coLAB08 is an award designed to stimulate interest in design for outdoor equipment.
There was a conference in Lancaster a couple of weeks ago hosted by Mike Parsons and Mary Rose on Innovation. There was broad selection of people from the industry, and i'll stick my neck out and say that the majority of the designers/product people there, felt that their ability to innovate was being stifled by the way industry operates. These designers couldn't design anything new as they had to work on the next range of black jackets for the big retailers. So if all us designers are too busy making sure the company can pay our wages, who is going to think up all the interesting stuff.
We want you to show all the big retailers and owners of the brands that you are interested in new innovative stuff and they should spend more on R&D. Otherwise we will all be walking around in the same gear bought from the same retailer.
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Hey man, I'll help you out here...
Can I ask, if I submit my entry, no one has thought of my idea before, I win the competition. Will Alpkit make my design and sell it?
Cheer, Alpjim.
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 I would like a camera that makes hills look as big and scary in photos as they feel in real life. Or alternatly somesort of glasses that I could wear that make hills look as tame and flat as they look in my photos, so I can skip casually/recklessly along such things as the AE ridge. In effect anti-exposure glasses. Seriously though, a material that becomes Hi Vis at night without looking mental during the day would be quite good, especially now the nights are too long again.
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phew! - i was getting lonely in here.
I think this is the question that was touched on in the thread last week. So i'll do my best to answer it.
Lets say you invent this widget that you put under your insoles and it cures blisters.
So it would be a amazing idea and you would probably win the comp. However in all reality i dont think we would be the best people to turn it in to a reality so we would have a chat to compeed or scholl and say that the winner of our award has got this idea do you want to have a look. We could give the idea some credability as it would have won a national competition, it wouldnt just be email sent randomly to the company.
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 How about a head torch built into a Kippah for the discerning Jewish outdoors enthusiast? It's a little bit niche admittedly and was clearly developed over a couple of sociable sherries, but I could definitely see the "Pretzel" head torch alongside the Camelsak next April, no?
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Montrail came out with a versaclog which was a full on crampon compatable clog i stood on their stand at Outdoor retailer for about 5 mins before i realised they got me, and that it was a joke.
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OK, say I came with my design then and it is a product that Alpkit has a manufacturing capability to make, what would be deal then.
What process would we go through to enable that product to be manufactured and sold?
Do Alpkit have first dibs on the product??
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 Stuff for dogs. Seriously. Alpkit seems to have cracked it when it comes to well-designed, durable outdoor gear that is exceptionally well priced. There's interest out there about ways to make camping with a dog more fun. And dog owners invariably have plenty of money to spend on their best friends. Alpdug stuff would find a market, I'm sure. Just off the top of my head - waterproof dog coats that aren't too warm; disposable(?) dog boots to stop them putting holes in your tent groundsheet - or maybe small purpose built light insulated mats for them (I just use a cheap cut down bit of foam, but I'd buy a cool dug specific mat); collapsible bowls - or indeed frisbees that double as bowls! Your AFO might even work already. Here, I'm on a roll now! Proper durable waterproof collars that light up so you can see them when they disappear after rabbits on these dark winter mornings down the park. And that don't give up the ghost when they decide to go for a swim in the Clyde. Impressive branded hard-as-nails leads. Innovative dog camping towels... I think the list could be endless. Again, I'm quite serious! 
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 Yay, fab idea, Scott! Give the man a bone!!
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Hey jim
What are you trying to do make this difficult.
But to answer your question, no we dont.
At the end of the day their not our ideas there the ideas of those who enter so they can do what they want with them. However if an idea comes up that we can help with then we are not going to ignore it.
Ok let say that someone comes up with idea for a pop up tent that you can actually carry around so like those decathlon ones but a really packable version. Well you could either sell the design to us, or there is a royality per item sold. It's really up to the entrants on what they want to do.
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I'm hoping all these idea make it to the colab08 site
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Questions for those who get through to the latter stages based on a lofty, and possibly not fully thought out idea (at least not thought out to the point of actually making one!). Will alpkit be willing to lend a hand making the prototype a reality? Would imagine it's going to be quite hard for the average Joe to source materials.
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Oh, and can a particularly bright spark introduce more than one entry?
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You designer. Me customer. I want ... waterproof trousers that I can get on in 10 seconds with mitts on a way of stashing walking poles, when I use them, without taking my pack off a way off putting a mid layer on without taking my jacket off waterproof trousers that integrate with gaiters so I don't have layers of fabric flapping round my lower leg. (maybe that's breeches!) (or ankle gaiters) waterproof gloves that integrate with my jacket so one doesnt channel water into the other specs that don't get wet a little waist pack/sporran that fits on my pack waistbelt at the front- 2 or 3 generations ago a macpac mountain marathon had such a thing, and it is excellent. a waterproof shell that is just that - not a vast collection of pockets with a hood
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Sorry i was being a test dummy for a sleeping bag just then.
Good Question - the original idea was exactly that, we would help and pay for the sample to be made but the reality as a small company (there is still just the four of us) we couldnt afford to do it both in time and cash.
The other problem is that there could be such a bredth of ideas, is it fair to make someones sample tarp (easy) and then not do the carbonfibre headtorch (expensive).
However like every outdoor company we have got loads of stuff like foam, material, buckles, webbing, headtorch elastic that kind of thing so although we cant promise anything i would love for everyone of the finalists to have a working prototype and if we can help out we will. Even those with a lack of drawing skill we are happy to help out if can but the more effort people put in the more we are likely to help out.
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Email us, if anyone has any concerns about the comp.
Cheers
Nick
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This is brilliant, i love the idea of the coLAB08 contest, and have just talked through my idea with my boss, and it looks like its a go! As soon as i have a couple pictures to upload you'll all be drooling over this bit O'kit. Really im just excited to see what everyone comes up with,... hey if we are a contestant chosen to demonstrate at the tradeshow, do we get a cool backstage pass that we can walk around flashing at security guards and all the hotties?
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