Klim Support Offers New Opportunities for Outdoor Product Design & Development Students

To see Utah State’s Outdoor Product Design and Development program in action, all one needs to do is step into the Janet Quinney Lawson Building. Mannequins in parkas, murals of the outdoors and a kayak adorn the first room a visitor sees, while farther in, the walls are lined with textile testing machines, 3D printers, and other equipment for creating new gear right on the premises. It only takes a brief pause at a table or workspace to hear students discussing the merits of different fabrics or how to improve the design for a cupholder.

Behind the renovations to the building and equipment is a $100,000 donation from Klim (pronounced “climb”), a Rigby, Idaho-based company specializing in snowmobile, motorcycle and off-road riding gear. Utah State University will receive the gift over the course of the next few years, which means that even more equipment and improvements are coming to the OPDD program in the near future.

Some immediate results of the gift were on display this week as members of Klim’s leadership team joined OPDD faculty and students to officially open the new KLIM Lab. Before cutting the ribbon to officially open the lab, Paul Hepworth, the company’s president and managing director, said Klim strives for success by infusing work with passion.

“Our gear is meticulously crafted to enhance the rider’s experience, making it the best in the world,” Hepworth said. “We come to work every day with the goal of making a difference and creating the ultimate riding experience for our customers.”

Chase Anderson, OPDD program coordinator, explained that the donation is only the latest act of support from Klim to the program.

“Klim has been a supporter of the Outdoor Product Design and Development program for a long time,” Anderson said. “Their employees have served on our advisory board, given feedback on the curriculum, and just been great partners. And especially in more recent years, they've hired a number of our students, including an alumnus from our second graduating class who’s worked there for several years, and three others as interns this past summer.”

The company has also provided feedback for students. Klim employees recently visited campus to critique senior studio class projects and suggest ways students could improve their presentations, and they’ve participated in design challenges. These events see 8-20 students compete to create a new product in response to a proposed problem. Students work through the entire process of developing a manufacturing process before receiving advice on how to improve their work.

Klim’s donation marks a new level in their partnership with USU. Amber Williams, a professional practice assistant professor and self-professed textile nerd, explained that the equipment purchased with the gift will help students delve more deeply into product development than ever before.

“Whenever I’m with students, I ask them to tell me about their fabric,” Williams said. “What’s its weight? How does it handle abrasion? If it’s a hammock, tent or backpack, what’s its tensile strength? Some materials come with this information, but most don’t, so we have to figure that out. And that’s where having this equipment could be a game changer.”

To perform the sorts of tests required to meet industry safety standards, OPDD is investing in calibrated machines made by the regulatory entities themselves. That comes with a price tag in the tens of thousands, but it could put the program in a position to conduct product tests for local brands in the future.

Moreover, that infrastructure could help OPDD prepare for the future in another way: by encouraging students to consider sustainability in all of their product designs.

“Sustainability is a huge component of what we do,” Williams said. “It’s in every learning objective, every course component. We have to think about not just designing a coat, but its whole lifecycle, including how the consumer will use it and what happens when the consumer is done with it, which can’t just be going to a landfill.”

While not all the materials used in outdoor gear are recyclable, items like jackets can be designed to maximize longevity and make repairs rather replacement a viable option for broken items. A zipper, for instance, can be sewn so that when it breaks, a new zipper can be sewn in without dismembering the whole coat. And with the equipment from Klim, students can go through the testing process while considering each step of an item’s lifecycle to make better, more responsible products.

Hands-on learning, Williams said, is the bridge between lofty ideals and real change.

“Every student project needs to address one of our tenants of sustainability or it doesn’t get credit,” Williams said. “If sustainability isn’t already a part of your habit, it’s vital to gain an understanding of it in order to function in the industry. We have to train students in school now so that the habits are established and get into the workplace. On one level, students get lots of experience, but on the next, they’re changing the culture and the way industry is run.”

Professor Brian Warnick, the head of the Technology, Design and Technical Education Department, thanked Klim for making the improvements to the OPDD program possible.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the partnership with Klim,” Warnick said. “It will enhance opportunities for students to have relevant, industry-based learning experiences. Access to current technology and processes is critical in preparing students for employment and entrepreneurial endeavors in the outdoor product industry.”

Learn more about the outdoor product design and development degree program at opdd.usu.edu.