Luggage solution for modern nomads.

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RONINGEAR FOR URBAN ROAMERS
2015PATRICK MALLON

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TALLINN
UNIVERSITY
OF
TECHNOLOGY
THE STUDIO

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Diversification is my response to the emergence of
the designer as the saviour of the modern age. I
have recently relocated to Tallinn from the UK, and
currently work in a local engineering firm. My work
experience has provided a clear understanding of
what the industry requires: an in-depth understanding
of materiality; assembly & manufacturing techniques;
graphical communication and design intent. The
rigorous environment of academia is my favoured
option to fulfil these aims. Conditions such as the
time, place and subject matter now feel right for me to
earn the privilege of a masters degree. I also have a
keen desire to learn Estonian and to better understand
Estonian culture, which has been so welcoming to
me.
Patrick James Mallon
Barch
Designer.
trainee mechanical engineer
@mite engineering
ABOUT ME
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
NUISANCE IN PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC SPACE
Public space is a social space we use and share
every day. A space we are free to enter – city
streets, roads, parks and public buildings. Semi-
public space or places include also places where
everybody can come if they pay, like a café, train,
theater or a shopping mall. We spend a lot of our time
in public or semy public space. But how are these
designed? How are the things designed to behave in
public space?
Special mention goes to:
Sulev, Heli & Piret Saar.
Thx to Kristjan Indus for his early contributions
Patrick Mallon - Barch
Designer and trainee mechanical engineer
email:pjmallon@gmail.com
Our everyday is full of small, usually un-noticed but
still bothering situations or incidents. These are so
ordinary, that we do not notice them until pointed out.
And when we realise, they really are a nuisance.
Find them, understand them and turn these small
problems into big opportunities
PROF. MARTIN PÄRN,
RUTH-HELENE MELIORANSKI,
JANNO NÕU
GENERAL BRIEF

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Early on I decided that there was potential for research
in the area of modern transient lifestyles. This subject
was appealing to me due to my own rolling existence
& and it was met with similar enthusiasiam from the
many internation students on the design & engineering
course.
Once the general design brief was set the engineering
deign loop was the primary method of investigation,
it is a reiterative process which can be used at any
stage and any scale (fractally).
Early research heavily utilised relational mapping to
help understand the many interdepent systems and
concepts that make up the common language of
luggage and online questionaire was also useful for
PERSONAL
DESIGN BRIEF

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determining that the desire to travel more was almost
ubiquitous amongst generation Y. This generation
became a focal point for investigation as acording to
forbes in 2015 “Young Tourists Spent $217 Billion Last
Year, More Growth Than Any Other Group”. The term
tourist was explored for not being accurate enough for
this target group.

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TYPICAL
JOURNEYS

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Mapping exercised were used to better understand
common bedroom activities. Also a diagram to
demonstrate the kind of luggage which would be
needed for particular journey types and lenghts.

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I crudely mapped the current, and guessed at
the coming technological and social paradigm by
compiling influenential factors. A brief history of
luggage was also useful to see how luggage design
is strongly related to the dominant form of transport
aswell as coupled strongly with the emergance of the
middle class.
CONTEXTUAL MAPS

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All touch points were mapped in sequence for a
traditional luggage scenario,

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Stake holder maps were used to predict the lifecycle
of luggage and the many interaction between luggage
and the big wide world.

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Positioning charts greatly helped identify the core
value of the developing product by relating and
differentiating to other existing luggage and furniture
solutions.
POSITIONING

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POSITIONING

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Inspiration was sought for forms materials & lifestyle
from sources spanning hundreds of years of design.
The luis Vuitton steamer trunk provided much of the
early drive for creating a system which looked as
much fun to use whilst docked as when moving.
Many of the early concepts mimicked its style by
housing the clothing unit in a swinging door on the
front of the luggage. This door could also protect
a set of drawers. The main problem of course was
the extreme weight of such a system not to mention
access issues from the low height of the clothes rail.
PRECEDENTS &
INSPIRATION

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BRANDING
EXERCISES

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EARLY CONCEPTS
BENEFITS
Familiarity of use
Stable grounding
Good miscellaneous item storage
Good storage for dirty/unfolded clothes
QUESTIONS
weight issue
wheel position
4 main concept were drawn up.(Beginning left) 1.
Single door lots of drawers, 2. The telescopic rail, 3.
The double door, 4. The Table. The rail was chosen for
further development because the increased comfort
afforded by the rail was hard to downplay, and
the telescopic mechanism seemed in keeping with
technology currently employed on luggage.

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BENEFITS
* Low footprint in the room
* Rail can be used as handle. (lower weight)
* Wheel-able when rail up.
* Clean aesthetic
* Good frontal access
QUESTIONS
- How to store and access things?
-Many draws
-Single sliding draw
-pivoting draw
- Unstable due to the weight of protruding items (if
using draws)
BENEFITS
Cabin sized
Rail can be used as handle
sturdy handle vs normal luggage
QUESTIONS_
Right or left side positioning
Clothes position
Stability of rail?
Which side is accessed?
lid functionality?

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Responding to the current and projected globalisation
of our work, study and recreation environments;
Ronin explores the possibility for creating a luggage
system designed specifically for what I term: urban
roamers. These roamers are a modern phenomenon,
A Tech savvy generation sharing more commonalities
with their global networks than with their traditional
rooted communities. They are always ready for an
adventure in a foreign place and do not shy from
hard work. Some example roamers include exchange
students, contractors & media professionals. This
group are happy to invest in quality design but value
their freedom above all else, illustrated by the trend for
them to delay traditional milestones such as marriage
and home-owning.
Ronin is designed as a luggage system that performs
much like household furniture when in its rest state.

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Owners deploy Ronin by lifting up the hand rail to a
level where it becomes a personal clothes rail, a much
more convenient way to store and access larger items
of clothing. For longer periods of deployed usage the
wheels can be removed for a cleaner aesthetic. Items
can accessed from the front of the Ronin, from two
compartments providing drawer like functionality &
feature a unique “digital tablet cover” style enclosure
replacing traditional zips for a smoother experience.
Additional quick access storage is also located on
the sides providing space for thiner items (laptops,
books & papers) and a novel glove compartment
is positioned on the rear between the hand rail for
smaller finicky items.
And as for the name, for those that don’t know a Ronin
was roaming samurai with no lord or master during the
feudal period of Japan. The name Ronin best reflects
the minimal free flowing lifestyle adopted by the ‘urban
roamers’ who still strive to maintain their dignity and
principles whilst on the go.

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MATERIALS &
CONSTRUCTION
Design inspiration was driven for the need for frontal
access. System robustness was also crucial. Airport
checkpoints played a large part of the design thinking
due to the stringent requirements for luggage. Design
language came from car exteriors as well as the soft
fillets of a Mac book computer, both were considered
worth imitating due to their ergonomic and beautiful
expressions of form.

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DIMENSIONS

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