Week In Review ~ 11 August

We have a pretty sweet selection of bags lined up for you in this Week In Review.  Plus, since these bags are sure to inspire you to get out and about, we also have a handy guide for creating your own emergency flash drive to take with on your travels…

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Carry Candy: Bonastre Messenger Bag

Some people just have a gift for designing beautiful things.  Fernando Bonastre is one of those people.  This Bonastre messenger bag is proof of that statement.  Seriously, just look at it.  Aren’t you already wondering what you could sell in order to buy it (be warned, you’re going to have to be selling a fair amount of stuff…)?  The bag is handmade in Spain (though the brand is based in Paris) and is constructed out of vegetable tanned leathers.  The messenger features Alce hardware, Raccagni zippers, two exterior pockets and a detachable shoulder strap.

The Bare Essentials

The Urban Vagabond backpack from BEXAR Goods Co. (pronounced ‘Bare’ and based in Bexar County, Texas) takes inspiration from mountaineering backpacks used by early pioneers.  The pack has a waxed canvas exterior and waxed canvas liner, two leather closure straps and hand-hammered copper rivets at the primary stress points.  The depth of the main compartment is 24 inches unrolled and 18 inches when the top is rolled and the pack measures 16 inches wide.  Each handmade pack has adjustable leather shoulder straps, two smaller compartments at the front and comes in a color choice of brown, black or grey (currently sold out).  In addition, the pack has no zippers but instead uses metal studs to secure the straps closed.  This presents many benefits – a) no faulty zip blocking access to your water whilst traipsing around the outdoors in hallucination-inducing temperatures; b) quick access to your phone when that bear, which you thought was a hallucination, starts chasing you…

Spreading The Message Of Environmentally-Friendly Style

The Veja Facteur Messenger is constructed out of organic cotton and leather tanned through the use of eco-friendly Acacia plant extracts.  The messenger has a simple and stylish leather strap with buckle closure, an adjustable shoulder strap and several side compartments in addition to the main compartment.  Green credentials, functional and good looks – can’t say fairer than that, can you?

Flash To The Rescue

So you’re in a foreign country, you eat a food you had no idea you were allergic to, your face starts swelling up and turning an interesting purpley hue, you stagger outside to find a taxi to take you to the nearest hospital, you’re not thinking clearly and get hit by a car which knocks you unconscious, your wallet and phone are stolen off you in your unconscious state and when you wake up (wherever that may be) you have temporary amnesia from a ton of metal slamming into you.  No ID, no memory, no idea who to contact to help you out.  Okay so maybe this situation is extreme but even one of these elements happening to you can seriously affect your travels, hence why it’s an awesome idea to create an emergency flash drive that contains loads of vital information for a range of emergency situations.  For a guide on how to create this incredibly useful flash drive, click here.

Bootmaker Steps Into The Creative Field

Outdoor goods maker Filson and French clothing and boot-maker Le Chameau have collaborated to produce this stylish-looking oil finish Le Chameau Medium Field Bag.  The bag is constructed out of Filson’s hardwearing oil finish twill and features a natural rubber bottom courtesy of Le Chameau that resists cracks and cuts.  The field bag’s top flap has a Mackinaw wool lining and there are two side pockets, two front pockets and one back pocket.  The field bag is constructed in the USA and can be used for day-to-day carry needs or as carry-on luggage.