Mountain Hardwear Vice President, Paul Kramer, is a key figure in outdoor product design. Company literature praises Paul for his contributions to his field, including early innovations in dome tents, but his role as a leader in design is one he plays down."I have lots of design awards, but I don't consider them mine. I worked for companies; they paid for the time." He also holds "a fair amount of patents," and several of his designs have ended up in exhibitions or museums.
Paul has worked in the outdoor industry for 30 years, getting his start with Sierra Designs in 1971. He worked his way up to director of design and production, and eventually became president of the company. In 1993 he started Mountain Hardwear with president Jack Gilbert.
Paul is an avid hiker who is also interested in mountain biking, fly fishing, and other outdoor sports. During a recent trip to Mt. Rainier, nasty weather prevented Paul and his friends from following their planned route. Instead of losing the day, the team of would-be climbers flew a private jet to Mexico's Cabo San Lucas with no preparations, no swimming gear, and only their sub-zero down bags to sleep in.
In His Own Words
The Job
"I'm in charge of 4 in-house designers and 2 freelance designers, responsible for getting all new products to salesman sample stage. I am also in charge of all production, both offshore and on."
How He Got There
"I started as a sales clerk at Sierra Designs in 1971. In 1980 I began my career in design. I started Mountain Hardwear in 1993 with Jack Gilbert.
"I learned a lot about products and designs from retail. When I started designing, I learned how to make patterns and how to cost them. I worked in production offshore from 1983 onward. I learned about working with factories offshore, which helped me start Mountain Hardwear in 1993. That experience taught me even more."
How to Get His Design Job
"Go to school in pattern making and take classes in fabric science or technology. During the summer, work in a retail store. Be interested in all outdoor products. When you get out of school, get a job working with someone where you can get experience. Live, breathe, and eat the product. Get a job at whatever the pay. If it is free for six months, that is better than not working in the field you love. Finally, listen to your mentors. If they want to tell you something, listen and find out what they are trying to say. Often you will know more about the customer than they do, and certainly more about the product. However, they probably have some wisdom that will be more important than you guess about design."
Pros
"I do lots of traveling, (I get about 70,000 miles in a year) to other countries. Not bad, but can get old. The best is working on new ideas and seeing them come to fruition."
Cons
"You can't do all that you want to do. I have a real company, with real employees. You have to make money or you can't pay your employees. You owe it to them to be realistic."
Salary Range
"Not as high as you might think. Designers some places get paid in excess of $100k, but many do not. For a company to make money, it is hard to pay more than $60 to $70k a year to a designer that is good and has been there for awhile. Beginning designers get more like $50k, if they have good credentials. $40k or less if they just show promise."
His Dream Job
"This is it."
Do you think there's any danger in your passion becoming your career?
"I could work here till midnight many nights. Don't do it. Just figure out how to dream things up while sleeping. Figure out how to be really good at what you do."
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