The Crown Hauler (2024)
A head-loading system for outdoor carrying
Goal
The goal of the Crown Hauler project was to rethink how loads are carried during hiking and camping, challenging the dominance of conventional backpacks. The project aimed to explore whether head-loading, a practice widely used in non-Western and traditional contexts, could be reinterpreted through contemporary design engineering to improve comfort, endurance, and freedom of movement for modern outdoor users.
At its core, the project asked:
How might we simplify and optimise the burden of carrying gear for hikers and campers, amplifying their enjoyment and productivity during outdoor adventures?
The ambition was not only functional improvement, but also to reframe traditional carrying methods observed across African, South East Asian, and Alpine communities as credible, ergonomic, and culturally intelligent design solutions that could be re-engineered for a modern context.
Challenge
The primary challenge lay in overcoming the physical and perceptual limitations of traditional load-carrying systems.
From a physical perspective:
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Conventional backpacks place sustained strain on the shoulders, spine, and lower back, especially during long hikes or uneven terrain.
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Most ergonomic solutions focus on redistribution within the torso, rather than questioning whether the torso should bear the load at all.
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Designing for head-loading required careful consideration of spinal alignment, balance, stability, and safety, avoiding excessive strain on the neck.
From a design and cultural perspective:
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Head-loading is often perceived as primitive or inappropriate in Western outdoor culture, despite extensive biomechanical evidence of its efficiency.
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Translating a practice rooted in African, Himalayan, and Alpine traditions into a modern, aspirational product required sensitivity to context, form language, and user acceptance.
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The system needed to feel intuitive, modular, and compatible with existing camping gear, rather than appearing experimental or niche.
Additionally, the project needed to balance durability, weather resistance, adjustability, and comfort, while remaining feasible to prototype within the constraints of my deadline.
Solution/Results
Crown Hauler is a modern head-loading system that redistributes weight vertically through the spine, reducing reliance on the shoulders and lower back.
The design is informed by biomechanical research on vertebral erection, traditional load-carrying practices from African, Himalayan, and Alpine contexts, user testing with students, and teardown analysis of existing hiking backpacks to refine stability, strapping, and modularity.
The final outcome is a head-supported, modular carrying device that enables hands-free movement, improves balance across varied terrain, and adapts to different gear requirements. Designed for durability and outdoor conditions, the product adopts a rural futuristic aesthetic, blending traditional carrying wisdom with contemporary form and ergonomics.
Overall, Crown Hauler challenges conventional assumptions around load carrying, demonstrating how culturally informed research and design engineering can unlock alternative, efficient ergonomic solutions.