable top lid. Further visual design is applied with colour matched parts, giving them the simple clean lines Arc’teryx is known for.
We set out to fundamentally change pack design, and four years later Advanced Composite Construction was born. By developing a new fabric that facilitates groundbreaking construction, we produced an array of innovations, including new pack lamination techniques, custom injection moulded componentry, lightweight comfortable suspension systems and new 3D volume patterning.
We stand at the beginning of an entire new category of packs. These bags have taken design and construction technology to an elevated level, permanently changing the expectations of outdoor enthusiasts.
