24 Hours, One Idea, One Backpack: Interview with Sam Goodhue

Sometimes, the best ideas are born under pressure...
What started as an experiment turned into something truly special: The backpack designed by Sam Goodhue, Lead Softgoods Designer at Matador, for the Maker’s Mystery Box Challenge by Carryology and FIDLOCK, is now coming to life in a limited edition.

From a mysterious box filled with FIDLOCK fasteners and premium materials, Sam created a backpack that embodies adventure, craftsmanship, and innovation — a design that proves what can happen when creativity, passion, and functionality come together.

In this interview, Sam shares how a spontaneous challenge turned into a backpack that captures the spirit of design and the thrill of exploration.

What can you tell us about the Mystery Box Challenge and how you experienced it?

The Maker’s Mystery Box Challenge is a YouTube series from Carryology where a 3rd party sponsor provides a “mystery box” filled with backpack components — anything from fabrics to buckles. The designer doesn’t know what’s inside until filming begins and has just one day to design and build a backpack using those parts. In my case, the sponsor was FIDLOCK, who provided a selection of magnetic buckles.

I watched the first two episodes when they were released and it seemed like the designers completed the challenge over the course of a work day, and I remember thinking “why didn’t they take the full 24 hours?” so when I got the call up my first question was “can I pull an all-nighter and use the full day?’. The Carryology videographer, Richard(who is a great dude and a pleasure to work with) was on board for the 24 hour sprint that I proposed.

When I first got the invite to participate in the challenge in my head I started revisiting all these interesting concepts for various backpack features that I had considered over the years but never had the chance to try out. Going into the shoot I had a pretty long list of weird and interesting things to try, and when I opened the box and saw the Fidlock parts, things coalesced into my head pretty quickly into a workable concept… which was a relief ‘cause I had been stressing about what exactly I was going to do for the build.

How does it feel knowing the bag will soon be available to a wider audience?

I’m excited. Some of the features on this bag are ideas I’ve carried around for years—things I wanted to try but hadn’t gotten the chance to. Seeing them come to life and get into people’s hands is hugely satisfying. Because of this I’m also a bit nervous to see how they work out and how the community reacts… there is definitely some experimental stuff on this bag. 

I did have a moment of hesitation: the original intent was a one-day build concept piece, not a mass-market product. In the moment I was building an art piece, meant to look cool and interesting for a Youtube video, I had no inkling that it would be sold retail. When we decided to have a go at doing a limited run for sale, I had to revisit the bag with a new lens and make sure it was appropriate for EDC. The Snap buckles in particular gave me pause, I was skeptical that they were appropriate for the use case, but after corresponding with the Fidlock engineers, I’m now confident that they are perfect for the shoulder strap attachment hardware.

Can you share any first insights or teasers about the upcoming launch?

We’re doing it differently this time — an unlimited pre-order window for about a week. Anyone who orders during that window will get a bag; there’s no “sold out” moment. Because it’s a true pre-order, delivery will be many months after purchase. The upside is everyone who wants one can get one.

What was the greatest challenge you encountered during the design and production process?

Honestly, the biggest challenge was psychological — being on camera while trying to design and build a full bag in a day. At first I found myself kind of performing for the camera, and thinking “will this look good on film?” ahead of everything I did or said. Pretty quickly once I got into patterning and building all that disappeared and I was fully in the backpack zone. The only technical stress point was final assembly — if you make a math error, and the sub-assemblies(back panel, main body, front pocket panel etc) don’t line up, you’re out of time and the project is shot. Thankfully, the bag came together cleanly.

„From idea to execution in 24 hours — a backpack was born that redefines design, functionality, and modularity!“

Did working with magnetic fasteners change the way you think about bag design?

Not really. I’ve used magnetic solutions for years -- including FIDLOCK hardware-- on past Matador projects, so they’re familiar solutions. Sometimes it can be a struggle to incorporate magnets into backpack design in a way that feels simple and straightforward. That’s what I like about Fidlock hardware(and other prefabbed magnetic hardware, like the waterbottle pocket magnets on this pack)… the heavy design lifting has already been done to incorporate them in an elegant and intuitive manner.

How did you experience the FIDLOCK fasteners from the Mystery Box, and which one surprised you most?

When I opened the box and saw the Snaps, I knew exactly what I wanted to try, the surprise was how well they performed. I had never seen Fidlock Snaps used in this application and I really wanted them to work perfect for my use case… but part of my brain was worrying about things like the buckles detaching inadvertently, or being difficult to connect, or being difficult to release, or not being strong enough. Turns out those fears were unfounded and these buckles are exclusively awesome. Not only do they work better than I’d imagined, but they have a very satisfying tactile and auditory experience when attaching/detaching.

Do you have a personal favorite buckle from the project?

No. I used two types of Fidlock pieces and was impressed by both. I was really impressed by how much more satisfying to use(relative to a standard side squeeze buckle) the Fidlock buckle is for the sternum strap application. The opposing slide motion is just way smoother and cleaner than the squishy and sudden feel of detaching a side squeeze buckle.

“The SNAP fastener completely exceeded my expectations — I’m a SNAP fan for life now.”

How would you describe your collaboration with FIDLOCK?

There wasn’t any sort of collaboration before the challenge — the sponsor is a surprise until the box opens. After filming, we connected with the team (shoutout to Stefan) and compared notes ahead of launch. They’ve been great to work with.

What kind of feedback have you received from your community regarding the FIDLOCK features?

So far the only feedback I’ve seen is YouTube comments on the challenge video. Unlike many Youtube comments sections it’s been overwhelmingly positive. A lot of people said they want to purchase the bag, which is encouraging.

If you could dream up your next ideal collaboration, what would it look like?

A fully RF-welded backpack with a drysuit style fully waterproof zipper would be a blast. We do welded products at Matador already but taking that tech into a full pack would be an exciting challenge.

Are there any upcoming projects you can give us a little sneak peek into?

Yes — a big wave of travel packs is coming over the next year. It hits many of the requests we’ve heard from the community. Can’t share details yet, but it’s comprehensive.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about this project?

Just how grateful I am to be a part of this whole thing. Driving home on no sleep after filming the challenge I was just struck by how lucky I am to be here designing bags for Matador and being highlighted by Carryology and working with awesome brands like Fidlock. It didn’t have to turn out like this, the video shoot – and my career – could have gone a million different ways and almost all of ‘em are way worse than where I’m at now. I’m just happy to be here. 

Also, I want to say double “thanks” to Richard from Carryology. Above and beyond being a content piece for the three brands involved, the video he made means a lot to me personally. It’s an accurate and genuine representation of my process and what I do at work every day(which I’m really passionate about and proud of). I showed my 5 year old son this video and it finally clicked for him what I do, and he was clearly psyched and proud. Theres real meaning here for me and Richard captured it.

Where can people learn more about you and follow your work?

There’s not really any way to learn more about me. If you like the bag from the Maker’s Mystery Box challenge video, join Matador’s mailing list ‘cause we’re bringing it to market under the name Red Eye 24 and the preorder window is coming up. If you’re interested in other products I’ve designed, check out Matador’s packs/bags line.