OutDoor
by ISPO
Main Award OutDoor - Gold Winner 2019 by ISPO / project & design Wojciech Kłapcia
"Awarded by the jury of OutDoor by ISPO (and winter ISPO), the Gold Winner title is one of the highest honors in the outdoor industry. For the first time ever, an award of this stature went to a Polish product - the Quest 4TWO sleeping bag by Pajak. We present the winner and the jury's opinion, and talk to the creator of the award-winning sleeping bag - Wojciech Kłapcia." - https://4outdoor.pl/
As the name suggests, 4TWO is a sleeping bag for two people. In addition to the utility values, the characteristic feature of this product is the possibility of total recycling and upcycling. In standard products, we are dealing with a lot of different plastics permanently connected to each other. In many cases, despite manufacturers' assurances, recycling such products is technically impossible or completely unprofitable. To change this, Pajak has chemically unified all raw materials. After accepting the used sleeping bag and sucking the down, the whole is a homogeneous raw material, which is polyamide 6. 6. So the fabric, threads, tapes do not need to be separated – they can be immediately transformed into the highest quality fibers. Handles of masonry tools are produced from zippers in cooperation with Kubala. The choice of materials ensures that the energy required for their recycling is as low as possible. A meticulous approach to environmental issues has a positive effect on quality, the raw material used for parts of the components is much more durable than required.
Charles Ross, from the jury awarding the Outstanding Outdoor award, justifies the decision of the judges:
"Pajak sleeping bag, from the first moment gives the impression of unprecedented comfort. However, it is not comfort, and the level of commitment of the manufacturer to sustainability makes this product truly unique."
An excerpt from an interview with Wojciechem Kłapcia:
Michał Gurgul: Receiving the Outstanding Outdoor Gold Winner award is certainly a reason to be proud. Are you happy that you managed to receive this award?
Wojciech Kłapcia: Of course! We are one of the most awarded Polish brands. In the near future, we plan to reach for another four awards, but the award by Outdoor by ISPO is extremely pleasing. Especially since it is the first ever award for a Polish brand.
The satisfaction is all the greater that you have already applied for this award several times?
Yes, this is our third attempt. Now we have to work hard to use this potential – not to waste this award.
The prize is a kind of investment. You think it's profitable?
I think for sure. We design some products not to make money, but to show off, to tell a story. This was the case with the Radical H16 sleeping bag. When we created it, we assumed we would sell 12 units a year, but it didn't matter. We wanted to have the warmest sleeping bag in the world. The vast majority of people do not need such a sleeping bag, but we can boast of it, and sell another – more suitable. In this case, the development of events took us by surprise. Radical H16 is the second best-selling sleeping bag in our collection – we sell almost a thousand pieces a year – it’s an “accident at work” (laughs).
