Who are PHD?
The quality and diversity of good mountaineering equipment is staggering these days, but when it comes to pure specialist equipment for modern alpine style objectives PHD leads the way not only in the UK, but in the world. PHD gear is state of the art, both in design and thinking, with everything built on three decades of hands on experience, a time line of equipment that has been used on most of the greatest mountain challenges of our time. Andy Kirkpatrick
[Peter Hutchinson] is one of very few designers to who climbers have consistently paid tribute for over 40 years. Mike Parsons & Mary B. Rose in 'Invisible on Everest: Innovation and the Gear Makers'
PHD (Peter Hutchinson Designs) was launched in August 1998. Short on history, but long on experience and enthusiasm. We share one simple aim in this small team, to make the best gear we know how.
As the founder of Mountain Equipment and designer / manufacturer to a host of expeditions over the last 49 years, most of my efforts have gone into expedition software aimed at extreme high altitude and polar ventures. While continuing to develop such highly-defined products, I'm also turning some of the know-how acquired in specialised manufacture towards the gear we all use in the mountains: changing the focus without lowering the sights.
The goal with each PHD item is to start from scratch and find new meaning in the word specialist. Specially made, yes, very much so: but intrinsically such a good piece of kit that often a wide range of people will want it and find a good use for it. For example the Ultra sleeping bag—the world's lightest bag—uses rare 900 fill down and the latest high-function fabrics in a deceptively simple-looking design: overall it's a very technical item, yet it's a bag that will appeal to anyone looking to travel really light.
This is a personal business, and as is necessary with such dedicated gear, everything is designed and manufactured in my own factory in Stalybridge (UK) - though this is perhaps more than a little unfair to the 'sharp-end designers' whose hardships in improbable places help us to keep evaluating and improving. The manufacturing team here have unparalleled experience in making specialist software and their knowledge is a vital factor that underpins our 'can-do' philosophy.
Let me put in a word for realism here. PHD's products are the 'best', just like everyone else's! It's impossible, isn't it, and embarrassing: who can shout the loudest? Let me take a less lofty position and say the products keep moving on, a process I hope will continue. The more you learn about gear the more you realise that perfection is a distant and not over-useful objective, the attainment of it precluded by the complex and conflicting demands of our mountain activities. 'Intelligent adaptation' is probably a better description of what we strive for. And though we are making the best dedicated solutions to mountain weather that we know, the most we can hope for is not state-of-the-art, just state-of-the-day.
If you have any questions about the company or our products you can email me at: office@phdesigns.co.uk
Peter Hutchinson
Read "Down all the days: A profile of Peter Hutchinson", Climber Magazine, October 1998
Company Registration Number: 7264582
Registered Company Address:
Holeys Chartered Accountants, Stuart House, 15/17 North Park Road, Harrogate, HG1 5PD
