Obsessed With Design: Inside Raide Research’s Product Development Process

Raide Research approaches outdoor product development with a simple belief: a product designed to work for everyone rarely becomes the best product for anyone.

Founder Kyle Siegel, a multi-sport mountain athlete himself, saw outdoor products that were good across a wide range of users but often compromised by the need to appeal to a mass market. He founded Raide Research to take a more specific approach, designing highly intentional gear and apparel for athletes moving through the mountains.

“It is impossible to build a best-in-class product for everyone, so being willing to be specific allows me to build better products,” Kyle says.

That willingness to be specific shapes Raide’s entire product development process, from identifying the problem worth solving to choosing materials, eliminating unnecessary features and developing custom components with partners like HydraPak.

Raide Research Starts With the Problem, Not the Product

Raide doesn’t begin product development by deciding it needs another ski pack or trail running vest. Instead, the team starts with a problem that athletes are experiencing in the mountains.

The question is whether solving that problem can help athletes move farther and more efficiently, with fewer distractions from issues like bounce, discomfort or unnecessary weight.

That philosophy extends into what Kyle calls “maximalist minimalism.” For Raide, minimalism isn’t about using the least material possible. It means every feature, material and component must advance the product’s primary purpose.

The LF 5L running vest is a clear example. Raide identified eliminating bounce as one of the vest’s defining product objectives. Rather than accepting conventional running vest construction, the team reconsidered which materials were actually necessary, including removing foam used by many other brands.

The result reflects Raide’s broader approach to innovation: instead of adding features, determine exactly what the product needs to do and eliminate anything that doesn’t help it do that better.

Developing Custom Hydration With HydraPak

That same philosophy shaped how Raide approached hydration for its running products.

Rather than designing a running vest and treating hydration as a standard component added afterward, Kyle challenged how a SoftFlask should fit, move and function within the

 vest itself. Raide began working with HydraPak because our product development team could experiment early in the design process, prototype unconventional ideas and develop custom hydration solutions rather than limiting the design to existing components.

One result was a custom 650ml HydraPak SoftFlask™ with a locking cap.

At the time, Raide was still primarily known for its ski packs. HydraPak worked with Kyle through multiple prototypes to develop a new flask size, shape and cap specifically for Raide's running system. The teams ultimately landed on the 650ml SoftFlask, designed to integrate with the Raide LF 2L running belt. The product team at HydraPak had been hearing from many customers that there is a need to have flasks that fit horizontally in a belt pocket, and the Raide team was willing to work with us to integrate our updated locking cap quickly, after a few iterations.

Since then, Raide and HydraPak have continued developing multiple SoftFlask sizes and shapes around the same principle of maximalist minimalism: give athletes the hydration capacity and fit they need without adding unnecessary complexity. This approach comes to life through their TrailTech System, an integrated suite of apparel, SoftFlasks™ and packs designed to work together across different mountain pursuits. Rather than relying on a single setup, athletes can build a complete quiver of gear tailored to the distance, terrain and demands of each effort.

What Successful Outdoor Product Collaboration Requires

Creating a custom product requires more than choosing the right materials or components. For Kyle, successful product development partnerships depend on frequent and transparent communication, a clear understanding of what each team can and cannot do and a willingness to challenge established thinking.

They also require both sides to be comfortable taking calculated risks. That mindset has defined the relationship between HydraPak and Raide Research. Instead of approaching hydration as a vendor transaction, the teams work through how the hydration system can support the larger objective of each product. That can mean testing new sizes, reconsidering conventional designs or developing something that doesn’t already exist.

Intentional Design Means Knowing What Cannot Be Compromised

Whether Raide is developing gear for backcountry skiing, trail running or other forms of human-powered movement, its product development philosophy remains consistent: every element has to earn its place.

That same thinking guides Raide’s work with HydraPak. Start with the athlete’s problem. Define what the product absolutely needs to accomplish. Question conventional solutions. Prototype and refine until every component supports that objective.

Kyle summarizes the philosophy simply:

“Decide the one thing a product needs to be great at, and don’t compromise on it.”

For the Raide Research and HydraPak partnership, that specificity isn’t a limitation. It’s what makes better products possible.