Interview: Sean Clayton of Oookworks

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with much pleasure and excitement that I present you the man behind Oookworks, a very fine [and the only!] cottage from the United Kindgom! Now more than ever I encourage you to grab that cup of tea and a sandwich before sitting down to enjoy this latest interview!



Sean, please briefly introduce yourself and tell us who you are. Since when are you backpacking, and how did you start?
Aye oop, Hendrik. Thanks for this opportunity to talk about OookWorks. My name is Sean Clayton and I live and work in Cumbria just a couple of miles north of the Lake District. I’m relatively new to backpacking having started about 5 years ago. I’m not sure what got me into it really; probably just a natural progression from day walks and wanting to go further and stay out longer.



How often are you out backpacking nowadays?
Normally at least twice a month, but my partner has been quite ill for the past twelve months. She is now well on the way to a full recovery so we’re looking forward to normal service being resumed sometime this winter. Hopefully we’ll have lots of snow and good conditions like we’ve had for the last two.



Are you more of a  "weekend hiker" or do you have some long distance trails under your belt?
Up until now it’s been mostly weekends and long weekends. All my trips have been in the UK, mainly Scotland, and there aren’t any long distance trails here, or at least any that interest me. We particularly enjoy tough 3 or 4 day Scotland trips with a lot of ascent, and winter conditions are a favourite. I’d love to do some extended trips to Iceland, Greenland and perhaps one of the big US trails at some point, but for now I’m concentrating on planning some big Scottish trips for next year.



Which category would you put yourself in: SUL, UL, Lightweight or Bushcraft*? What is your typical baseweight?
Somewhat embarrassingly I’ve just had to look up the weights for the various categories and it turns out I’m an utter lightweight ;-) My typical baseweight is around 6 kg which is about 13 lbs.



Please tell us where the name "OookWorks" came from, and what it stands for.
It’s based on ‘Ook’, which is the entire vocabulary of the Librarian in the Terry Pratchett Discworld books (and mine too, when I’m working…). When I was messing about with the type for the logo an extra ‘O’ made it look more balanced.

You're one of the very, very rare UK (or European for that matter) cottages. Why do you think there's so much more cottages in the US than in the rest of the world?
I think the main reason is simply the huge market over there. One thing I have noticed is that it appears to be much harder to get hold of the latest technical fabrics in small quantities and at a reasonable cost over here. Huge minimum order requirements make buying direct from the manufacturer almost impossible for small start-ups. I think another factor is that a lot of folk in the US really appreciate US made products. It’s a big selling point. Over here price seems to the main criteria for most folk.

OookWorks makes inners for other manufacturers' shelters, especially GoLite Shangria-La users like your Nests over the GoLite ones. Can you tell us how the idea to start the company emerged and how you see its future?
The idea for the OookNest came about shortly after buying my SL3. A few of us were discussing the idea of a solo nest for it so I bought a sewing machine and made my first design. Fast forward two years and an internet friend asked if I could make one for him. Luckily my circumstances at the time were such that I had time on my hands and was looking for a new direction, so after making his I thought why not? I set up the website and the business got going. The future I see pretty much as things are now, really; just making interesting custom gear that helps folk get the best out of their time outdoors.



What makes OookWorks different from other cottages?
Well, for one thing it’s a genuine cottage! As you can see from the photos I work out of the dining room and spare room of a 300 year old cottage. I suppose another difference is that pretty much everything I do is custom work. I think I’m also fairly unique in that I make products specifically designed for UK and Northern European conditions.

The OookWorks nests already are making a name for themselves in the blogsphere - but how does the UK Print Media treat you? Did you get any coverage in a magazine yet?
Can you still buy magazines? ;-) Nope, nothing. But I haven’t actually gone looking for any. It’s obviously much easier for the word to spread via blogs and forums. It’s certainly something to consider for the future.

Can you tell us a bit how you went about the design process of the OookWorks Nests, and where the inspiration came from?
The inspiration for the original OookNest came from identifying potential for a one person inner for the SL3. Inspiration for later nests has come from wanting to make excellent shelters more UK friendly and also from customers asking for and suggesting things.

The design process starts with me pitching the shelter in the garden and spending some time sitting inside it working out the best layout for an inner, how to attach it, door options etc. I then take some measurements and make a 3D model from string. Once I’m happy with all the dimensions I cut the fabric and make the prototype. If all goes well and no major changes are required, I make plywood templates for all the individual panels to speed up the production process and to help ensure repeatable accuracy.

The design process of all the products is ongoing to some extent. Nothing major has changed with any of the nests since the prototypes, but I’ve tweaked things here and there based on customer feedback and my own ideas. An example of this is that the Duomid inners now have carbon struts in the corners of the groundsheets to achieve an improved pitch.




You recently released the DuoMid Nest and CrispPackets, how did these come about?
The Duomid nest came about after an enquiry for one from Robin at blogpackinglight. His input into it was invaluable and he’s since become a bit of a sounding board for new ideas.

The CrispPackets came about from a combination of wanting to start working with cuben and there being nobody selling them in the UK. It still amazes me that a good sized stuffsack can weigh as little as 6g. The cordlock is the heaviest bit on them!




Sean, we love to be let in on the work-in-progress stuff! Can you let us know what kind of new products you're working on at the moment?
I’m very excited about the new Trailstar inner I’ve just done. Phil Turner has had it on test and now that I’ve received feedback from him I’m now taking orders for them as from this week. Thanks Phil!

I’m also about to start a superlight Duomid inner for Robin to go with the cuben Duomid he’s just ordered. We’ve pretty much finalised the design and specs and it’s going to be a bit special.

I’m also working on a two person winter nest with porch space for the SL3 called the 2OookNest. It’s something I want for us, but if it works out well I’ll start offering them for sale.



Any new UL materials that have you all excited?
Well Cuben’s not new, but it’s new to me and I have a few ideas that I’d like to pursue next year. I’ve also been using Chikara nylon recently which is a very light PU coated kite surf fabric and blows other very light PU nylons out of the water. The only downside is that it’s very expensive.



How works the R&D at OookWorks, do you have a need yourself that you try to fix, or do some of your clients inspire you for new products and ask you for solutions to their problems?
A combination really. The OookNest came about from a personal need and a lot of my ideas come from looking at things and thinking “if I had one of those I’d like one of these to go with it”, like the Trailstar inner.

Other products come directly from customers’ ideas. The 3/4 OookTub groundsheet and midge net is a modular system that Tracksterman asked me for. It wasn’t something that had crossed my mind but it’s become quite popular after folk have seen it on his blog. I’m about to start a rather unusual 3/4 winter OookNest for him too, which again is something I wouldn’t have considered.

One of the advantages of offering custom work is the range of work you get to do. Lots of folk have a shelter that they really like but wish parts of it were just a little different….

Where do your customer come from?
Mainly from the UK, although I’ve sold quite a few nests in Germany, a few in Scandinavia and as far away as Australia and Hong Kong. No sales from Finland yet though. Cough.



Are you in touch with other cottage manufacturers in Europe, Japan, the USA and other places?
No I’m not, but it might be nice to be. I’ve recently joined Twitter, so I hope to maybe make some contacts through there

What is your own favorite backpack, sleep system and shelter?
I should confess at this point that I’m not really a gear freak. Gear fascinates me, obviously, but I don’t actually own that much of it because what I have works for me. My backpacking pack is a Crux AK47X. Reasonably light, superbly comfortable and utterly bombproof. My sleep system is equally simple. I backpack all year, but multiple bags are not an option so I have a PHD Combi bag. I use it quilt-like with a NeoAir in summer and because it’s cut quite wide I can team it up with a PHD Yukon jacket in winter with an Exped Downmat. This way one bag sees me through temperatures from +15°C to –15°C. Because there is usually two of us, the Golite SL3 remains my favourite shelter. It has a few niggles but so far nothing has ticked more boxes. If I backpacked solo more often I’d maybe try a Scarp, Trailstar, or a Duomid. With a custom inner, of course.



Any other favourite piece of gear which you always carry with you?
On winter trips I always have my candle lantern and if two of us, the travel backgammon. A nice single malt whisky accompanies me on most trips too.

When and where was your last backpacking trip?
As I mentioned earlier trips have been limited this last twelve months, but our last proper one was a 3 day round of the Mamores and Grey Corries last year. A fantastic 60km trip with 7000m of ascent and blessed with superb weather for the duration.



Are you planning to get out for a trip soon, and enjoy the autumn season?
Realistically I think it’s going to be February before we start doing any proper trips again but I have some fantastic Scottish routes planned for next year. Some local (Lake District) overnighters will have to do until then. We’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the UK so even just a wander down by the river is very nice.

Do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?
I think to some extent it already is breaking into the mass market as mainstream products seem to be getting lighter almost by default. Lets face it; even if you don’t deliberately set out to achieve a certain baseweight, nobody actually enjoys lugging a heavy pack over the hills. I think SUL baseweights will continue to be the domain of a relatively small number of folk though.



Sean, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions =) Is there something you would like to add?
Just to say thanks, really. Your blog is a cracking resource and looking through the list of past interviewees it’s great to be on the same list. And more than a little humbling!

-----

*Definition of "Bushcraft": Supposed to be lightweight, but because of the massive amount of necessary bushcraft gear the Bushcraft Follower carries closer to 20 kg than the 5 which Nessmuk carried.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with much pleasure and excitement that I present you the man behind Oookworks, a very fine [and the only!] cottage from the United Kindgom! Now more than ever I encourage you to grab that cup of tea and a sandwich before sitting down to enjoy this latest interview!



Sean, please briefly introduce yourself and tell us who you are. Since when are you backpacking, and how did you start?
Aye oop, Hendrik. Thanks for this opportunity to talk about OookWorks. My name is Sean Clayton and I live and work in Cumbria just a couple of miles north of the Lake District. I’m relatively new to backpacking having started about 5 years ago. I’m not sure what got me into it really; probably just a natural progression from day walks and wanting to go further and stay out longer.



How often are you out backpacking nowadays?
Normally at least twice a month, but my partner has been quite ill for the past twelve months. She is now well on the way to a full recovery so we’re looking forward to normal service being resumed sometime this winter. Hopefully we’ll have lots of snow and good conditions like we’ve had for the last two.



Are you more of a  "weekend hiker" or do you have some long distance trails under your belt?
Up until now it’s been mostly weekends and long weekends. All my trips have been in the UK, mainly Scotland, and there aren’t any long distance trails here, or at least any that interest me. We particularly enjoy tough 3 or 4 day Scotland trips with a lot of ascent, and winter conditions are a favourite. I’d love to do some extended trips to Iceland, Greenland and perhaps one of the big US trails at some point, but for now I’m concentrating on planning some big Scottish trips for next year.



Which category would you put yourself in: SUL, UL, Lightweight or Bushcraft*? What is your typical baseweight?
Somewhat embarrassingly I’ve just had to look up the weights for the various categories and it turns out I’m an utter lightweight ;-) My typical baseweight is around 6 kg which is about 13 lbs.



Please tell us where the name "OookWorks" came from, and what it stands for.
It’s based on ‘Ook’, which is the entire vocabulary of the Librarian in the Terry Pratchett Discworld books (and mine too, when I’m working…). When I was messing about with the type for the logo an extra ‘O’ made it look more balanced.

You're one of the very, very rare UK (or European for that matter) cottages. Why do you think there's so much more cottages in the US than in the rest of the world?
I think the main reason is simply the huge market over there. One thing I have noticed is that it appears to be much harder to get hold of the latest technical fabrics in small quantities and at a reasonable cost over here. Huge minimum order requirements make buying direct from the manufacturer almost impossible for small start-ups. I think another factor is that a lot of folk in the US really appreciate US made products. It’s a big selling point. Over here price seems to the main criteria for most folk.

OookWorks makes inners for other manufacturers' shelters, especially GoLite Shangria-La users like your Nests over the GoLite ones. Can you tell us how the idea to start the company emerged and how you see its future?
The idea for the OookNest came about shortly after buying my SL3. A few of us were discussing the idea of a solo nest for it so I bought a sewing machine and made my first design. Fast forward two years and an internet friend asked if I could make one for him. Luckily my circumstances at the time were such that I had time on my hands and was looking for a new direction, so after making his I thought why not? I set up the website and the business got going. The future I see pretty much as things are now, really; just making interesting custom gear that helps folk get the best out of their time outdoors.



What makes OookWorks different from other cottages?
Well, for one thing it’s a genuine cottage! As you can see from the photos I work out of the dining room and spare room of a 300 year old cottage. I suppose another difference is that pretty much everything I do is custom work. I think I’m also fairly unique in that I make products specifically designed for UK and Northern European conditions.

The OookWorks nests already are making a name for themselves in the blogsphere - but how does the UK Print Media treat you? Did you get any coverage in a magazine yet?
Can you still buy magazines? ;-) Nope, nothing. But I haven’t actually gone looking for any. It’s obviously much easier for the word to spread via blogs and forums. It’s certainly something to consider for the future.

Can you tell us a bit how you went about the design process of the OookWorks Nests, and where the inspiration came from?
The inspiration for the original OookNest came from identifying potential for a one person inner for the SL3. Inspiration for later nests has come from wanting to make excellent shelters more UK friendly and also from customers asking for and suggesting things.

The design process starts with me pitching the shelter in the garden and spending some time sitting inside it working out the best layout for an inner, how to attach it, door options etc. I then take some measurements and make a 3D model from string. Once I’m happy with all the dimensions I cut the fabric and make the prototype. If all goes well and no major changes are required, I make plywood templates for all the individual panels to speed up the production process and to help ensure repeatable accuracy.

The design process of all the products is ongoing to some extent. Nothing major has changed with any of the nests since the prototypes, but I’ve tweaked things here and there based on customer feedback and my own ideas. An example of this is that the Duomid inners now have carbon struts in the corners of the groundsheets to achieve an improved pitch.




You recently released the DuoMid Nest and CrispPackets, how did these come about?
The Duomid nest came about after an enquiry for one from Robin at blogpackinglight. His input into it was invaluable and he’s since become a bit of a sounding board for new ideas.

The CrispPackets came about from a combination of wanting to start working with cuben and there being nobody selling them in the UK. It still amazes me that a good sized stuffsack can weigh as little as 6g. The cordlock is the heaviest bit on them!




Sean, we love to be let in on the work-in-progress stuff! Can you let us know what kind of new products you're working on at the moment?
I’m very excited about the new Trailstar inner I’ve just done. Phil Turner has had it on test and now that I’ve received feedback from him I’m now taking orders for them as from this week. Thanks Phil!

I’m also about to start a superlight Duomid inner for Robin to go with the cuben Duomid he’s just ordered. We’ve pretty much finalised the design and specs and it’s going to be a bit special.

I’m also working on a two person winter nest with porch space for the SL3 called the 2OookNest. It’s something I want for us, but if it works out well I’ll start offering them for sale.



Any new UL materials that have you all excited?
Well Cuben’s not new, but it’s new to me and I have a few ideas that I’d like to pursue next year. I’ve also been using Chikara nylon recently which is a very light PU coated kite surf fabric and blows other very light PU nylons out of the water. The only downside is that it’s very expensive.



How works the R&D at OookWorks, do you have a need yourself that you try to fix, or do some of your clients inspire you for new products and ask you for solutions to their problems?
A combination really. The OookNest came about from a personal need and a lot of my ideas come from looking at things and thinking “if I had one of those I’d like one of these to go with it”, like the Trailstar inner.

Other products come directly from customers’ ideas. The 3/4 OookTub groundsheet and midge net is a modular system that Tracksterman asked me for. It wasn’t something that had crossed my mind but it’s become quite popular after folk have seen it on his blog. I’m about to start a rather unusual 3/4 winter OookNest for him too, which again is something I wouldn’t have considered.

One of the advantages of offering custom work is the range of work you get to do. Lots of folk have a shelter that they really like but wish parts of it were just a little different….

Where do your customer come from?
Mainly from the UK, although I’ve sold quite a few nests in Germany, a few in Scandinavia and as far away as Australia and Hong Kong. No sales from Finland yet though. Cough.



Are you in touch with other cottage manufacturers in Europe, Japan, the USA and other places?
No I’m not, but it might be nice to be. I’ve recently joined Twitter, so I hope to maybe make some contacts through there

What is your own favorite backpack, sleep system and shelter?
I should confess at this point that I’m not really a gear freak. Gear fascinates me, obviously, but I don’t actually own that much of it because what I have works for me. My backpacking pack is a Crux AK47X. Reasonably light, superbly comfortable and utterly bombproof. My sleep system is equally simple. I backpack all year, but multiple bags are not an option so I have a PHD Combi bag. I use it quilt-like with a NeoAir in summer and because it’s cut quite wide I can team it up with a PHD Yukon jacket in winter with an Exped Downmat. This way one bag sees me through temperatures from +15°C to –15°C. Because there is usually two of us, the Golite SL3 remains my favourite shelter. It has a few niggles but so far nothing has ticked more boxes. If I backpacked solo more often I’d maybe try a Scarp, Trailstar, or a Duomid. With a custom inner, of course.



Any other favourite piece of gear which you always carry with you?
On winter trips I always have my candle lantern and if two of us, the travel backgammon. A nice single malt whisky accompanies me on most trips too.

When and where was your last backpacking trip?
As I mentioned earlier trips have been limited this last twelve months, but our last proper one was a 3 day round of the Mamores and Grey Corries last year. A fantastic 60km trip with 7000m of ascent and blessed with superb weather for the duration.



Are you planning to get out for a trip soon, and enjoy the autumn season?
Realistically I think it’s going to be February before we start doing any proper trips again but I have some fantastic Scottish routes planned for next year. Some local (Lake District) overnighters will have to do until then. We’re lucky enough to live in a beautiful part of the UK so even just a wander down by the river is very nice.

Do you think ultralight backpacking will become more popular and break into the mass market, or will it continue to be something for a small group of people?
I think to some extent it already is breaking into the mass market as mainstream products seem to be getting lighter almost by default. Lets face it; even if you don’t deliberately set out to achieve a certain baseweight, nobody actually enjoys lugging a heavy pack over the hills. I think SUL baseweights will continue to be the domain of a relatively small number of folk though.



Sean, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions =) Is there something you would like to add?
Just to say thanks, really. Your blog is a cracking resource and looking through the list of past interviewees it’s great to be on the same list. And more than a little humbling!

-----

*Definition of "Bushcraft": Supposed to be lightweight, but because of the massive amount of necessary bushcraft gear the Bushcraft Follower carries closer to 20 kg than the 5 which Nessmuk carried.

Interview: Sean Clayton of Oookworks