Duffle Bags Archives - BestLeather.org

May 26, 2016December 19, 2017

Harmattan Design The Traveler Review – $500 (Exclusive BestLeather Discount)

Sometimes you need something to hold your laptop. Other times you need a carry on. Then sometimes you need something that will hold it all. Harmattan Design’s The Traveler is a very large duffel bag made entirely of Italian vegetable tanned full grain leather, and will hold everything you need for an extended stay while maintaining a high fashion look. Read on to find out more about our experience with this duffel and get an exclusive limited-time BestLeather discount!

ABOUT HARMATTAN DESIGN

Harmattan Design is headed by Radu Zarnescu of Romania. Radu and his team of leather workers have years of experience designing and building goods for others, but wanted to do things their own way. Since recently finishing their first successful fundraising campaign, they continue to sell their four most popular designs on their own website. Harmattan’s goals include using the highest quality materials and maintaining reasonable prices.

CONSTRUCTION

The Traveler is essentially one large bucket of 5-9oz, veg-tan, full grain leather. This leather comes from Italy, and is tanned with Harmattan Design’s own custom concept. It’s very soft and has a gentle suede feel on the outside, and is left largely unfinished and fuzzy on the inside, with no lining to wear out.

Hardware is all cast iron and nickel plated to a chrome-like finish. The main pocket and two small pockets on the side are closed with a stiff but sturdy zipper.

All seams are single stitched with polyester thread. I noticed a couple loose stitches on one corner of an inner pocket, but stitching elsewhere is solid. The bottom corners of the bag are each reinforced with a riveted patch.

The Traveler features dual handles on the top, and a two-layered shoulder strap with a small pad. Both handles and the shoulder strap buckle are stitched to the main body and reinforced with rivets.

Harmattan Design offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.

FUNCTION

The Traveler is big! The volume is around 50 liters, but I think an application example may work even better to show just how much this duffel can hold:

Without even trying hard to overstuff the traveler, it easily held all items pictured below, including 3 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of pants, 7 T-shirts, dress shoes, flip flops, laptop, headphones, etc. – more than enough for an extended trip.

The two side pockets are very small, so besides perhaps a wallet and some keys, you’re going to want to have a dopp bag or organizer of some sort for your smaller travel items. Having no inside divider leaves you free to carry very large items if needed.

The dual handles give a good sense of strength, though both may be a bit much for small hands. You could carry it with one handle, though the bag will tilt to one side a bit. The strap is great for slinging over your shoulder or using-cross body, and has a good range of lengths.

One functionality concern I had was a fairly sharp smell inside the bag when I first received it. This did, however, fade with time and hasn’t ever transferred to my clothes or other items. Some others that I showed the bag to even liked this smell when it faded a bit, though I didn’t fancy it. Harmattan Design tells me this smell is a result of their tanning process.

AESTHETIC

The Traveler is definitely meant to travel in style. A true Italian piece, it has an edgy fashionable look, with a color that is soft and can range from mustard to deep orange or brown depending on the light. I expect the patina to continue to deepen with time.

Included with each Harmattan Design bag is a small swatch to test leather treatment. Their custom leather concept takes in conditioner well, and the color can be made to alter quite a bit if desired. The following side by side pictures are of my swatch in different lighting (warm on the left and cool on the right) and with different levels of conditioning.

If you like the lighter brown/mustard yellow color, go easy on treatments…but if you want a deeper brown shade, soak it in. I do recommend at least some treatment, as the very soft suede-like leather drinks water spills as easily as it does conditioner.

The Harmattan logo is printed gently into the side of the duffel and on the shoulder strap. The small round accent cutouts in the handles and shoulder pad are a nice touch.

I have received plenty of compliments on The Traveler. It’s a handsome duffel that will definitely stand out at luggage pick up.

CONCLUSION

Harmattan’s Design’s The Traveler is made with great materials, holds a ton of luggage, and has a high-fashion look. The smell and loose stitch gave me a bit of pause, but after some time, a camping trip, and a roadtrip or two, the stitch has held strong and the inside has only a faint smell.

If you’re liking the look of this bag and need a large duffel for travel, The Traveler will fit the bill. The 100% thick vegetable tanned leather and polyester thread construction should last for many years and serve you well in your travels.

For a limited time, Harmattan Design has decided to offer BestLeather readers an exclusive 35% discount on all of their products! Use code BESTLEATHER at checkout.

February 2, 2016December 19, 2017

Wool & Oak Announce Duffle Suitcase Kickstarter

Wool & Oak is a new brand specializing in leather functional goods. They recently announced a Kickstarter for their new travel duffle bag that features an organized packing system. The Duffle Suitcase is designed like a classic weekender bag on the outside and built like a compartmentalized suitcase in the inside.

ABOUT WOOL & OAK

“The brand’s design philosophy is about the marriage of classic design aesthetic with functionality needed in today’s modern world. With minimal branding, Wool & Oak aims to give the customer a sense of ownership of the brand,thus empowering them to mold each piece to their own personal style.”

THE DUFFEL SUITCASE

The Duffel Suitcase measures 20″ x 10.5″ x 10″ and meets all of the TSA’s airline security requirements. It comes with. It consists of 3 compartments separated by 2 removable walls acting as partitions. The Duffle Suitcase has over 19 features including: 2 built in shoe bags, a tie pocket on the floorboard, dedicated pockets for a laptop, tablet, 2 books, a belt & 2 chargers.

The bag is made with full grain leather and comes in three colors – oak, navy, and black. There is also a canvas version offered. Wool & Oak offers a detachable leather toiletry bag that can snap on and off the side. The Duffel Suitcase is expected to retail for $550, but you if you get in early, you can get one for just $250. The Kickstarter is funded but there are still units left, so check it out if you’re looking for a good deal.

November 5, 2015December 19, 2017

TUCKER & BLOOM LONDON DUFFEL REVIEW – $375.00

As much as I love leather, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it’s not the ideal material for certain situations. The strength and rigidity hinder its pliability, and packing it down when not in use is usually not an option. That’s when I usually opt for natural textiles, especially waxed cotton. In the search for a bag that has a good marriage of both materials, I came upon the Tucker & Bloom London Duffel.

ABOUT

Tucker & Bloom is a family owned business with a culmination of over 30 years in the bag industry. Founded by David & Case Bloom, the father and son duo started the company after 9/11 when the travel wear industry saw a large decline in activity. David Bloom was actually the director of Coach travel products in New York at the time and with his son Case who has a background in art, encouraged the birth of the company. Another interesting note, Case Bloom’s great grandfather is William Feinbloom, the founder of Champion Sportswear and inventor of the first hooded sweatshirt. All of their products are made from nationally sourced materials and fabricated in their Nashville factory.

CONSTRUCTION

Coming in at 20” Long x 14” High x 10″ Deep, the London Duffel is a large bag. The main body is made from American 18oz (per square yard of material) filter twill waxed canvas. Filter twill is a weaving method that utilizes diagonal threading over a plain weave, the result being a stronger, tighter fabric. The leather panels and straps are sourced from Kentucky. They are waxed and vegetable tanned. The shoulder strap is padded and has a very comfortable shearling lined pad. The interior is an orange four-ply Taslan Nylon lining and beefy #9 Riri zipper pulls contain all that awesomeness.

FUNCTION

The London Duffel is a classically styled bag with some great modern features. The properties of the Taslan lining make the material water resistant yet breathable, making this great for gym clothes and such. The bag’s capacity is ample – the savvy traveler will be able to pack for a week and a small family could get away with one London Duffel for an entire weekend.

The interior compartments are spacious but are pretty loose and don’t keep contents contained very well, an elastane strip along the top of the pockets would have been great. I would also like to see a zippered pouch near the top for quick retrieval of smaller items. The adjustable shoulder strap is easy to adjust and the shearling pad makes carrying the bag, even when loaded down, a surprisingly pleasant experience. And thanks to the waxed canvas this bag holds up great in wet conditions. So you can take this bag camping just as easy as you can to Disneyland.

AESTHETIC

The London Duffel is like a Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser. It can handle anything and looks good doing it. The coloring seems to dance from brownish to green depending on the lighting. Quality just seems to exude from the bag and it looks just as good on a bellman’s cart as it does thrown next to a pile of logs. It’s not the type of bag you’ll want to baby, thank goodness, and the waxed canvas does a great job of repelling stains. When at the airport, I’d definitely keep a close eye on the baggage carousel or else you might not get it back.

CONCLUSION

There’s a lot to choose from in the big bag market, if you’re not getting anywhere in your search, I heartily recommend Tucker & Bloom’s London Duffel. The capacity has you covered no matter what you’re doing and the solid construction will see you through it.

December 19, 2014December 19, 2017

Everlane Suede Weekender Bag Review – $135

San Francisco is the place to be for any energetic start up looking to cash in on a fresh demographic. From app companies to new age sandwich shops, its sloped hills house thousands of young-blood ventures that desire to shake things up. Everlane was founded by some such folks, with the intent to cut out the middle-man in clothing manufacturing. Directly linking customers with information about which factories produce their goods and all of the costs associated, they make it possible to buy designer basics knowing exactly how much any item has been marked up. From knitwear to basic leather goods, Everlane represents an affordable alternative to normally expensive clothing or trappings. I got my hands on their Suede Weekender Bag, a $135 duffel meant for short excursions or weekends out.

FUNCTION

There are two small straps which allow the duffel to be carried like a tote. After just a short while though, carrying it like this is uncomfortable. Since there is no shoulder strap option, the only other methods of holding the bag are to sling it onto your back or carry it over your arm like a purse. Neither are highly suitable for long term movement. This is a bag that is meant to be taken from taxi to airport or car to home, not lugged around for extended periods of time; but the spacious design is suitable for short or long term use, since it’s essentially one open compartment with a small, zippered area sewn into the interior. This area and a pocket on the exterior make it possible to keep a few small items from being swallowed up in the bulk of the bag, without disrupting the appeal of the amorphous design. Since it is relatively formless, larger and more cumbersome objects can fit into this weekender than the traditional rucksack. As long as you pack with some level of organization, this is a convenient place to store a large amount of items.

CONSTRUCTION

The suede is nice enough to keep the bag both soft and sturdy, while retaining a sleek high-fashion appeal. It’s also noticeably soft to the touch, as is the interior canvas lining. The leather that comprises the straps, zipper pulls, and piping is thick and attractive. The portion of the zipper that is leather-lined is double stitched, along with a couple of the other leather details. This is a solid bag, but only in the context in which it is intended to be used. You might not bring this weekender with you on a trip out to the slopes; but it would be very well suited to being paired with…well, a suit. It would last much longer as a stylistic accoutrement than if much abuse were to distress the supple exterior. Given a tame environment and gentle owner, it could last a decade.

AESTHETIC

With a company focused on making designer goods available to the public straight from the factory, much of the appeal revolves around the elegance and simplicity of attractively designed products. This weekender is no exception to that rule. A hot ticket item in the designer market right now, this style of bag has a classic silhouette. This combined with the minimalist detailing and beautiful suede exterior of the offering give it a fantastic look. You could just as easily take it on a weekend trip to the coast as you could bring it to Milan during fashion week. That’s really the purpose of this bag; it’s high fashion made affordable.

CONCLUSION

Everlane makes it easy to find out how much it cost to produce your item, the markup, and what a traditional retailer might have sold it for. Listed directly under the product description and factory information is a chart showing the cost of materials, hardware, labor, duties, and transport associated with whatever item you are viewing. With a production cost of $82, the traditional retail value projected at $400, and the Everlane price rests satisfactorily on $135, this Suede Weekender is a good buy. That is to say, its a good for anyone who wants what they’re offering: a stylistically based design with good materials and great functionality. You might not be able to take this duffel into the forest on your dirt bike, but with the kind of looks it draws in the city, you may never want to.