Packaging

For our first prototype, we used a laser-engraved varnished wooden box we bought from a craft shop. However, the fumes for the varnish were extremely noxious and harmful, and one box took too long to make!

The first altimeter box. (okay, actually second. The first one caught fire…)

So for another prototype, we made a laser-cut acrylic box. This took much faster to make on the laser cutter, however it had to be hand-assembled. This means that they are quite expensive per box, but it looked really good, so we’re going to make these boxes for the “deluxe” Kickstarter reward tier.

However, for most of the rewards we wanted a good-looking but mass-produced box. Luckily, one of our friends’ partner worked at a packaging manufacturer! She first made a few prototypes to bring to the DZ, and after a few iterations we have a really good-looking box!

Above: The first few iterations of the packaging

The final box has a circular cut where the altimeter face can be set, and enough space for the essentials: the USB charging cable, the microfibre carry pouch, the operation manual (which we will cover in a separate blog post), and a bonus key ring!

A Tritium prototype altimeter in its presentation box