My wife has great taste. Seriously, she does. But, there are some strings attached to that statement – especially when it comes to purses, satchels, bags, and backpacks. She’s grown to really appreciate fine leather goods (thank goodness), but that “string” is evident. What is the “string”? She likes her leather goods to be very simple and uncomplicated. While it’s easy to understand and appreciate that “string” – it’s sometimes hard to accommodate.
In light of that, I was thrilled to come across Cravar and their line of high quality leather goods. Today, we’ll be checking out Cravar’s F.C. 15 Bag in the espresso color.
About Cravar
Cravar is based near Jakarta, Indonesia. It was birthed out of a backpacking trip to Italy during 2005 when Yoki Baskara encountered an old stationery shop that was being operated by 3rd and 4th generation leather artisans. Yoki was also involved in wedding photography. In identifying a need for quality wedding albums, he assembled a team a craftsmen and began to assemble handcrafted leather wedding albums and tote bags. In 2012, Yoki proposed a plan to several close friends for a leather goods company and Cravar was born. After a very successful Kickstarter in 2013 followed up with another successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 Cravar has starting carving its niche in the global leather products industry.
Construction
The leather used on the F.C. 15 (and all of Cravar’s bags) is bark tanned, full grain leather tanned right in Indonesia. Cravar’s solid brass hardware is also made in Indonesia as well. It comes from a small workshop called Sotta Art. The antique finish on the hardware provides a nice touch that accents the leather nicely. Thread used is bonded nylon. The interior of the bag is lined with Sunbrella material. Using Sunbrella as the lining keeps the bag’s overall weight lower and still provides an easy to wipe out, durable lining.
Function
Reverting back to my intro – you’ll notice the nice, simple closures on the F.C. 15. Yes! Finally, I have located a messenger bag that my wife really enjoys. Simple post and full body strap closures are her favorite. Add to that the great style of this bag, the color, and the storage it affords and my wife is very happy.
With three main compartments, it’s very capable of carrying and organizing just about anything you can think of. The two outer compartments are large enough to house an iPad Mini or similar device. Of course smartphones, charger cords, checkbook, pens, etc. will all fit in here with ease. The main compartment will carry a 15” laptop with ease and still have room for a variety of other things (books, sweater, whatever). The shoulder strap is easily adjusted and features a nice, wide, thick pad – it’s long enough to carry cross body too.
In addition to the Sunbrella lining, they’ve also included a Sunbrella zipper pouch, which is a nice little feature. It will easily hold all of your small items or personal items and keep them from rolling around in the bottom of your bag. And, if you don’t need it, you can leave it at home.
One of the really nice features is the way the flap is molded to completely cover the entire opening of the bag. Not only does it keep everything safe and secure inside your bag, it also keeps everything dry. It sounds minor, but there are a lot of messenger bags out there that have gaps on each side where the main flap doesn’t cover them. If you live in an area where it rains or snows frequently, this is an important consideration.
Aesthetic
The F.C. 15 comes in four different leather colors (same holds true for all of their bags). The espresso color, the thread color, and hardware all combine to create a visual treat. I really like the way this bag looks. I’m not always a fan of black leather…but there’s just enough of a hint of dark, dark brown in this one that I think it has won me over. Perhaps it’s because I’m a huge fan and consumer of espresso? Who knows… But, I like the way this bag looks and it seems that many other people do too because they comment about it frequently.
Conclusion
The Cravar F.C. 15 is a very nice from many of the messenger bags out there. It seems there is quite a bit of similarity in the market right now…many bags seem look the same. So, it’s refreshing to see the F.C. 15 and the unique features that set it apart – the simple closure straps and the wrap around main flap. It’s a great bag, it’s well made, and it’s designed to be durable. It’s fairly priced at $395 (includes shipping) and it’s backed with a simple, hassle free warranty. Check out the F.C. 15 and be sure to look at the many other great looking designs Cravar has to offer too.
