Over 30 years of outdoor expertise combined with Kiwi ingenuity has produced the world’s lightest carry-on bag in its class.
New Zealanders can now get their hands on this award-winning product designed by Kathmandu’s Christchurch-based design team.
The Feather Flight is Kathmandu’s lightest carry-on, weighing just 1.6 kg and offering 40 litres of internal packing volume. It has already made waves globally and won a prestigious ISPO Award for its innovative design earlier this year.
“We saw airlines getting more stringent with the 7kg carry-on limit and, as a result, people having to repack bags at the airport. Travellers needed a better option, so we designed one, and we’re elated with the result,” said 29-year-old Adam Gorrie, one of the Kiwi designers behind Feather Flight.
“The ISPO Awards are a huge deal in our industry, recognising groundbreaking product design and pioneering material innovation across the globe. It’s a highly coveted award in the sports and outdoor industry. It is humbling for the team to win. We’re a small team tucked away in a tiny country at the bottom of the world, yet we’re producing international award-winning products.”
While Kathmandu has a long history of designing quality travel luggage, the Feather Flight takes the range to a new level.
“We’re known for being the place to go for adventure travel products and have a long history of getting Kiwis equipped for their OE. Now we’re using that knowledge and expertise to offer a solution for business and leisure travellers.”
Feather Flight’s patent-pending exLIGHT exoskeleton, which comprised the bag's rear shell, is formed into a triangular, grid-shaped lattice structure. While only 2.6 millimetres thick, the first-of-its-kind structure maximises the strength-to-weight ratio.
The main fabric, made from 93 percent recycled ripstop nylon and 7 percent ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene—a fibre often used for personal armour—further enhanced the bag's strength and durability.
Kathmandu’s General Manager of Product, Karinda Robinson, said the Feather Flight was an example of world-class innovation in Ōtautahi, Christchurch.
“We’re pushing the boundaries of product design, proving New Zealand is the perfect place to dream up, design and test outdoor gear and apparel,” said Robinson.
In designing Feather Flight, the Kathmandu design team drew on their understanding of how customers use their gear outdoors. Every bag component was meticulously considered for weight reduction without compromising functionality.
Gorrie added that they were stringent when weighing each component, like the handle and the wheels, ensuring they were the lightest they could source while still having enough strength.
Feather Flight also had to withstand Kathmandu’s extreme testing measures to ensure durability. This included the bag having to withstand 50 revolutions in a large rotating barrel, being suspended and dropped from its handle thousands of times, and rolling over an uneven surface for five hours.
Kathmandu’s Feather Flight carry-on trolley reflected the brand’s commitment to creating thoughtfully designed, responsibly made gear. It is available now in-store and online.
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