Finalist 2023

Sea to Summit: Passage, Detour, and Frontier - Outdoor Kitchen Ranges

Design + Industry (D+I) / Sea to Summit

Elevate the Experience: Sea to Summit's Robust Passage, Detour, and Frontier Ranges - Designed Outdoor Culinary Excellence.

The 2023 Sea to Summit outdoor food preparation and dining product families, comprise the Passage, Detour, and Frontier ranges, each designed for distinct outdoor enthusiast user groups. The Passage range has been designed for the eco-conscious occasional explorer in a minimalist and practical suite. Detour provides a premium camp kitchen system design for vehicle-based adventurers seeking the comforts of home cooking and dining experiences on the road. The Frontier range caters to minimalist backpackers + hikers, delivering ultralight, durable, compact & nesting gear, ready to conquer extreme conditions in remote locations. Each range harmonises durability, versatility & user-centric design to meet distinct cooking, serving + dining needs in the outdoors. Each range offers a comprehensive solution, tailored to elevate the outdoor adventure experience.

Design Brief:

The brief entailed crafting three product ranges — Passage, Detour, and Frontier — each with a focus on distinct outdoor enthusiast segments. Despite multiple ranges and different user groups—a balanced design language that could be sensed across all three the Sea to Summitranges was required.

Passage demanded eco-friendly kitchenware collection that would simplify outdoor mealtimes for a wide range of adventurers. This required discerning a balance between weight, durability, and packability, and careful consideration of materials choices.

Detour required space-efficient camp kitchen solutions tailored to vehicle-based adventurers. The range required seamless nesting of cookware and utensils for enhanced portability and functionality using premium materials.

The Frontier range sought ultralight, compact, and nesting cookware solutions dedicated to minimalist backpackers and hikers, a focus on maximising space and efficiency. This range needed to provide the functionality, durability, and reliability required by adventurers in remote locations.

The mission was to offer innovative, user-centric solutions that would elevate the outdoor experience for each specific user group, meeting their comprehensive cooking, serving, and dining needs effectively.


This project was developed by:

Design Process

Sea to Summit's Passage, Detour, and Frontier ranges encapsulate a dedicated design process rooted in understanding the specific requirements of each target group. All products across the range have been designed with a systems approach with carefully considered product dimensions, proportions, and profiles allowing nesting, stacking and optimal usability.

The Passage range, developed for diverse adventurers, has been designed for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a perfect balance of weight, durability, and packability. Key design decisions included nesting and stacking capabilities for compact storage, Cool Grip fins for comfort, and BPA-free, glass-reinforced polypropylene for durability and ease of cleaning. Beyond pure aesthetics the fluted ribbed walls on tableware reduce heat transfer ensure comfort + safety in handling.

The Detour range targets vehicle-based campers, where user comfort and functionality were prioritised. Emphasis was placed on collapsible structures for space efficiency and rattle-free storage (useful on rocky terrain), a three-ply base for even heat distribution, and the Click-Safe removable handle system for safety and usability. Premium materials ensured a professional finish and longevity - the use of stainless steel and silicone materials contributes to the visual appeal, while also providing durability and comfort.

The Frontier range, designed for backcountry enthusiasts seeking minimalism + efficiency, incorporates lightweight, multifunctional outdoor cooking and dining products. Key materials, such as hard anodized aluminium, food-grade silicone, + glass-reinforced nylon, were chosen to minimise weight. The safe and universal pot handle, improved coffee pour-over filter, and comfortable mouth feel for utensils reflect the depth of consideration and resolve threaded throughout the series.

The design and development of all ranges has been driven by an ethos of placing the user at the centre, and a meticulous focus on attention to detail. By meeting unique design system challenges - balancing functionality, aesthetics, and user comfort, the new ranges ensure a superior outdoor cooking and dining experience for all adventurers.

Design Excellence

Sea to Summit's Passage, Detour, and Frontier ranges showcase design excellence, thoroughly addressing the principles of good design: functionality, accessibility, aesthetics, safety, and quality.

The Passage range, designed for a variety of adventurers, provides durable, lightweight kitchenware with compact storage capabilities through nesting, stacking + rattle-free features. The Detour range introduces a user-friendly universal system for occasional campers, including collapsible structures and a Click-Safe removable handle system that enable space efficiency and easy transport. The Frontier range, aimed at minimalistic adventurers, provides a lightweight, space-saving, and efficient cooking and dining system, catering to the needs of backcountry enthusiasts.

The aesthetics across all ranges exhibit a shared design language, creating a visually cohesive and pleasing identity. Quality and safety are paramount, with premium materials like BPA-free, glass-reinforced polypropylene, hard anodized aluminium, food-grade silicone, and features like Click-Safe handles and Cool Grip fins.

The user experience has been a key focus, resulting in versatile and user-friendly ranges. The Passage range offers a personalised experience with its clip-together cutlery design and colour options. The Detour range optimises comfort with its unique collapsible structures and three-ply base for even heat distribution in cookware. The Frontier range, with its efficient nesting mechanism for utensils, cookware, and dinnerware, provides an uncomplicated and seamless experience for lightweight adventurers.

The Passage, Detour + Frontier ranges set a new benchmark for design excellence. They demonstrate the significant value of professional design, illustrating how understanding user needs, innovating design systems, pushing the limit of material + manufacturing methods guided by meticulous attention to detail results in products that exceed user expectations. The ranges are a testament to how design can enhance the user experience, stimulate outdoor activities, and cater to diverse demographics. By setting this standard, not only in Victoria but also nationally and globally, the ranges represent the value of professional design.

Design Innovation

Sea to Summit's Passage, Detour, and Frontier ranges embody innovation in outdoor product design, tackling unique challenges with inventive solutions tailored to various outdoor enthusiasts.

The Passage range showcases meticulous attention to quality + functionality. Its nesting and stacking design, mechanical snaps, and extended cutlery enhance the user experience. Tailored to diverse outdoor enthusiasts, it offers lightweight, durable + easy-to-clean gear with user-centric features like Cool Grip fins. Unique elements, including clip-together cutlery + dual-wall insulated cups, set it apart from competitors.

The Detour range stands out for its innovative aspects, starting with a universal design system that ensures consistency and compatibility among products. The Detour range, catering to occasional campers, presented a novel solution to space and transport issues through collapsible structures. The Click-Safe removable handle and patent-pending lid-keep enhance usability. It also adopted a three-ply base, ensuring optimal heat distribution during cooking, a significant enhancement for outdoor cookware.

The Frontier range features material + manufacturing innovations like anodized aluminium, food-grade silicone, and stainless steel, resulting in lightweight, durable, and high-performance products. The collapsible bowls and cups utilise overmoulded silicone, reducing weight by 30%. The nesting design of pots, pans, and dinnerware ensures space efficiency. Versatility is emphasised through adaptable pot handles and a collapsible stainless-steel coffee pour-over filter.

The project's innovation also extends to material choices. The use of BPA-free, glass-reinforced polypropylene, hard anodized aluminium, and food-grade silicone represented thoughtful material innovation, addressing durability, lightweight requirements + environmental considerations.

The design of these ranges, with each product designed to cater to its user segment's specific needs, embodies a user-centered approach. The design decisions responded not only to the circumstances of their intended user base but also created new opportunities for enhancing the outdoor cooking and dining experience. Sea to Summit's ranges represent a significant advancement in the outdoor product design space.

Design Impact

Sea to Summit's Passage, Detour, and Frontier ranges exemplify the significant benefits a professional design process can offer a client, users, society, and the economy.

Commercially, these ranges specifically target various outdoor enthusiasts, together capturing a wide outdoor adventure market segments. Delivering innovative, user-focused design solutions allows Sea to Summit the potential to expand its market presence and reap substantial economic benefits.

From a societal viewpoint, these ranges encourage healthier, more active lifestyles by elevating the overall outdoor experience for diverse users. The accessibility and durability of the Passage range, the emphasis on user comfort and functionality in the Detour range, and the efficiency and minimalism of the Frontier range all augment outdoor activities, contributing to social well-being.

While not explicitly following Circular Economy principles, the designs minimise waste and prolong product lifespan through the use of durable materials like BPA-free, glass-reinforced polypropylene and hard anodized aluminium. Compact and lightweight designs aim to reduce material usage.

This project enhances Victoria's design and creative culture. The professional, user-centric design approach, meticulous attention to detail, and innovative problem-solving contribute to Victoria's growing reputation as a design hub, bolstering its status both nationally and internationally.

The impact of Sea to Summit's new product ranges reaches beyond their immediate commercial success. They encourage healthier lifestyles, underline the importance of investing in professional design, and contribute to Victoria's reputation as a vibrant center for creativity and design.

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