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About The Old Swiss Army Leather Bags

Did you know you can buy leather bags that are up to 100+ years old? It’s true. The Swiss Army used leather bags on their army pack horses, particularly the Freiberger breed which were known for their endurance. The horses and mules lightened the load for soldiers and allowed them to cover much more ground in strong fighting condition.

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While soldiers were never relieved of carrying their own personal fighting equipment, the horses carried the more substantial armament, such as extra ammunition, mortars, and light artillery.

These bags were well made to endure the demanding circumstances of heavy loads in wartime and often used over and over as Swiss citizens served their time and returned their issued military equipment. Hence they often served for decades and acquire a beautiful patina.

The Swiss Army uses a conditioner called FIX which stays in the leather for a very long time and frequently all the bags need is a good cleaning to rid it of mold and dirt.

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A small gunsmith bag.

Now, in these more sophisticated times, pack animals are much more rare in the military. Consequently the bag market sees vintage Swiss Army bags for sale. Here are some of the types of vintage swiss army bags in repair and original unrepaired condition, courtesy of Men A Werro from Leatherwerk, who is an excellent source for purchasing an original swiss army bag. Here are a selection of swiss army bags you can find.

As you browse through the selection of photos spend a moment to contemplate how old and how much abuse these leather bags have endured. Can you imagine a messenger bag from Target doing the same thing?

Here is mine, made in 1945. As I told you before, they were used by the pack train and attached with chains on the packsaddle. These come with chains but no strap so I custom made a strap from either Swiss Army rifle slings of the same age or leather straps that who knows what they were used for. I make optional straps or there is the desirable horse bit handle. Sometimes folks want a coin concho on the hinged flap. Oldest one I had in my hands was stamped 1918 I think, youngest one 1945.

It has a thick rear wall and thick leather hinged lid. Around 70 years old and tons of real patina that shows up only after many many moons of hard use!

Size is about 16″ x 12″ x 3 1/2″. It can carry bulky stuff too that is deeper than 3.5″. The picture below shows mine today in the rain.

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The Medic Bag AKA Tailgate Bag

You can easily see the functionality of the medic bag. Required medical equipment is easily at hand without digging through things or having your bag fall closed while treating a wounded soldier. That would be a difficult problem to have while controlling bleeding.

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shoulder bags

I’m not exactly sure what these bags were used for. The officer’s bags were smaller so it is likely these were used by infantry, but for what purpose? Anyone know?

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Demolition Meister Bag

Fuses and explosives go in here. This has got to be one of the coolest bags.

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packsaddle bags

The horses had packsaddles designed specifically for carrying their veterinarian equipment. Some of these  leather packsaddles are from 1895!

 Earlier versions of the Packsaddle bag were put over the horses neck. Earliest one I had between my fingers was made 1895, latest one 1917. 2 versions as far as I know. The earlier once were a bit larger and slightly more boxy looking.

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large gunsmith bag

The large Gunsmith bag is actually a Packsaddle bag with added flaps on the sides (inside) and two pockets for small grease tins. It has an alloy badge too and the added straps system (no more chains for the horses) makes the bag either a messenger or a backpack. I guess the Swiss Army copied it from SBL – just kidding!

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Size: 4.0″ by 12.0″ by 9-10″ tall. Under the flap pocket is 7.5″ x 5.5″

Many are stamped with MP41 and some with MP43 when used by gunsmiths that were working in the field on the machine pistols 41 or the updated version 43. Very early version didn’t have a MP stamp. Some were used again in the late 50s for the “Sturmgewehr 57” (automatic rifle) by the gunsmiths. Those got K14.1.110 stamped on the alloy badge. It’s a pretty small bag for a gunsmith, especially for working on that automatic rifle.

These are one of my favorite styles, few were made through 1937 – 1945.

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Swiss Army Duffle

These are made of Swiss Military grade heavy duty green canvas with thick leather. Alloy bottom plate, reinforcements at all stress points. About 40 years old in like new condition. Will last a lifetime or two! Very tough stuff.

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stamps in the bags

These bags have specific individual stamps that indicate things like the name of the maker and the year.

Top line = makers name
Center line = Saddle Maker in either German, French, Romansh or Italian, the 4 languages of Switzerland
Bottom line = the town it was hand made which is the town/village the Saddlemaker was working.
Then most of the times there is a 2 digit number like 45 which represents the year the bag was made. It is not very often you can find a 4 digit year number like 1945.

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 How to buy a vintage swiss leather bag?

I could not have put this information together without Men A. Werro from Leatherwerk. He sells these bags which are individually sourced in Switzerland. You can check out his current stock of Swiss bags on his site, www.leatherwerk.blogspot.com. Men also makes several other leather goods from scratch such as the Pouchun and accessories for Saddleback Leather bags.

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An Ode To Quality

Bag-ProductionWhy are we so easily satisfied with effortless work?

Buying products with fragile quirks Like rockets built by knee jerks

Foolishly profit berserk

Is cheapness cheap?

Only shortly will it keep before finding the trash heap

Building mountains not for mountain sheep

Where is the benefit?

Profit is squandered in quick pursuit of profit

You don’t have to be a prophet to see

Count the cost!

Quickly both profit and product are lost

When details are ignored

like replacement cost

Buy well, my friends

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Etsy Store Feature: Heirloom Leather

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Paul & his lovely wife.

Heirloom Leather is a one man Etsy store I have followed for a year now primarily because of the exquisite usage of vegetable tanned leather and tasteful industrial design stitching. His sense of leather fashion is among the best in the business, in my opinion. And as far as I can tell, quality is a primary focus. I have not had the pleasure of reviewing a product from Heirloom leather but one can tell quite a bit from the photos what a artisan Paul is.

Because leatherworking is such a personal expression I asked Paul about his background and what lead to crafting such beautiful products. Below is Paul’s articulate reply.

After building homes for over 10 years, I came to the conclusion my profession had vanished right before my very eyes.

Trapped in a 59 year old body possessing a 39 year old college degree, my prospects of competing with “young bucks” having newly acquired graduate and post graduate degrees seemed dismal at best (in the professional world). So I began to contemplate how “to reinvent myself”. Thus my journey to find a new occupation; hopefully one I would enjoy and one that could provide a living wage. So the more I contemplated my dilemma, I thought to myself “what if I could make a living doing something I love?”. What skill do I possess that I enjoy? Having developed an interest in working with leather many years ago and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how much I loved that hobby and what if I could produce something that was desirable by the general population. So began my experimentation.

The question was: “Is the craftsman/artisan dead in America today and if so can it be revived? The days of working with one’s hands seems like a faint memory of a history lesson sometime back; which begs the question: “Do people still do that sort of thing?” and “Is a product like this marketable through the internet?” I wondered if the idea of being able to own something that was created or reborn from the hands of a true craftsman had a magnetism that was infectious enough to induce people to buy.

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So in July 2011, after much encouragement from my wife and friends, I decided to put a few of my accessories on Etsy, while working a full time job in a totally different industry. Then after several months of one or two orders here and there a surge in sales came in the Christmas season of 2011. My orders started to increased with each passing month. Then after about a year, my once part time hobby, blossomed into a full time career.

The feeling of knowing you were, personally, responsible for a work of art that is wearable and usable is truly rewarding.

I hope I am able to offer something that will not only be a treasure and an heirloom, but something that has usefulness and utility while possibly enhancing your professional image.

“God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them”

Gen.3:21 ~MSG~

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BL: Tell us about your operation and your purpose in leather working.

I am a one person shop operating in a smoke free environment. I create an artwork that I take pride in. My desire is that it will compel you to want to wear it and enjoy its functionality. I welcome your questions and comments.

The products I create in my shop are called “heirloom” because they should last you a lifetime and most likely will be passed on to other generations. The materials I use are genuine leather. These accessories are made from cowhide, and other fine leathers. Each personalized piece is individually dyed and each stitch is done by hand with a waxed braided cord. Every piece is different in some way; whether its from the grain in the leather or from the way it takes the dye.

The grain on the accessory is, in fact, the grain which occurs naturally. Our leather is not pressed into a mold. Thus, in some sense all other leather grain patterns are artificial. Heirloom Leather is 100% natural and therefore will sport unique and original markings. Even though we choose the best skins, there will be markings on the piece that may represent a brief encounter with a barbed wire fence etc..Please note that this is in a sense proof of its authenticity and uniqueness; not a defect. Thus one aspect of Heirloom Leather accessories that is essentially unique, is its choice of all natural grain leather.

Thank you for putting hard work into your craft, Paul. You are an inspiration to myself and others to be excellent craftsmen.

You can follow the new products that Paul releases on www.heirloomleather.blogspot.com since Etsy does not provide a way to keep up with new products from favorited stores.

Check out the Heirloom Leather Etsy store here.

Heirloom Leather products

Editors note: Etsy features are highlights of carefully selected stores that illustrate high levels of attention to quality and detail. The aim of these articles is to promote the excellent work of the true artisans on Etsy, as opposed to the mass of cheaply made goods easily available. To submit your store, email [email protected].

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A Conversation With Philip from Basader

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It’s been really fun to watch Basader get more traction as a relative newcomer in the hyper-competitive durable leather goods market. They are doing it with a combination of stylistic innovation, commitment to durability, and extremely competitive pricing.

the Basader philosophy

Basader (Derived from Bas Jan Ader, a famous artist) is heavily driven by a mission to create lasting pieces and promote timeless design principles.  All of their work is produced in our small studio located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—where they laboriously hand-dye, cut, and assemble the pieces.  Through experimenting with new techniques, materials, and finishes, they are continually trying to improve to offer truly “lifetime” products.

As two designers working within the fashion district in NYC, Elin (at the time, a Fashion Designer at Ralph Lauren) and Philip (a Web Designer and Ecommerce Manager), were increasingly disheartened by the disposable fashion culture.  Thinking that it must be possible to create a brand focused on high-quality goods and timeless designs, Basader was born as a side project that grew beyond their greatest expectations.

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Philip and his beautiful wife, Elin.

BL: Can you tell that story about the first bag you bought that ended up disappointing you?

Philip: Before I even met Elin, I was the typical bag consumer within the men’s category—looking for quality in all the wrong places.  And while I wouldn’t flinch at saving my “nickels and dimes” to purchase a nice suit, I just assumed a leather bag was a leather bag—regardless of price.   My first leather purchase (what I thought was an artisan quality bag), was made on eBay maybe six or seven years ago.  So the story goes, it was listed by a very active eBay seller, who was supposedly having the bags custom made in a small town in India, and in the process “supporting a local community”.  Buying into a heartwarming story, and admittedly, being quite thrifty, this was a win-win situation.  I would receive a handmade bag while inadvertently supporting a small village located across the globe!

If I knew then what I know now, the bag was very likely made in a sweatshop in China–and this is a very common story across many, if not all marketplaces.  The bag arrived weeks later, it smelled so bad, I was too embarrassed to bring it anywhere, and lasted a month before the rivets were shimmied loose during light use—disappointing to say the least (and worse, probably harmful to whatever “local” community I thought I was supporting).  With so many high-quality bag companies, had I just spent a bit more, I could have ended up with a bag that would have been passed down generations.  A disheartening and wasteful story, this has influenced our work greatly.

The beginning.
The beginning.
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Space fills up quick!

BL: How does your experience in fashion translate to Basader?

Philip: As a fashion designer, Elin brings a very unique perspective to our work, and together, we both have a sincere admiration for contemporary minimal design.  From fashion designers like Heider Ackerman to companies like Shinola, we are admittedly driven and influenced by fashion extremes: deconstructivist contemporary designers; and small-town, American made companies–even Allen Edmund is a company of great revere.

Simply put, our aesthetic is driven by a love of fashion and art, and somehow, we stumbled upon  a niche that lives at the intersection of rustic American styling and the refined English approach.  At the most basic level, we admire leather companies like Shinola and Allen Edmund, that, against all odds, make some amazing work within the US—and both companies have found a way to create social enterprises, that feed back into the local community.

BL: Personally, what is your favorite high quality leather item?

Philip: For us, it’s any hand-dyed leather good with a raw underside.  We love a refined lustrous surface coupled with a raw underside—probably, we respect this look so much knowing how difficult it is to achieve.

But more, we love anything new.

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BL: Why did you pick the Herman Oak Leather?

Philip: While we love Herman Oak, we also use a lot of other American suppliers as well.  And we do this because there are so many American-based companies that put a lot of love into what they do.  Further, as major retailers inadvertently outsource to other countries, and suffocate American leather houses, we truly believe a renaissance is on the horizon (and we’re very grateful to be even a small part of this!).

A majority of bags in the marketplace are made in questionable working conditions—from mass-market “high-end” chrome-tanned bags to full-grain “looking” offerings, there are but a few American companies left.

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BL: Finally, what is the most interesting thing you have learned about working with leather?

Philip: For us, leather is truly a fascinating material.  We’ve experimented with various organic substitutes, from cork bark to tree-tap leather, but at the end of the day, there is no naturally derived material as durable and as timeless leather.  And for such an omnipotent material, it’s amazing to think that so many people will never know what a real full-grain bag feels like.

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Keep an eye on this upstart company. I suspect we will see more excellent goods coming our way. Perhaps like this…

Check them out.

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The Basader Messer Leather Briefcase Review – $315

There are endless designs for high quality leather briefcases and a lot of great options to choose from. In my opinion, this is the best value briefcase considering all the factors. Let me explain how and why.

Basader operates out of Brooklyn, NY and is run by Philip and Elin Antonelli. They first started on Etsy and have done very well on it. In May, 2013 they were the featured store on Etsy in recognition of their quality products.

the beginning

Philip & Elin have a background in design and fashion. Elin worked for Ralph Lauren and Philip worked in the fashion industry in website design. The problem they saw – and many others – is there inherent disposability in fashion products. So, they started designing and built a few briefcases to sell on Etsy. The rest is history. Their products have been a hit and as I have been fortunate enough to experience, they are well designed and crafted. Now you can also buy their products on basader.com as well as Etsy.

As with most great leather products, their construction principles are simple and follow the company philosophy of providing value through design and durability.

the bag

I got the Messenger Briefcase with no divider which fits my 15″ MacBook Pro perfectly. I should say, right off the bat, that I recommend always getting the divider. Without it, your laptop is in danger of being scratched by pens, keys and other objects with rough edges that you may have in the bag. Nevertheless,this dilemma can be remedied by just getting a sleeve for your laptop instead. Also keep in mind that while you can squeeze in a 17” laptop in, the tight will be very fit and I wouldn’t really recommend it considering the “scratch-hazards”; this includes the metal rivets on the interior’s side that would be impossible not to hit when you are trying to fit in a bigger laptop. Maybe that is just me…

I used a SBL Moleskine cover between my laptop and the pens to insulate it from scratches.

Despite the lack of divider, it can still be said that the interior is well thought-of. The collection of pockets inside are very usable, and there seems to be a snug compartment for the usual business necessities such as cell phone, pens, cards, notebooks and a small assortment of paper documents.

sleek styling

Philip & Elin’s collective experience in the fashion is evident in this briefcase’s design. The exterior is a handsome mix of sleek minimalism and old-school vibe. Notice the absence of visible rivets in the facade; this gives it a solid and smooth appearance that just tempts you to run your palms over it . And with such beautiful leather as its canvas, the result is impressive. The Hermann Oak leather that was used for this bag has a strong, deep color and a subtle sheen that’s not tacky but rather, extremely classy.

the build

Overall, the Basader Messenger Briefcase has a sturdy structure. The leather used is known not only for its aesthetic appeal but for its durability as well. Simply put, your prized laptop among other belonging will be well-protected inside. Hefty pieces of this Herman Oak leather are put together with clean double stitching. All of the rivets and buckles used to attach the strap to the actual bag are top-notch, nickel plated brass.

If there is any cause for concern it is where the straps meet the bag. If you are toting this on a rainy day, there is a risk of water seeping in through these gaps. I suggested this improvement to Philip and he enthusiastically agreed it could be improved on. It is neat to handle these products and work with their makers to make them even better. Sometimes an outside eye can spot previously unnoticed details.

comfortable shoulder strap

The shoulder straps do an excellent job at dispersing the load. I can easily imagine lugging this around all day without straining my shoulders. The padded part is also adjustable, ensuring a comfortable fit despite the adjustments in the length. This is something that you need to take into consideration if you are the type who is on the go for much of the day. You wouldn’t want your briefcase to be dragging you down or leave you wincing.

I must say that it is nearly perfect save for one flaw: there is a long “tail” left hanging when the strap is adjusted to be short.

This might not be that big of a deal for some but can be totally annoying for others. However, I wouldn’t count this against such a hardily-made bag with an impeccable design. But then again, this was addressed to Philip and true sport that he is, he promised to look into it and work on an improvement.

Best Leather conclusion

There’s not much to be debated about when it comes to getting the Bassader Messenger Briefcase. Though you might have to get extra protection for your gadgets to save it from scratches and from drops of moisture (should you decide to use it on a rainy day), it is still the best of briefcases at this value because:

  1. It has excellent space.

  2. It has a polished design that makes it a very handsome daily companion.

  3. It is impeccably constructed with excellent quality components.

  4. It is very comfortable to handle.

The only reason why you would consider something else is if you have a bigger laptop or carry more load daily than this bag can fit in. It is stellar.

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All About Shell Cordovan – An Interview With Horween Leather Co.

Screen Shot 2013-06-03 at 6.26.29 PMShell Cordovan can be a mystery. It is fabulously expensive, relatively rare, and looks a lot like normal full grain leather. The question on many minds is “Is it worth it?” It’s a fair question worth some research. You get what you pay for, but what are you getting with shell cordovan products that makes them worth the extra scrilla? Continue reading “All About Shell Cordovan – An Interview With Horween Leather Co.”