Design-your-own sleeping bag

We’ve covered examples of design-your-own sites that let consumers create their own duvets and dresses. Recently, one of our spotters uncovered Peter Hutchinson Designs (PHD), which is bringing the concept to sleeping bags. UK-based PHD’s standard sleeping bags already let customers choose the length, outer fabric and zipper configuration on the bag they order. Its Design Your Own Sleeping Bags system, however, offers choices in 17 different areas of the bag’s design. To start, the site provides two “routes” to designing a bag, depending on the user’s experience. The “guided” route for novices asks users to begin by specifying the minimum temperature their bag must withstand, and prompts them for choices from there. The “free” route, on the other hand, lets experienced buyers navigate through the many options themselves. Some of the choices to make are relatively simple, such as adding a bivvy cowl for extra protection in exposed conditions. Others are more complex, such as specifying not just the quality of the down that goes in a bag—700 or 800 fill power—but also the amount, ranging from as little as 200 grams to as much as 1300 grams. Customers can even specify how the down should be distributed within the bag—more at the foot end for those with cold feet, for example. Prices for PHD’s custom sleeping bags begin at GBP 124, with updates to that cost shown automatically as each feature choice is made. As we’ve said before, there seems to be no limit on consumers’ appetite for customization. Same goes for opportunities to provide it—from dresses, duvets and sleeping bags to infinity and beyond! Spotted by: Bill McMahon