Pacapod

Jacqueline Waggett, Creator of PacaPod… Outdoor clothing designer and mum of two young girls, drew on her own experiences to design the unique 3-in-1 baby travel bag concept.

"As a mum when I need something I want to reach it quickly, easily and with a degree of confidence. That may sound pretty obvious but how many times have you rooted around a bag looking for the elusive wipes or a nappy bag only to be confronted with a half eaten sandwich, Flopsy bunny and handful of raisins? Life’s busy enough with the kids and when everything’s in place it means that we as a family are free to go and do the things we want. It can be something as simple as a trip to the park, playground or more adventurous travels to far-flung places but knowing that I’m organised is one less thing to worry about.

Being free to do the things I love with the ones I love is something I wouldn’t change for the world, time is precious – we don’t get it back”

But it wasn’t just becoming a mum that gave her the spark to design her own original baby bag organiser. Having spent fifteen years designing outdoor clothing, which had to be comfortable and practical even in extreme weather conditions, Jacqueline took time cycling around the world with all her possessions stored in two bicycle panniers. As you can imagine, her eye for design – combined with the tips she learned for travelling light and being organised came in handy when she came to realise that there was a gap in the market for a great-looking, practical changing bag, hence the 3-in-1 baby bag creation.

Jacqueline had been disappointed with many of the latest baby bags on offer to new parents. Often these small baby bags had a lack of different compartments meaning that things were difficult to find, and many of the design options were not ideal if Dad wants to take the baby out. With a little imagination and business sense – and a few focus groups with other new mums – Jacqueline launched the PacaPod bag at Harrogate Nursery Trade Show in 2008. Since then it has been enthusiastically snapped up by busy parents, celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Alesha Dixon, Rosie Hungtington-Whitely and Zara Phillips and major retailer John Lewis across the UK.

Delighted with the success of PacaPod in the UK, the growing team (of predominantly working mums) are developing new products all the time. Some of these include twin changing bags, the leather changing bag collection and also the dad bag. Not to mention the wide selection of colours and styles. With this in mind the team are launching PacaPod baby travel in overseas markets, to make PacaPod available to parents across the globe.