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July 25, 2014December 19, 2017

Ghurka Cavalier II No. 97 Review – $1295

Since the 1970s, Ghurka has produced leather goods with a classic American style. The Cavalier series of duffle bags continues to be a staple of the company’s products and exemplifies the goals of Ghurka. When Francis Ford Coppola was asked to choose his favorite luggage maker, he stated “Ghurka. Their leather bags don’t wear out, but get more weatherbeaten and lovely with age.”

CONSTRUCTION

Like the Ghurka Large Pouch No. 65, the Cavalier II is made with full grain European leather and tanned using the secret vegetable tanning formula Marley Hodgson originally acquired. Although designs vary, all Ghurka luggage combines sturdy brass hardware and the signature Ghurka checkered lining. Each bag is then debossed with a unique registration code to verify its authenticity and date of production. In terms of size, the Cavalier II is the middle child of the series and is the smallest duffel that comes with a matching luggage tag.

FUNCTION

The duffel is a no-frills piece of luggage with adjustable sides for additional storage and easy zipper access. There is a single zippered internal pocket to hold smaller items. Although a carrying strap is given, the bag’s sturdy handles are soft as butter in the hand and will beg to be carried. The Cavalier II is perhaps the largest size which can pass through airport security as a carry-on and easily fits in overhead bins on most domestic airplanes. It carries enough for a typical weekend or a week at the beach when clothing necessity is at a minimum.

GhurkaCavalierIINo9709 — The signature checkered lined interior is the perfect size for a weekend.

AESTHETIC

If thrown in a pile of luggage at the airport, the Cavalier II will stick out like a sore thumb–or rather like a well manicured thumb with a gold ring. It is sleek and modern with its turned down edges and flawless leather, although it still has an air of classic sophistication. This bag looks expensive and well…. it IS expensive. This is one of those of bags that you will keep close to your side so people aren’t tempted to take it away. If walnut isn’t your color, the bag comes in eight other color and material combinations to fit your style.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The Ghurka Cavalier II No. 97 is a head-turning and surprisingly roomy duffle perfect for a weekend and adequate for a week. It is priced very high, but will be worth it to those who prefer to carry their luggage proudly in the air instead of dragging it behind them.

July 23, 2014December 19, 2017

Backcast Outfitters Fly Fishing Gear Review

Many of us have had the experience of a product giving out on us. You are walking to class and realize that your backpack strap has broken. You pull out your wallet and the threading has started to unravel. You reach for your belt to pull it on and it has almost completely broken where you cinch it.

Eric Rice with Backcast Outfitters had similar experiences with fishing gear that continued to fail him. When Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather approached Eric to design fly fishing gear for some friends, Eric leapt on the chance to design some heirloom quality fly fishing gear, something he felt passionate about. He wanted to “create natural, amazing products so well constructed that fathers would pass them to sons along with hand drawn maps of secret fishing holes, sweet spots in the river and techniques so subtle, they could only be shown, not told”. With that desire and a great opportunity, Backcast Outfitters was born.

Backcast Outfitters designs the highest quality fly fishing gear, using the highest quality raw materials, made by the best craftsman. It’s a fairly simple recipe that produces outstanding results. BestLeather had the opportunity of reviewing a few of Backcast Outfitters fly fishing gear. We reviewed their 5 Pocket Leader Wallet, their Floatant Holder, and their Fly Dryer and Leader Straightener.

5 Pocket Leader Wallet – $84

Designing high quality leather gear is not an easy task. It took a lot of trial and error, testing, and a commitment to designing the best possible product. In Eric’s analogy, “A poorly dressed fly won’t fool a fish and a poorly constructed product won’t fool your discriminating tastes”. One of Backcast’s signature products is their 5 Pocket Leader Wallet. Like all of Backcast’s products, the leather used is four to five ounce full grain leather. If you want a durable good, full grain leather is what you want. It is the outermost layer of leather that has the tightest grain pattern and is therefore the most durable. The Leader Wallet is also lined with super durable pigskin and the pockets are connected, accordion style, with deerskin. The Wallet is 2.5″ by 5″, which is just the right size to fit inside a vest pocket or hip pack.

Like all of Backcast Outfitter’s products, the Leader Wallet is made to last a lifetime. Their “until the cows come home” warranty means that if you ever have a problem with one of their products, they will fix or repair it for free, for your entire life. To be able to offer a warranty like that, a product has to be built right. The Leader Wallet does not have any zippers or clips that can break. Instead, you fasten the wallet by slipping the top flap through a strip of leather and connecting it to a solid brass collar button. The result is that you have no worries that your Leaders will go missing and no worries that the Leader Wallet will fail you.

Floatant Holder – $26

In speaking to Eric about some of his products he related how he was frustrated with previous floatant holders that he owned. He would head out on a fishing expedition and upon reaching his spot he would find that his floatant holder didn’t make it with him. He decided to design a floatant holder that would be virtually indestructible and that would make it with him to that special spot every time.

Backcast’s Floatant Holder is made with two pieces of full grain leather sewn together with polyester thread. Polyester thread is know for its super durability; three to four times stronger than nylon thread, it can take a beating and keep on going. Polyester is also UV resistant, a major positive for fishing gear. You can connect the Floatant Holder to your vest with the solid brass swivel clip. Like the Leader Wallet, you can get the Floatant Holder in Backcast’s Hopper Tan (a light brown) or Badger Brown (a dark chocolate brown).

Fly Dryer and Leader Straightener – $24

Another issue Eric had with his previous fly gear was the lack of absorbency in fly dryers. Necessity being the mother of invention that it is, he designed his own fly dryer that has three layers of super absorbent New Zealand chamois. It is not treated with any oils or chemicals and it works like advertised, place a wet fly in, fold over the second flap, squeeze and voila! — dry fly. The Fly Dryer was also designed with a dual purpose, so that it could be used as a Leader Straightener as well.

Leader’s generally come in packages wound in a circle, which doesn’t always straighten on its own when you pull it out. With the Fly Dryer and Leader Straightener, you simply reverse the Dryer so that you have leather on leather, simply pinch the leader and run it all of the way through. The result is a nice straight line that’s ready for some fishing. You can get the Fly Dryer and Leader Straightener in the same Hopper Tan or Badger Brown as the rest of Backcast’s products.

BestLeather Conclusion

Full grain leather. Polyester thread. No breakable parts. Excellent, tested design. A true lifetime warranty. These are the components of a high quality leather product and this is what you will get with each of Backcast Outfitter’s products. The 5 Pocket Leader Wallet, the Floatant Holder, and the Fly Dryer and Leader Straightener are all high quality goods that any fly fisherman would be proud to carry and use. All of these goods are premium to the feel, smell great, and are priced right. In fact, I found that the price is relatively low for the quality of product that Backcast produces. You certainly will not be disappointed if you lay down some of your hard earned money for one of their premium goods. To boot, you will find their super cool fly fisherman stamp on some of their goods, like the back of their 5 Pocket Leader Wallet (see below).

July 18, 2014December 19, 2017

Libero Ferrero Money Bag – $264 – Made with Horween’s Essex Leather

Many of us have a cherished item that was handed down from a grandparent that we love to use, or wear, or display. I have a really cool leather jacket that belonged to my grandpa, and though it is a bit small for my frame nowadays, I’m holding onto it for my son when he’s older. Sometimes these heirloom items provide inspiration for different aspects of our lives.

LIBERO FERRERO – THE MAN

One such item was carried by Libero Ferrero, commonly called Lee, on his way to and from work everyday. He carried with him a leather work bag that was passed on to his grandkids, Matt Adam and Pete Lafferty. That bag inspired more than just a little inspiration for Matt and Pete and led to their creating Libero Ferrero, a leather company based in New York that designs and creates fabulous leather goods.

Libero Ferrero sells a number of fine leather goods, from various types of bags, duffel bags, and card cases to a money bag or tablet sleeve. BestLeather had the opportunity of reviewing their Money Bag, a throwback to the mid-century’s teller bag, which was used for safety deposits and carrying cash more conveniently. We did this review in conjunction with an article we published a couple of weeks ago on the Horween Leather Company’s Essex line of leather. You can read that article here. Horween specifically recognizes Libero Ferrero on their website as a company that uses the Essex leather in a unique and professional way.

MATERIAL

The Money Bag is 10.1″ in length and 8.4″ in width. It is finished in a hickory color, which is basically a beautiful light brown. Horween’s Essex leather is a straight vegetable tanned leather and is finished with the same processes as their famous shell cordovan leather. The result is a leather that is supple, durable, and has a terrific finish.

The Essex that Libero Ferrero uses is approximately three ounces in weight. On its own this might be a little thin, but Libero combines the leather with their signature Holland and Sherry wool lining. Holland and Sherry is a 170-year old company that began its story in London as a wool merchants and has since produced some of the finest cloths available. The use of this wool is an indication of commitment to the finest quality. The use of Horween Leather is certainly another.

THE HORWEEN LEATHER COMPANY

Matt and Pete visited Horween’s factory in Chicago during the design phase to ensure that they picked the most appropriate leather for their products. They fell in love with the Essex line of leather, which they use on all of their products. Horween has been in business for over 100 years, producing some of the finest leathers available. Many of the goods we review at BestLeather are made from Horween leather, so it is no surprise that you’ll find it in the premium goods that Libero uses.

CONSTRUCTION

The Money Bag is constructed from one piece of leather folded over and connected to another piece of leather by a small strip of Essex. This connection forms their signature shallow V shape. The Bag is sewn together using rugged nylon thread and is sewn along the bottom so that just the top and side open. Libero uses a RIRI zipper, which is a high quality, metal zipper. The bag opens from the top down the side, giving you ample space to slide in your tablet or cash.

Libero also included a small pocket made of the same Holland and Sherry wool to stash your headphones or charger. The pocket is sewn into the inner back of the bag and is approximately 2.5″ by 4″, just big enough for a number of goodies.

The combination of the supple Essex leather, and the Holland and Sherry wool provides a perfect complement to not just your cash, but to your IPad or other tablet as well. The wool is soft and will keep your IPad well protected. The combination of the wool and leather also provides a little bit of padding, which is nice when carrying a $500 tablet.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

It is hard to go wrong with a product when you perfectly marry fine materials into a functional good. The Money Bag from Libero Ferrero is a perfect example of just such a union. It is expertly crafted in the United States by a company committed to producing unique, premium goods and the result is a bag that has more than one use and is beautiful. The use of the Essex leather from Horween will ensure years of use and will be a product that may provide inspiration for some of your future posterity.

July 17, 2014December 19, 2017

Traveling Through Europe With The Thrux Lawrence Thrux Pack

Taking a trip to Europe has always been a plan my wife and I had. This past month my wife and I finally got the chance to go. Our plan was Paris for three days, from there we would fly from Beauvais to Pisa. From Pisa we would take a train to Cinque Terre and stay in La Spezia. And we would end our adventure in Florence, for another three days.

Because we were going to be traveling so much we decided to pack light. Our goal was to be as simplistic as we could when we traveled. This meant we both needed a sturdy, quality, and durable bag, that could carry our clothes, toothbrushes, and copies of St. Augustine’s ‘Confessions’ (a must read for any true renaissance man). Our permanent solution to this temporary problem were two Thrux Packs, built in the USA by Thrux Lawrence. The packs fit everything we cared to bring with a bit of room to spare.

These packs ended up serving us very well. They made for great conversation pieces on every plane ride, they transformed into incredibly comfortable stools when waiting to catch the train, and they even had enough room to carry a baguette or two.

Our first leg of the trip brought us to Paris. My wife and I were most excited about this because we got to see my sister and her family and we also got to be in the most romantic city in the world (I’m not kidding, people were making out everywhere, it was a freaking epidemic). We entered the city by going through the doors of the metro station, my wife’s pack got stuck in the doors as they closed, I had to pry her out but the Thrux pack held true, not a scratch on it. We walked up the steps and onto a very quiet street near the Notre Dame (which was our rendezvous point). Before us lay an empty cobble stoned, scooter scattered road, littered with cafes and bakeries, and a heavy smell of tobacco in the air. It was marvelous. We walked to the end of the road and found where all the people were. Everyone seemed to be gathered on the side of the road, next to the Seine, waiting in anticipation for someone. We found out from some American woman that the Queen of England was about to drive by (she had been visiting Paris that weekend). Showing how truly American we were, we shrugged our shoulders and kept walking, “I’ve already seen the queen on my 5 dollar bill from the Toronto airport”, my wife said. I love her.

We found my sister and her family in front of the Notre Dame as planned, and spent the next 72 hours eating way too many pastries, seeing way too many beautiful buildings and works of art, and all-in-all enjoying ourselves way too much. Our packs were used minimally while we were in Paris, mostly because we were staying in one place the entire time we were there. However, our packs became much more essential to us as we left France and headed to Italy.

We landed in Pisa at about 8 pm. The nice thing about Pisa is that you can literally walk from the airport into town. The bad thing about Pisa is that all of the street signs are carved in marble on the sides of old buildings, and half of them aren’t even there. Needless to say, finding our airbNb house for the evening was quite the challenge. We ended up roaming around Pisa for about two hours before we found our place, but the entire time our packs did not present us with much trouble. After finding our hosts house, we ditched our packs, went to the nearest pizza shop and bought a margherita pizza and two beers. From there we roamed the street of Pisa until about one in the morning, talking and eating, seeing the Leaning Tower, and eating the best gelato I have ever tasted.

The next day my wife and I found ourselves eating Wheaties with our host’s lover. The one thing all cultures have in common is the sense of awkwardness. We left Pisa extremely excited to see Cinque Terre. Our plan was to hike as far as we could with our packs and take a train to La Spezia to stay at an olive farm. We got to Cinque Terre around noon and were immediately blown away. The streets are speckled with row boats from local fishermen, and nearly half of everyone there was American, which was really comforting for us. We began to hike around the first hill when we came to a blocked off trail, the road had been washed away by rain the week before. So we decided to hike up to the top of the hill. It was the most beautiful hike I have ever been on. Imagine climbing a staircase and on either side of you are vineyards terraced into the Mediterranean sea. And every direction you look is a feast of colors and flowers. Beauty aside, this trail was wicked hard. Our packs seems to grow heavier and heavier and we started to feel like Christian from ‘Pilgrims Progress’. One thing I will say about the Thrux Pack is that when they are stuffed as full as you can get them, they don’t form as well to your body, making them a bit awkward to carry. This was normally not a problem for us, but when we began our hike up the long trail we started to feel the discomfort. The sun began to bake us like gingerbread men, and we were sweating so hard our sun glasses wouldn’t even stay on. If any of you readers are going to hike Cinque Terre with a Thrux Pack, make sure to pack very lightly. This was the only time in our trip where we weren’t thrilled to have packs strapped to us, in hindsight though, there were not very many hikers with backpacks. We on the other hand had every one of our possessions along with us (big mistake). We got to the top of the hill and decided that swimming was more fun. We worked our way down the hill and spent the rest of the day swimming in the sea and watching fire flies. There was a positive side to this mishap though. Our backpacks became much more supple and less stiff when we got done with our hike. I think the sun and the sweat of our backs actually made them more comfortable. I know this sounds gross but it’s true, if you want to truly break in your Thrux Pack, just load it with as much stuff as you can and go hike the closest mountain to you. Works like a charm.

From there we moved on to Florence. Neither of us really knew why we were going to Florence, but we heard it was great, so we went. We got there and were not enthused. I think by this point our morale was incredibly low. we were sweaty, dirty, and the architect we were staying with was frustrated that we could not speak Italian. This is where our packs really started to show their strength. Every day we were in Florence we got dumped on by rain. We are talking Florida sized alligator tear drops raining from the heavens. Our packs were exposed to the rain the first day, I was worried because I thought the bread I just bought was going to be soaked, but when we got back to the house, our bread was warm and dry, and everything else in our packs was dry as well. The only thing that even looked wet was the leather, which even though had not been treated for rain, had remained a beautiful brown. This happened two more times, in front of the Academia, and the next day when we snuck in the Bomboli Gardens.

The first thing most people notice when they buy a Thrux Pack is how stiff the straps are. They are incredibly tough, Horween leather on leather stitched to the nines. If a nuclear bomb went off the only two things left standing would be cockroaches and the world’s Thrux Packs. This made me a bit nervous for our trip. I was afraid the straps would be a bit too uncomfortable and too stiff, but by the time we left Florence, the straps of our bags were well broken in, and had lost none of their strength. In fact they seemed to grow even stronger from all of the use.

We left Florence much happier, we had seen the most amazing pieces of art in the world and all the while looked awesome in our packs. My wife and I got countless compliments on our bags when we walked through the Florentine leather shops (which if you know anything about the people of Florence, it’s that they know good leather products when they see them).

We took a train from Florence back to Pisa and had about five hours to kill before our plane took off going back to Beauvais. When we got back to Pisa we were dying of heat, our feet had huge blisters, and our morale was now at an all time low. We found a good pizzeria with a/c and watched the World Cup as our skin cooled off a bit. Then we headed to an old abandoned church on the side of a river and sipped on a bottle of champagne. “We are easily the most stylish bums any of these tourists have ever seen”, my wife said. I couldn’t agree more. There we were, sitting on the steps of this church laughing our heads off because we were dirty, sweaty, and very sleep deprived. That was the best moment of the trip. It is funny how sometimes the most unexciting events of a big trip, can also be the most fond memories when looked back upon.

We got to Beauvais late that night and were greeted at the airport by our host for the evening. He gave us some grim news. Apparently, the Parisian transportation unions were on strike that week, and there was only one train leaving for Paris in the morning. Needless to say we were worried. We slept very lightly that night, and woke up as early as we could to catch the train. We were the first ones at the counter that morning to buy our tickets, but when we went to pay for them, our card was declined. “Oh my goodness!, We are going to be stuck in France!”, I said to my wife. We ran around Beauvais trying to find an ATM, and found a very creepy man who led us to one. In hindsight this was not a very good idea. But he was our last resort. He brought us to an ATM and sauntered off. I used the same card and it worked! There must have been a problem with the train stations card reader (note to the reader: on a big trip abroad, cash is key). We bought our train tickets and were finally on our way back to North America. But the trip does not end there.

We had an eighteen hour layover in Montreal. When we landed we desperately tried to find an earlier connecting flight, but we had no luck. So we decided to stay with my brother-in-law’s cousin in the city. We took the bus only to find ourselves lost in suburbia. At this point we were delirious from the lack of sleep and decided to lay down. The Thrux Packs made very nice pillows as we waited on some old lady’s yard for the bus. Long story short, we made our way to the city, enjoyed some very encouraging Canadian hospitality, and made it to our flight back home without any problems.

This trip was one of the most exciting adventures I have ever been on. It was also one of the most difficult learning experiences I have ever had. I have never been a very big traveler, and so we learned mostly by trial and error. But the one thing that would not fail us was our Thrux Packs. They remained strong and useful. They carried all of our belongings, kept our champagne cool, and our baguettes dry. We will most assuredly be taking another trip back to Europe soon, and when we do, our Thrux Packs will be joining us.

– by Phillip Siemens

July 16, 2014December 19, 2017

PACT Small Tablet Sleeve Review – $130

No thread, no glue, no rivets, no zippers, no buckles…NO PROBLEM. That’s right…you won’t find any of those things included in the design and creation of a PACT product. PACT has created quite a buzz among the guys here at BestLeather.org. The first time I stumbled onto their website, my initial reaction was “no way” – then the next day I was sitting in a coffeehouse across the table from Darrin Griechen, one of the founders of PACT and the principle designer of their product collection. After closer inspection of the actual products, my second reaction was, “WAY!”. Innovative, cutting edge, stylish, minimalist, built to last, yet utilizing a classic material (high quality US tanned leather) – those are the things that come to mind when I think of the prototype products Darrin gladly shared with us.

About Pact

Keeping it simple is what it’s all about for PACT. Based in Spokane, WA this new startup is dedicated to crafting leather cases and satchels, made by hand in the USA designed to complement digital devices that we all use everyday. They guarantee their products for life and this is very evident in the attention to detail in construction and the methods used to construct their pieces.

Construction

The construction of the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve deserves appreciation and close inspection. We’re pretty sure you’ve never seen vegetable-tanned leather cut, folded, and fitted together in this fashion. The design of the connection tabs (for a lack of a better word to describe them) seems to gain strength with age. With any leather product, there is some stretch that occurs over time, but the security of these tabs, after inspecting one five year old prototype piece, appears to be rock solid.

Function

The PACT Small Tablet Sleeve is sized just perfectly for an iPad mini or similarly sized tablet device. Staying true to form, the premise of its function is simple. Protect your tablet in style using quality leather. The easy fold over flap and slip in cross piece are easy to manipulate and completely uncomplicated (no clasps, buttons, latches, buckles). And, it’s only leather – nothing there that can potentially scratch your screen or cause any other type of damage to your device. It has a small footprint, carries easily on its own, or stores in another bag without bulk.

Aesthetic

One of the things I like to do is put a product out in front of people and see how they react. I always attempt to do this in a not-so-obvious fashion because I really do want to see how observant people are and gauge their honest reaction to standout products. My ‘testing’ method proved itself to be flawless with the sleeve from PACT. It consistently incited questions, comments, and the always good to hear question, “where can I buy one for myself?”. It’s amazing to see how a piece of leather, expertly designed and crafted, can create so much positive dialogue. So, in light of my taking the case to several meetings and outings, the aesthetic value of the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve is impressive…not only in my personal opinion, but in the general public as well (at least those people who have to endure sitting in meetings with me, eat their dinner next to me, sitting in the same pew at church…you get the picture). It garnered consistent questions and positive comments

Conclusion

Darrin and Ben, the founders of PACT, have invested a great deal of time, energy, skill, and thought into all of the PACT products. They’re in the early stages of a Kickstarter campaign and my guess is that both of them are constantly refreshing their browsers to get the latest updates on pledges. These guys are committed to creating a great company with great products. And, they’re dedicated to building them in the US. In light of the time I’ve spent with the PACT Small Tablet Sleeve my conclusion is that it is a buy it for life product. The leather will just get better looking over time and the ingenuity in design will keep it functioning perfectly for many years to come.

July 15, 2014November 28, 2021

Shinola Envelope for iPad Mini Review – $145

Handmade in America always has a nice ring to it. Handmade by a company based in Detroit really gets people’s attention these days. The Great Recession has certainly taken a heavy toll on American based manufacturing and it seems that Detroit has taken one of the hardest hits of all. So, when a company drives a stake in the ground and says we’re going to make our claim in Detroit, it makes news. In 2011, that’s just what Shinola did.

“We know there’s not just history in Detroit, there is a future.” – Founders of Shinola

About Shinola

Originally, “back in the early days” (which generally means ‘before the majority of our online readership was alive’), Shinola was just a brand of shoe polish. Now, repurposing the brand name and anchoring their base of operations in Detroit, MI, Shinola works with artisans and craftspeople located in Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Florida. Not only do they create fine leather products, they also are building watches, bicycles, pet products, and journals. All truly made in the good ol’ USA.

Construction

BestLeather.org was pleased to receive the Shinola Envelope for iPad Mini, in an eye-pleasing dark blue color (there are seven color choices available). The vegetable tanned Horween leather is, to no one’s surprise, extremely supple and elegant. It features a simple flap design with a snap closure. Attributing to the elegance of design and Shinola’s dedication to offering premium products, each piece created is individually numbered. The iPad envelope measures 6 inches by 9 inches and has a whip-stitched internal card pocket on what can be considered its back wall.

Shinola uses the expert craftspeople of Eric Scott in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri to create all of its leather products. Their facility uses an intensive hands-on production process, where everything – from the cutting and stitching to the splitting and skiving – is done by skilled workers, many of whom have been perfecting their craft for decades.

Function

Shinola’s envelope for iPad Mini is well designed, created with skill, and performs its role perfectly. It’s a case for a tablet. But, what it does though is creates a feeling of high style and allows you to carry your iPad Mini swathed in luxurious leather, and yes…people notice. This simple blue case has garnered comment after comment. People want to hold it, touch it, feel it. Trust me, you’ll receive lots of “oohs and ahhs” because of this case. And that is exactly one of the primary goals Shinola has in place. They want to be seen as luxurious…artisanal. Kudos to them for accomplishing that task well.

Aesthetic

Shinola’s attention to detail and their desire to have everything connected with them “ooze quality” is evident at every step. You’ll notice this as soon as you pick up delivery at your front door and open the box. People some times joke about presentation in the world of cuisine, real estate, and other places…but, while it may be something that gets tossed around somewhat jokingly, it’s always something that remains etched in people’s minds. You simply don’t forget about how delicious a meal looked or how beautiful that one house appeared. Such is the case with opening up the box for the Shinola Envelope for iPad Mini. The nicely crafted box, heavy butcher paper, and the cotton drawstring bag…it all speaks back to Shinola’s mission and vision for their company. Open up the bag, touch the leather, pull it out, open it up, and you discover a weighty metal piece that is similar in size to a business card. On that metal plate is the number that matches the one etched on the back of your case. And, that plate proudly displays the crafter’s name who made your case. Impressive.

The case itself is certainly not trumped by the presentation of its packaging though. Again, the attention to detail here is over the top. Fine stitch work, perfect edges, and a snug fit that makes you feel comfortable about having your iPad Mini encased in it.

Conclusion

Shinola’s Envelope for iPad Mini is definitely a buy it for life product. Along with the heirloom quality materials and workmanship, your iPad Mini envelope is covered by their repair/replacement warranty for life. BestLeather.org’s conclusion is that if you love your iPad Mini and want it to be swaddled in the best leather possible, while creating a stunning appearance for it, get a Shinola Envelope for iPad Mini.

July 12, 2014December 19, 2017

The Distance – An Article On The Horween Leather Company

A website recently came to my attention that writes an in depth article every month on companies older than 25 years. Called TheDistance.com, the site has just two articles published so far, but the very first was on the Horween Leather Company.

It is an excellent article that explores why Horween has thrived in an ever changing environment by being committed to old fashioned ideals and continuing to provide the highest quality products. For any lover of leather or business, it is a very interesting read. You can do so by clicking this link.

We have also done interviews with Horween on their