5Qs with Accessories Developer Zach Runzo: Creating On's First Ultra Vest

Built for distance, our first Ultra Vest was a product in the works for three years. Tested and trialed by elite trail athletes and On teammates, it is ultralight, tough and designed with intention to fit all body shapes.  Iterations were many, the fitting sessions were complex and the process was a collaboration across departments from the Accessories team to Pattern Makers, our Sport Science Team, Product Operations, and many more. 

To unpack its development a bit more, Product Developer Zach Runzo talks through the details in five questions. Read on to go behind the scenes and have a look into our team’s process.

Why was the vest an essential product to create from your team’s perspective? 

On is rooted in being out in nature.  When you run through the mountains, you need to be properly equipped, and a trail vest is essential to hold your gear.  Maybe 2nd to the footwear, we viewed this as the most important piece of equipment for a trail runner.  A good trail vest holds all your necessary equipment, but also distributes the weight appropriately, so it feels like you’re running with nothing.

How does the Accessories team work together with the other teams during the creation process? 

Product development is a very collaborative and iterative process.  We are constantly learning new information and we have to figure out how to apply that to the product.  We tapped into resources across the company including apparel developers and pattern makers, our wear test team, the innovation group and their pro athletes, our sport science team, packaging and product ops, external fit models.  It is incredible how many different groups were involved in the early stages.

With so many components, how long was the process and how many iterations were there? 

This was the first project with a new team and a new factory, so it took a bit longer than our normal development timeline.  It was also very complex and technical, so that added some additional iterations.  From kickoff to launch, it took us about 3 years.  A normal product development cycle will take around 18 to 24 months from concept kickoff to product launch.

What’s your favorite feature or design element of the vest?

Overall the vest looks amazing.  The design team did an incredible job of having everything come together so beautifully.  Functionally, I love how form fitting it is.  The snug fit reduces the amount of movement and bounce of the gear.  What we wanted to avoid was a lot of bounce around the water flasks. Fortunately, we were able to limit that movement and it keeps your gear in the desired place.

Where’s the best place you’ve taken it?

We had a few development samples in Chamonix last year for UTMB.  That is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been.  I’m also excited to use it in an upcoming 50K race in Adelboden later this year.

Learn more about the Ultra Vest here and more about the Accessories team here.