News

Duncan MacRae launched his company Vamoose after growing so frustrated with poorly designed waterproofs on the market that he decided to invent his own. The 39-year-old consultant geographer drew on his experience of spending 25 years travelling in extreme climates all over the world to create a range of waterproof jackets and ponchos which can be quickly converted into handy rucksacks when the rain stops.

Thanks to Duncan’s clever design, the extremely lightweight waterproofs easily pack away into an external pocket to convert into a handy rucksack with three litres of storage space. Ingeniously, the large pocket remains accessible on the front of the rucksack once converted, so you can still reach any small items zipped inside, such as your keys, phone or water bottle.

Duncan has benefited from Oxford Innovation’s Coaching for High Growth programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Working with his coach Richard Lawrie, Duncan first expanded his range – at Richard’s suggestion, he designed a more everyday jacket option to accompany the original Vamoose poncho. Now Duncan, who lives in Perranporth, is working with Oxford Innovation to license the technology behind his pocket design with a view to marketing the system to major international manufacturers.

Duncan MacRae said: “The support I’ve had from Oxford Innovation to develop my company has been fantastic. As well as helping me to launch my business, my coach is now helping me to license the technology behind my original design, which could open up a whole new area of opportunities.”

Richard Lawrie said: “I started working with Duncan a year ago and it’s such a fantastic product and so clever that it was clear there was also an opportunity to market the technology behind it, as well as the product itself.

“We have developed a business model to licence the pocket technology to a wider audience, made sure the worldwide patents and legal issues are in place, and are in talks with a number of major international manufacturers. There is certainly enormous potential for Duncan to sell not only the Vamoose jacket and poncho but also his ingenious pocket technology to some of the biggest companies in the world which manufacture products that could make use of it.”

The Vamoose range is manufactured in the UK using specialist eVent material – a highly breathable fabric – and Duncan designed the products carefully to ensure they were both highly durable and fully waterproof, yet still comfortable to wear.

Duncan said: “I’ve spent such a lot of time working and travelling in hot, humid climates, and you really need waterproofs that are breathable and don’t leave you sweating – but equally as soon as the rain stops and you need to take your jacket off, you don’t want to be carrying it around.

“It made sense to me to design a really good quality waterproof that you could turn into a bag when you didn’t need to wear it – and then I thought it would be a good idea to make sure it would still be easy to reach anything left inside the pocket of the poncho or jacket.”

The Vamoose range is already proving highly successful, being featured in major international publications like National Geographic Traveller, and positively reviewed by leading UK journals.

Both the poncho, which is a more utilitarian option for extreme travel and hot climates, and the jacket, which works well for everyday use, are available to buy online at the website www.vamooseuk.com, each priced £285, and Duncan is in discussion with selected UK retailers about stocking the products.

For more information about Oxford Innovation and the Coaching for High Growth programme, which can deliver up to 30 days of fully funded business coaching, visit www.growcornwall.co.uk.

For more information about Vamoose, visit: www.vamooseuk.com