Portaledge

Portaledge

Portaledge

Pairing up with legendary Yosemite climber and inventor of the original portaledge, John Middendorf, I became aware of the clunky deployment climbing tents and designed a hinge system with inspiration from origami used in space. Different from traditional portaledges, this one turns into a cylinder which can be used as a haul bag.

Pairing up with legendary Yosemite climber and inventor of the original portaledge, John Middendorf, I became aware of the clunky deployment climbing tents and designed a hinge system with inspiration from origami used in space. Different from traditional portaledges, this one turns into a cylinder which can be used as a haul bag.

Pairing up with legendary Yosemite climber and inventor of the original portaledge, John Middendorf, I became aware of the clunky deployment climbing tents and designed a hinge system with inspiration from origami used in space. Different from traditional portaledges, this one turns into a cylinder which can be used as a haul bag.

Flower origami

Every detail matters in extreme situations. Simply pulling each side deploys and locks the portaledge with a click. No more loose parts.

More than a climbing tent

Essential gear can be stored in the cylinder when the portaledge is not in use making transforming the tent into a haul bag.

Prototyping

Prototyping

Prototyping

In order to develop this design a significant empasis was put on making mechanical and functional prototypes.

Tent Covers

In alpine conditions a dark tent cover can raise the temperature within the tent and help melt ice. The white and gold patterns could be reflective material to aid in rescue missions in low light situations. Aesthetically, these were chosen to blend in with the swirly mountain cracks.

Mechanical prototypes

Origami concepts were explore to different degrees because deployment and size were the two biggest challenges facing state of the art tents.

Hinge design

Allows the deployment to be locked securely using magnetic force. Unlocked by a single button, then leveraging opposing magnetic force.

Hinge design

Allows the deployment to be locked securely using magnetic force. Unlocked by a single button, then leveraging opposing magnetic force.

1-1 Scale Model

A full scale model was built for the delivery of this project.

1-1 Scale Model

A full scale model was built for the delivery of this project.

1-1 Scale Model

A full scale model was built for the delivery of this project.