A friend needed a 35-liter backpack for Burning Man in two weeks. His pack was in the shop, and he wanted something "as crazy as possible" that could carry water while keeping desert dust out. Challenge accepted.
Instead of winging it, I designed a lowbrow-art concept: a tongue drinking water from the sky while the ground burns below. Mocked it up in Inkscape, mapped it in Blender, animated a 360° turntable with cinching simulation. His response? "Fuckin' sick, bro!"
The tongue, water droplets, flames, and desert floor are all hand-sewn appliqué. Built-in Camelbak pocket with a side port for the water tube means constant hydration without opening the roll-top. Every piece besides the straps was a custom pattern, no templates—delivered on time.
After a week in the desert facing massive dust storms, he sent back photos. Some stitches had come loose, the appliqué was peeling slightly, the side water bottle pockets were too small, and I might've installed the chest buckle backwards... Real feedback from real use.
He was still pleased overall, and I learned to build tougher for harsh conditions. Zero revisions on the design, just better execution next time.