Veske: Boddin Daypack

Our Designer Amy, delves into some of the details about the inspiration behind the new Veske Boddin Daypack.  

The names of our products are as important as the design. Just like the James, the Angus and the Usan – the other products in our Heritage Collection – the names are all considered and connected to the company or our heritage in one way or another. The Boddin Daypack is named after the neighbouring coastal village, Boddin, two miles south of Montrose. The Lime kilns at Boddin Point stand at it’s seaward end. Dating back to the 1700s, Boddin has a similar heritage story to us and connection to the sea.

Boddin Daypack Inspiration
As well as our own product archive which inspired a lot of the Veske Heritage Collection and the brand as a whole, we also visited the Scottish Mountain Heritage Archive back in July 2018 when the development of Veske began. The purpose of the visit to the archive was to look at some historical examples of bags, clothing and accessories used by Mountain rescuers, hikers and adventurers – and it didn’t disappoint.

We were met by Mick Tighe, the custodian of the archive and he showed us around. The archive boasts an amazing assortment of mountain memorabilia from Scotland and around the world, which has been collected together and is also documented on their website here: Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection

There were a number of different backpacks and rucksacks which we viewed and documented by photograph. A lot of these had varying components and shape which were interesting. One aspect that really stood out to me was that most of the products were able to be expanded if you wanted to carry more or less. This was design aspect that we knew we would want carry into our Heritage Collection. An other really interesting aspect of these historical samples were that the materials. More often that not, leather, waxed cotton and heavy duty brass components were used. This would have been down to the fact that a lot of the modern technical materials we use today wouldn’t have been as readily available, but it was interesting non the less that cottons and leather were used, which I imagine would have been for their longevity.

Back at the studio
Once we were back at the Workshop, I analysed some of the details on the products which took my interest from a design perspective and I made a few different boards with ideas to take forward to the prototyping stage. There were a few products in our company archive, as well as design details that I noted from the SMHC, which I was keen to have feature in our Heritage Collection.

One design feature which you will notice on the side of the new Boddin Daypack and is also on the Angus tote bag – there is a V shape insert on each side. This detail was inspired from some of the historical samples which we saw, which had a V insert to allow more room at the top of the bag for looking in. This was seen on the historical samples which were a bit larger, so would have been a functional part of the bag.

Working alongside with our senior machinist, Aly, we turned the Boddin Daypack from a combination of ideas from our archives and the SMHC as well as new ideas and materials in to a new design for the Heritage Collection. Creativity and Craftsmanship go had in hand at Veske and our manufacturing team are so highly skilled. We work together to create a streamlined product that can go through the workshop easily.

Craftsmanship. Value. Understated. Classic Design. Functional details. Transitional, lasting through seasons. The combination of these various aspects together, looking to the old and new are how the Veske Heritage Collection was created and how it will move into the future too.

You can see our Boddin Daypack on our website here: Boddin Daypack