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An Inflatable Roof Rack for Your Car
The light-duty Ultix Tair Rack is cheaper than conventional roof bars, stows away easily and is quick to install
By Rain Noe - Feb 11
Here's what I've found to be the pain points for roof racks, at least the one for my car:
Enter a caption (optional)1. It's a pain-in-the-neck to install. It came with a little cheapie torque wrench that I've been meaning to buy a replacement for, but I already spent several hundred dollars on this roof rack; now I gotta buy another tool?
Enter a caption (optional)2. If you leave it on, it reduces your mileage and creates wind noise.
3. If you leave the rack off, but carry it around with you in case you need it, the bars take up a lot of space in the trunk.
This inflatable roof rack, designed by a London-based outdoor gear company called Ultix, is an interesting alternative that solves those problems. It might not be suitable for carrying construction materials, but I appreciate the outside-of-the-box thinking:
The USD $65 Ultix Tair Rack has already been successfully Kickstarted, and for those who want one, there's still about a month left in the campaign.
With the surfboard example shown in the video, I'd still be wary of the spoiler/lifting effect. Speaking of which, do any of you have good tips for securing sheet-like things in a secure way?
Rain Noe
Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.
3 Comments
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eva foam should do the trick
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They used to make a tube shaped stiff foam bolster that tied into the car rain gutters and could be sinched tight for carrying a surfoard or windsurfer.
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Rolled up towels and ratchet straps do exactly the same job. Although this product looks far less silly.
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Continued Reading
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By Rain Noe - Feb 08
A Rolling Carry-On Designed to be Used Like a Dresser
The Carry-On Closet 2.0 addresses one often-overlooked function
Most of the newfangled luggage designs we've seen lately focus on the UX during transit: How does it perform on-the-go? But little design attention is paid to how we interact with suitcases once we're at the destination. When I'm staying in a hotel, I usually use my rolling carry-on like
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By Rain Noe - Feb 04
Carpenter's M18 Field Watch, Designed by Michael DiTullo
"The goal was to create something so minimal and quiet that it asks for your attention"
Industrial designer Laurens de Rijke's driver's watch drew strong reader interest last week. And speaking of ID'ers and wristwatches, here's another elegantly-designed timepiece: Carpenter's M18 Field Watch, designed by Michael DiTullo, coming out later this month. Whereas the face of your average field watch can get a little busy, with
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By Rain Noe - Jan 30
What Products Do the Amish Make That Are Relevant to Modern-Day Life?
The answers won't shock you, because nothing they make uses electricity
It seems crazy that you can buy Amish products online, but there are tech-friendly middlemen who make this possible. Amish steamer trunks and a stepstool that transforms into an ironing board are two Amish products we looked at earlier that have URLs, and which non-Amish people might like to buy.
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By Rain Noe - Jan 29
An Industrial Designer's Story of Losing Passion, Falling in Love with Roadtrip Adventures and Designing a Watch
Laurens de Rijke took the long road, so to speak
The following essay and photos (edited for length and clarity) come to us from Netherlands-based industrial designer Laurens de Rijke. Enjoy! ______________ The past five years I have spent developing my first take on a so called 'driver watch'. This first series of watches is called the Amalfi Series, named
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