many options, choose best
While typing away furiously at my favorite coffee haunt I caught the lovely brown of a messenger bag slide past my peripheral. Sure enough! This bag was purchased 15 years ago in Germany and has held up well to moderate use. It spent several years tucked away in a closet where it acquired a severe drywall stain but otherwise looks none the worse. All the zippers still work great, none of the stitching is frayed, and the leather is holding up well.
Enjoy!
Often I’ll be sitting somewhere pounding away on my laptop when I catch the flash of brown leather breezing by and subsequently get up and go chase down the confused owner. It usually goes one of two ways, they think I’m a weirdo and leave, or we talk leather for a while and I get a few photos.
This cool little bag is Jamin’s satchel for carrying his notepad, pens, iPad, Leatherman, and maybe even a slim book.
It was handmade (obviously) in Morocco and given to Jamin as a gift. I know some people who demand only the straightest of stitching and finest of construction and may turn their nose up at this unique piece, but I would not. How cool is leather hand-fashioned into a satchel by someone on the other side of the world? It tells a vague story about the realm outside our little world. There are other people who live different lives and have different priorities that make things. Chances are these profits fed a family.
I was somewhat surprised by how much one could fit in the satchel.
This is a great color that I expect will wear very nicely.
Even though some of the angles aren’t quite right the satchel will last quite a while. The stitching is heavy duty and well done. None of it was fraying. The leather was also quite heavy and supple.
Quite a deal for $60!
I met this interesting fellow from England (just moved) during a layover in Seattle. He had purchased this fairly heavy duty Ashwood Briefcase in England before moving to the US.
Amazon only had this variation. The price isn’t bad at $180. I only had a few minutes with the bag but I did get a good feel on the leather and it felt substantial. Couldn’t tell off the bat if it was full grain or top grain, but it was fairly thick.
Visually, the strap d rings seem like weak points. Personally I’m not a fan of the faux buckles, though they are faster to latch. They seem cheesy to me.
This lovely old briefcase was made and purchased in Chad, Africa over thirty years ago by Kevin, a regular at my favorite office… errr… coffee shop.
The leather is full grain leather but the coating is coming off and dryness is taking its toll. Several parts of the briefcase have ripped or cracked. Ten years ago the stitching was redone and Kevin is trying to decide to keep investing in repairs. I say absolutely! This briefcase has amazing history from around the world. It would be a shame not to condition it up and stitch it up one more time. Hopefully it will live on.
Enjoy!
I met a guy who bought this vintage Bosca beauty for $80 at a vintage store. Despite being 20+ years old the leather and stitching is in great shape. It could probably use some leather conditioner though. Keep your leather well conditioned if you want it to last a long time. Continue reading “In The Wild: Vintage Bosca Briefcase”
