Quest Adventure Travel Roll Top

Brand: Quest

Role: Lead Designer

The Quest Adventure Travel line are bags made for modern explorers who need durability and adaptability on the go. Built with rugged materials and intuitive organization, they’re designed to move seamlessly from daily commutes to long journeys. With smart features like stowable straps, protective compartments, and water resistant finishes, Quest bags are ready for every adventure.

The Quest Adventure Travel Line

So What’s Next?

The Quest Adventure Travel line has been built around three core silhouettes: the 35L backpack for organized mobility, the 45L duffel for quick getaways, and the 70L duffel for extended journeys. Each delivers the same balance of rugged durability, smart organization, and adaptable carry options that define the collection.

Adding a rolltop bag expands the line, bridging the everyday commuter with the adventurous traveler. Offering flexible access, versatile capacity, and Quest’s signature reliability.

35L BACKPACK

75L DUFFLE

Who Are We Designing For?

Design Considerations

A quick look at the refined concepts developed for the rolltop backpack. Each concept was informed by design considerations, trend research, and user insights, translating identified needs and opportunities into thoughtful solutions. These sketches explore form, proportion, functionality, and system integration, highlighting how the backpack and the broader collection could adapt, connect, and perform across various contexts.

45L DUFFLE

25L ROLL TOP

THE WEEKEND EXPLORER

The weekend explorer looks for a single backpack that can support both everyday routines and short trips without feeling overbuilt. Their needs fluctuate between light weekday carry and heavier weekend loads, making adaptability and structure essential. Comfort, ease of access, and durability must remain consistent across changing environments.

Key Insights

  1. Expandable capacity is more valuable than maximum volume

  2. Overbuilt travel bags feel excessive for daily use

  3. Rolltop access can slow transitions during travel

  4. Structure and comfort must be maintained even when the bag is partially packed

What Are People Packing?

Every journey comes with different needs. On the daily commute, people carry essentials like laptops, chargers, notebooks, water bottles, and personal items, everything that keeps them organized and ready for the workday. On an adventure, the load shifts: extra clothing, snacks, gear, and tech for navigation or photography. Understanding these varying demands informs the design, ensuring the rolltop bag adapts seamlessly, offering the right compartments, flexible capacity, and easy access whether it’s a morning commute or a weekend getaway.

Adaptable Functionality

Storage and Organization

Flexible storage is critical. A rolltop closure allows the bag’s volume to expand or contract depending on the load, while strategically placed compartments keep items organized and easily reachable. Quick access pockets for essentials like keys, water bottles, or tech accessories enhance usability and efficiency for both urban and outdoor environments.

Comfort and Durability

Carrying comfort and product longevity are key. Adjustable shoulder straps, padded back panels, and a stable load distribution system ensure that the bag remains comfortable for extended wear. Durable, water resistant fabrics, reinforced stitching, and abrasion resistant components protect both the user and the contents, allowing the bag to perform reliably in everyday and adventure conditions.

The bag must accommodate the diverse demands of modern users. On a daily commute, this includes laptops, chargers, notebooks, and personal essentials. For weekend or longer adventures, the focus shifts to clothing, gear, and travel accessories. The design should adapt seamlessly to both scenarios, providing a functional and organized solution for multiple use cases.

Planning the Pack

Concepting

Illustrator CAD

When designing the rolltop backpack, it’s important to consider the range of accessories users may bring. The bag should have space for a packing cube for clothing, a dopp kit for toiletries, and a tech kit for devices and cables. Each with enough room to fit comfortably without overcrowding the main compartment. These considerations help ensure the bag’s internal dimensions, compartments, and rolltop expansion are optimized for any packing needs.

THE URBAN COMMUTER

The urban commuter relies on a backpack as a daily system that supports them thoroughout the day. They move through dense environments using public transit, biking, and walking, requiring a bag that adapts fluidly throughout the day. Visual restraint, weather protection, and fast access to essentials are as important as total capacity, especially in professional settings.

Key Insights

  1. Fixed volume backpacks feel inefficient across varied daily loads

  2. Rolltop designs are valued for expansion but often lack everyday accessibility for technology

  3. Visual bulk strongly influences whether a bag is used daily

  4. Organization and weather resistance are critical for protecting tech

The Quest Adventure Rolltop

CLO 3D

Using CLO 3D, I developed a detailed digital model of the rolltop backpack to evaluate volume, proportion, and construction logic throughout the design process. This workflow enabled rapid iteration, accurate capacity testing, and realistic material visualization prior to physical prototyping.

This approach helped refine functionality, validate comfort and structure across load states, and present the design in a clear, visually compelling way.

PROTOTYPING

To bridge digital modeling and physical making, I produced 1:1 Illustrator CAD patterns and built paper prototypes to test form, assembly, and construction accuracy.

In parallel, paper models of the additional bags in the assortment were printed and assembled to evaluate scale, attachment points, and interaction across the system, ensuring the designs worked cohesively before moving into sewn prototypes.

Physical Patterns

Creating a Pack System

This project extends the Quest Adventure Travel line through the development of a cohesive system of bags designed to function together across different travel scenarios. Each piece was considered as part of a larger ecosystem, with shared attachment logic and consistent interaction points. A custom hook system was developed for the crossbody bag, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with each bag in the collection, while the rolltop backpack incorporates reinforced loops and straps that enable modular attachment and secure connection to larger luggage. Together, the system supports adaptable carry options while maintaining a unified functional and visual language.

Sampling

PROTOTYPING

Material Lineup

Main Body Fabric

Adventure Travel Rolltop

ADAPTABLE. DURABLE. REFINED.

Internal Liner

Material: 130 GSM Polyester Mesh

Used in contact and organization areas to enhance breathability, reduce weight, and add flexibility without sacrificing durability.

Stretch Mesh

Material: 210D Polyester Liner

Lightweight and smooth to protect contents, improve visibility inside the bag, and reduce unnecessary bulk.

Material: 840D Ballistic Nylon

Selected for its exceptional abrasion resistance and durability, making it ideal for high wear exterior panels and long term daily use.

Secondary Body Fabric

Material: 600D Polyester with TPU

Provides weather resistance and structure while maintaining a refined, matte finish suitable for everyday and professional environments.

Tech Pack Development

Using CLO 3D, I created digital models of each sleeping bag size and style to evaluate fit, proportion, and construction details. This workflow allowed for rapid iteration, precise scaling across sizes, and realistic visualization of materials before moving into physical samples

This approach helped refine functionality, ensure comfort across sizes, and present the collection in a visually engaging way.

MADE FOR ANY ADVENTURE

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