University News Last updated 21 June 2017
Festival-goers could soon wash away the traditional image of mud-soaked campers thanks to a new portable camping sink designed by a university student.
Max Wilson, a 21-year-old Product Design student at Birmingham City University, has devised the special basin which can be used to clean mud, dirt and sweat as festival season kicks off with a heatwave.
PODSINK can be folded up and placed in festival or camping bags to be transported from site to site, before being constructed within seconds.
The product uses a collapsible tripod system to mount a fabric sink basin above ground level, which can be used to clean hands or alongside a sponge and shower gel to form a makeshift body cleaning system.
PODSINK is created from a frame of fibreglass tent poles and a sink formed from Ripstop Nylon fabric that is thin, waterproof and durable.
It would remove the need for wet-wipes and hand gels to form a temporary hygiene solution in the absence of sinks or showers and could become a mainstay of festival gear alongside tents, wellies and campfires.
Designer Max Wilson said: “All of my life I have been a camper and spent many a summer in a caravan. So I have always had a connection with the concept of camping and have been interested in creating a product like this for a long time.
“I found my inspiration from the many times I’ve wished I had a sink to hand while on camping trips and spent time looking at tents, camping chairs and camping accessories while thinking about how to actually build it. The tent poles I eventually ended up using are the same used in most tents and the fabric is one that is used in a lot of new tents.
“The whole process of creating the PODSINK was an eye-opening experience that I enjoyed from start to finish.”
PODSINK will now be taken to the New Designers Exhibition to showcase in front of industry experts and Wilson has already been speaking with a camping products company about his creation.
The product was first unveiled at Birmingham City University’s Inspired Festival, which gives final year students the opportunity to showcase their innovative creations and artworks to industry and members of the public.