First Impressions – Rugged Material Messenger Bag

Recently I reached out to the good folks at Rugged Material. Having successfully funded and provided goods through a Kickstarter campaign, I expected great things. I think it is fairly understated to have the ability to speak directly with the founder of a staffed company as a first-time customer. I got that experience from Tyler Condie, the founder of Rugged Material. He’s surrounded by a great team of folks dedicated towards designing and making goods guaranteed for life, and proudly made in the USA. Tyler was kind enough to send in a pull-up brown messenger bag that I’ll be giving my first impressions on, with a long-term use review in the future.

The Rugged Material Messenger Bag is a merge between the classic messenger design with modernized, rugged construction. The exterior of the bag is constructed of four major pieces of full grained oil-tan leather, with additional belt straps and a front pocket which bears the laser-burned logo. A polyester thread is used that is UV-resistant and also resistant to breakdown from leather creams and conditioners. Nickel-plated brass hardware is evident in the rivets, d rings, and handle. The closures are constructed of matte finished aluminum slide release buckles. The outside dimensions of the bag are 16.5″ x 5″ x 13″.

While the bag is definitely rugged, it has some formal finishing. The rounded corners on the leather as well as the attention to detail played on the stitching of the entire bag and the handle make solid statements.

The strap is the epitome of ruggedness – substantial full grain leather with nylon webbing (think seat-belt) stitched to the backside to prevent stretching and sustain heavy loads. This webbing is also implemented in the d-rings for the shoulder strap attachment as well as the handle. Adjustment of the strap is simple using tri-glide keepers and the bag can be worn on one shoulder like a briefcase or cross body like a messenger. The width of the strap is 1.5 inches, not too thick to look overbearing on a person of smaller stature and expandable from 36” to 59”.

The interior of the bag is nicely lined on the front and back with a black pigskin leather. This adds rigidity to the bag as well as it is a durable, easy to clean surface in case of spills. I do wish that a piece of pigskin coated the bottom of the bag, but that may add too much construction/rigidity if stitched in. A removable piece of pigskin would be nice to prevent spills to the bottom as well as stash extra bills or small documents under. The pockets hold a cellphone, most 14 inch laptops, and a full sized iPad or similar tablet. The front pocket could easily hold document folders, receipts, and other small items.

After handling this bag initially, I can say that the Rugged Material Messenger Bag is one of the bags I wish I’d had to get through undergraduate and graduate studies. At $295 it is very competitively priced among bags of the same dimensions and quality. Being a direct-to-consumer company, customers are not hit with the additional costs associated with outsourcing production from companies that choose to only design their products. Going along with their motto, their bag is USA-made and guaranteed for life. The bag is also set to handle the working environments I am in, so I am looking forward to giving it some long term use and following up on its durability and function.

February 3, 2016December 19, 2017

CRAFT & LORE ENFOLD WALLET REVIEW – $65.00

OK, so you need a wallet. You’ve went on Amazon and saw a lot of space age, high tech, RFID blocking, butt massaging wallets. They caught the eye but seemed gimmicky. Next, you went on Pinterest and found no less than 57 lovely candidates for back pocket carry, but that became wearisome really quickly. Finally you hit up BestLeather and are so burnt out you just want something that’s simple, looks good and performs. Enter Craft & Lore’s Enfold Wallet.

CONSTRUCTION

The Enfold is born in Northern Idaho from 3 pieces of Horween Dublin leather. Everything is held together using the highly effective hand saddle stitch. The stitching is very tight and shows zero looseness. The diagram below, taken from the Craft & Lore website, illustrates this nicely.

The leather is a 4 oz so the thickness is about 1/16th of an inch. The dimensions are 4.25″ x 3″ x .75 when reasonably stocked with your cards, cash and obsolete Blockbuster Video rental card. On my scale the weight is 50 grams when empty.

FUNCTION

The name of the game here is simplicity. With three compartments the Enfold makes organizing pretty straightforward. The open slot on the back is best for the cards you use most. I reserve it for my Driver’s License and credit card. The inner front pocket is my overflow parking for loyalty cards and pictures of my calico kitten, Muzzles. The cash pocket can accommodate a fair number of bills but, albeit folded. I’m not really a fan of folding cash as it is harder to sort and slower to retrieve as compared to a billfold. But it’s also a lot slimmer and more compact than a billfold so you have to decide which is more important to you. Thanks to the slim profile, I can front pocket carry the Enfold and even fit it in the chest pocket of my flannels.

AESTHETIC

The Enfold is a simple, good looking wallet. It’s not over the top and it’s not sloppy. The clean, uncluttered design under promises and over delivers. As with any quality leather piece, your days of hard use will pay off with a gracefully aging accessory.

CONCLUSION

The Enfold is a solid, no frills wallet. While it doesn’t really stand out from the pack of high quality hand made wallets we usually review, it does maintain the standard we’ve come to appreciate. If you’re looking for the latest, trendiest designer wallet then looks elsewhere. If you just need a faithful companion to hold your cash and cards, the Craft & Lore Enfold is a viable option.

March 10, 2015December 19, 2017

Leather Head Sports Burgundy Chromexcel 12lb Medicine Ball – $350

We see a lot of great products here at BestLeather. We’re always on the hunt for quality leather goods to showcase, and every once in a awhile we get the opportunity to review something that really stands out. The Leather Head Sports Burgundy Chromexcel 12lb Medicine Ball is one of those products. Read on and find out why.

Leather Head Sports 12lb Medicine Ball (11)

ABOUT LEATHER HEAD SPORTS

Leather Head Sports was founded by Paul Cunningham, the former Photo Editor for Major League Baseball. After leaving the MLB he gained valuable experience as the senior baseball glove craftsman at a small glove importer. Wanting to break away from creative confines, he founded Leather Head Sports whose signature Lemon Ball Baseballs and Leather Head Footballs have gained a lot of popularity. Heck, one of his footballs can be seen being carried by Bradley Cooper’s character in Silver Linings Playbook! And with everything being handmade in their New Jersey workshop, what’s not to like?

Leather Head Sports 12lb Medicine Ball (9)

CONSTRUCTION

Leather Head Sports offers medicine balls in several different sizes and color options. They even offer custom weight ranges if you want a graduated set. The model we’re reviewing is the Burgundy Chromexcel 12lb model. As the name implies, it’s constructed of very thick 5oz Horween Chromexcel full grain leather. It’s weighty interior is actually full of shredded leather scraps generated from all the goods they manufacture. The 7 long panels and 2 circular panels are sewn with polyester thread and lock stitched twice for extra strength. Leather Head states the weights can vary slightly, this ball weighed 11lbs 9oz, still very hefty!

Leather Head Sports 12lb Medicine Ball (14)

FUNCTION

Once you’ve acclimated to the sheer presence of this piece, you’ll see that it is a medicine ball and meant for exercise. While it looks great on a bookshelf next to a few trophies, its true home is in your hands doing some ab work. Medicine balls might seem like a relic of the past, meant for boxers of a bygone era as a tool to toughen up the core. They still do however offer great resistance options for crunches, lunges, and squats. After a workout, this ball doesn’t stop there. I found it makes an excellent armrest on the couch while watching TV. Even my 5 month old daughter was intrigued by this strange stuffed animal! Handling the ball is truly a sensory experience. The weight in your hands, the smell of the leather and the shade of deep burgundy all add to the fun of handling the ball.

Leather Head Sports 12lb Medicine Ball (8)

AESTHETIC

I could extol on the beauty of this piece all day long. All of Leather Head Sport’s products have that wonderful nostalgic vibe and the medicine ball delivers in every capacity. It simply looks amazing from every angle. You can see no corners were cut (Well I’m sure plenty of corners were cut to make it, I was speaking figuratively) in its fabrication. The rawhide lace is tight and the cursive Leather Head branding harkens back to an era of American made prowess seldom experienced from consumer goods. Much like a Swingline 333 or a Braun ET66, the Leather Head 12lb Medicine Ball not only performs well, it does so with brilliant style.

Leather Head Sports 12lb Medicine Ball (10)

CONCLUSION

At $350 dollars this might seem like an extravagance for most. However, imagine a man in a workshop. He’s leaning over a table cutting leather, hunched on a stool sewing the seams, expertly lacing everything together. Sometimes you find a product that is worth the splurge, especially when you consider what went into it and the fun you’ll have owning it. Leather Head Sports Burgundy Chromexcel 12lb Medicine Ball is a perfect example of that.