Roam — Sylvan Industrial Design

Roam

A sling bag that improves the experience of walking tour guides by balancing security, function, comfort, sustainability, and style.

Duration 3 weeks — 2024

Skills Pattern Making · Illustrator · Sewing · Upcycling

Category Wearables & Accessories

Context

There are over 300,000 walking tour guides globally, each offering different experiences and having different needs.

Walking tours are often in high-density urban areas with higher risks of pickpocketing. Tours last anywhere between 2–8 hours — demanding a bag that can handle a full workday on foot.

Guides need to carry essentials, remain identifiable to their group, switch quickly between front-carry and back-carry, and keep valuable items secure — all while looking the part.

User
Research

"I'd rather have a bag that can carry all the stuff I might need during the day. Smaller messenger bags barely fit enough items."

u/CasioMaker — Reddit

"Comfort is key."

Reddit user

"I hate that it's designed for only my left shoulder."

Reddit user

Carry Survey

The Problem

Walking tour guides need a bag that securely transitions between back and front-carry, comfortably fits a full workday of essentials, and is made from sustainable materials — without sacrificing their professional appearance.

Constraints

Security

Easy to switch from back to front carry
Hard-to-access pockets for valuables

Comfort

Ambidextrous shoulder strap
Lightweight construction
Back padding

Functionality

Space for wet gear
Identifiable in a crowd
Expandable to fit flexible carry needs
Easy access pockets for low-value items
Waterproof

Sustainability

Prioritise upcycled & second-use materials
Durable construction for long life

Sketching

Coming Soon

Sketch Models

Making the Bag

The bag was pattern-made and sewn from upcycled materials. Each seam and pocket placement was iterated through physical prototyping.

Key Features

Security The clip-flip-zip system routes the main zipper to the back panel, making it nearly impossible to access while worn — without removing the bag.

Comfort An ambidextrous padded shoulder strap distributes weight evenly and can be configured for left or right carry without adjustment.

Functionality The main pocket expands via a gusseted panel for high-capacity days, while a dedicated wet zone keeps damp items separated from the rest.

Sustainability All primary materials are upcycled — sourced from discarded textiles and repurposed hardware — reducing waste without compromising durability.

Detail

Learning
Takeaways

Physical prototyping revealed fit and comfort issues that sketches couldn't predict �� iterating in material was essential, not optional.

Upcycled materials introduced unpredictable constraints. Working within those limitations pushed more creative pattern-making solutions.

The ambidextrous strap system was the most technically complex feature — early assumptions about buckle placement required significant revision after wearability testing.

User research (even lightweight, via forums) meaningfully shaped priorities — comfort and ambidexterity emerged as far more critical than initially assumed.

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Get in touch

Let's work together

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