The Hydrator (please, god, change this name)
This design was inspired by three items, and has been kicking around in my head for well over a year now. These three items are my tiny Camelbak, the tiny hiking backpack I use as a Sunday bag, and the CD sleeve on my visor (apologies to Snailpowered, who got his design up before I did, and to Upper Park Designs, for this similarity). Central to this design's strength is something that no disc golf manufacturer has attempted (to my knowledge): a backpack whose use isn't restricted to golf. It would be light, shallow, and would make an absolutely perfect dayhiking pack, as well as being useful for both folks who carry only a couple discs, or those who carry a pretty big amount, depending on how tight you want to cram it.
Aesthetically, I have no attachment to the drawing I'm providing. I can't draw to save my life. Things like the mini/scorecard/pencil placement don't matter to me (they could probably be moved inside the main pocket?). I don't even have a set number of discs in mind, as this would fluctuate with the way the pockets are constructed, and even with the manufacturer's choice of width. Things like the mesh for holding a water bottle could easily be swapped out for a cheaper option to keep the price lower. The important thing would be to include the following innovations:
• Outside sleeve-style pockets to hold between 6 and 10 discs. Sleeves allow both easy access to the most often used discs, and a way to make the entire pack shallower (since they're oriented at an angle).
• Pockets lined with microfiber to dry discs as you slide them into their slots (or not, if this is prohibitively expensive).
• Optional Camelbak (two price points?).
• Waterbottle pocket big enough for Nalgene.
• Waterproof phone/wallet pocket (LOVE my DGA EliteShield protective pocket too, so feel free to find a way to steal that idea?).
• Added vertical storage in main pocket.
I would love a bag that I don't need to remove while putting in casual rounds, and this would be that bag. I even toyed around with the idea of putter slots on the back of the bag so you could reach under your arm to remove your putters, but I decided that it would make the bag too deep.
As for the multi-use requirement, I figure that Physical Flight is uniquely suited to design a pack that would be comfortable both for golf and for hiking. In my mind, this flexibility is rooted in the inclusion of a Camelbak and that the main compartment is simply an open backpack pocket when it's not crammed with discs. With the vertical sleeve storage, it would remain backpack/daypack depth instead of the 10+ inches needed to store discs sideways. It's not as hard to convince your wife/husband that you need a new golf bag when it's also useful for all those hikes you talk about going on. In addition, the most frustrating thing about small/medium/Sunday bags is that I don't have anywhere to jam my sweatshirt when it inevitably comes off, which would be no issue in a pack like this.
I thought about posting pictures of the items that inspired me, but I'll make that a by request thing.
There isn't any bag on the market that does what this bag would do, both as a small/medium backpack style bag and thanks to its versatility. It would have a slot by itself, and that's a useful selling point.
Thank you guys for this opportunity.
