Carol McDermott founded Crux in 2002 to design, manufacture and sell gear developed purely for climbers, and Lightwave to do the same for backpackers. His aim was to create high-quality, functional and honest equipment uncluttered by unneccessary extras. In a market increasingly characterised by complex design features, Crux and Lightwave stand out and are already possessing that coveted status of brand for those 'in the know'. Here, Carol McDermott talks about the philosophy behind the brands and introduces some key products.
Carol has plenty of experience both in the mountains and in the industry. A New Zealander now living in France; he is an alpinist who has climbed all over the world with ascents including Shivling, Gasherbrum II, Ama Dablam (solo) and Mount Cook (a dozen times) as well as some epic, unsupported treks in the Karakorum.
He has also worked on the design teams for several British brands. While designing many highly successful rucksacks for other companies, he became increasingly frustrated by the fact that he wasn't developing the truly specialist products that reflected his own passions and ideals. As a result, Carol set up Crux and Lightwave.
Carol McDermott
Interview with Carol McDermott
What was the first product you designed?
The first product I designed for my own brands? The Crux X2 Storm tent – and this I still consider to be my 'masterpiece'.
Crux and Lightwave founder, Carol McDermott
I never came up with the 'design' of the AK47 – I always had the image of my first climbing sac (a 1983 Macpac Torre) in my mind – it was beautifully simple. Rucksack design has just become over-engineered and over-featured over the years and I wanted to return to the simplicity of products from 20 years ago. I developed fairly 'simple' climbing sacs whilst at previous brands which were reasonably successful, but it was only when doing it for my own brand (Crux) that I had the freedom to completely strip the product right down to the bare essentials.
The AK47 itself is not the original design – that was the A50/AK50, which had a floating lid (the A = alpine, K = Kevlar) and the only negative feedback I had was people preferred a fixed lid. This I did, but it reduced the volume slightly, and this was reflected in the name AK47. Of course, once I'd done that, then people said they wanted the AK47 with a floating lid (grrr!!) – and so the AK50 came back as the AK-47X.
Rob Greenwood, DMM Northern Area Sales Representative
How long did it take you to develop the sack?
The original A50/AK50 (the only difference was the fabric) took about 15 months. However, the AK50/AK47 design continued to evolve with refinements over a period of about 5 years.
What did the design, testing and development process involve?
The design revolved around three key elements – the patterns for the one-piece fabric body and one-piece back panel, the technique for joining the two together, and the development of an ultralight alloy frame. As far as the fabric body was concerned, this was a simple iterative procedure of sampling and making changes until the size and shape were right. The technique for putting the front and back together was fundamentally a communication problem as the factory simply hadn't made a rucksack in such an unconventional way before, and involved lots of paper models showing the sequence in which to close the sack. It was fiendishly difficult, and although the end result was elegantly simple, it created problems in maintaining consistent stitching quality at a large-scale production level.
Paul Lewis, Peak Mountaineering
Most brands are deterred by the price of the frame as it requires tooling, shaping at high temperature and then heat treatment through the various cooling processes – expensive but the result is a stunningly light frame. All the testing was done by myself – I knew exactly what I wanted and what was most important is that the sack carried well, and despite its deceptively simple back system it actually works very well.
Iain Whitehouse, Beta Climbing Designs General Manager
Originally, it came down to two fabrics, both from Schoeller in Switzerland. One was 'Dynatec' and the other a 'Keprotec' with Kevlar in it. The latter was substantially more expensive, but it had a stiffness and robustness and the 'handle' a climber would expect from a climbing sack. In the end I launched two models – the A50 and AK50 in the two different fabrics respectively. Although the AK50 was a lot more expensive, it sold substantially better and I dropped the A50 after the first season. Both fabrics were perfectly suitable for the job, and yes, the Kevlar is more robust, but I was happy to leave the decision to market forces.
What's it like when you see someone wearing one of your products?
I always hope it is the right product for them and they are happy with it – so many people buy on the basis of aspiration that they often buy product that is inappropriate, unsuitable or simply what they do not need.
What inspires you to create new products?
I have a very clear vision on what kind of products I want to produce, and being an engineer it is all about performance – function, simplicity, reliability, durability and longevity. I have no inspiration – simply a desire to make the best products for the intended mountaineering/climbing use.
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