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Carry Collaborations
Chimera, by definition, is “a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.” In Greek mythology, the term specifically refers to a mythological beast made of many parts… creating one incredible super creature.
This collaboration follows this same wild blueprint. One pack forged from many parts. Parts carefully selected from Bellroy’s legendary stable for their design excellence – combined to create one of the greatest everyday packs we’ve ever seen.
Introducing the Bellroy x Carryology Chimera.
THE OWL AND THE COMMUNITY
This collaboration has been a long time coming. Many of you have listed this as your dream collab. But we’ve been dreaming of this for even longer!
You see, I joined Carryology in 2010, just a little under a year after it was launched. And thus, I’ve known Andy Fallshaw (founder of Carryology who then went on to found Bellroy) for more than a decade, and we’ve talked about this over years, a conversation rippling in time.
And since our inception, our brands have soared off on two different trajectories. Our Carryology community growing to a global audience, becoming a campfire for the industry as a whole to gather around. And Bellroy burgeoning from innovating slim wallets to one of the world’s greatest carry brands.
But now it felt right for us to come together. To combine our DNAs to build something from the ground up. Something that weaved together our design learning. Something special to stoke the carry community.
THE BIRTH OF CHIMERA
In our first design meetings, the concept was distilled quickly. We found ourselves referencing different packs, their strengths, the design elements we loved. Piecing them together. Imagining what combining them would look like. It was organic, really. And then it came… what if we take all of our favorite Bellroy elements, and combine them together? To make our ultimate everyday pack. The very best elements from the Apex, the Transit Line, the Shift and MAAP collabs, the Classic V2… it would be a Chimera. One fantastic beast, created from the parts of many.
We would throw everything at it, both teams working at full tilt. Bellroy’s full team of incredibly talented designers, pattern makers, materials experts, and more. All in-house. A small army of legendary minds: ten from Bellroy’s design team in total, two from Carryology’s, and five expert Carryology contributors (Bo Ismono, Vincent Tse, David Vo, Laurence Fry, Brandon Vulaj, and John Pangilinan) to help refine the project, and refine again.
LEATHER INNOVATION TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL
Bellroy’s expertise in leather is world-class and so we knew we had to let them do what they do best. So we set them a challenge: to find the pinnacle of leather innovation – and Bellroy’s team did not disappoint. They reached out to the best leather supplier in the world, ECCO Leather (the magicians behind Dyneema bonded leather) and dug through the newest breakthroughs to pinpoint the performance FSDX. A brand new innovation that bonds top-grain leather with a lightweight ripstop, cutting down weight while reinforcing with strength.
This stuff is space-age, but still retains the luxurious look, feel, and patina of real leather. A 3-layer composite construction; a leather top layer, a ripstop flat yarn mid-layer, and backed with a balance woven nylon. It has incredible tear resistance, improved tensile strength, is lightweight, and is finished with a water-resistant treatment. High-tech performance meets classic handfeel and looks and vibe. It was so compelling, it would become the hero, covering the entire front panel in one glorious piece, and accenting the grab handle and flap for extra impact and handfeel.
A CELEBRATION OF RIPSTOP
The invention of ripstop occurred to fill one dilemma: to produce lightweight fabrics with strength. The weave was first invented in the early 20th century, used in parachutes, and has followed on to proliferate in the pack industry for its awesomeness and carrying properties.
We’ve always been fans of the sweeping grid pattern, and so we decided to celebrate it to its fullest. Going in search of an equally amazing secondary ripstop to complement the luscious FSDX.
Working with Bellroy’s materials expert, we found the perfect solution. First, it starts off with recycled nylon, which is hit with a crinkle finish for incredible handfeel and durability.
While similar to Bellroy’s famous Baida nylon, it’s unique to this collab. It’s slightly less stiff so it’s even easier to use, providing just a touch of stretch and drape. The best way to describe it would be a Baida crinkle nylon micro ripstop, custom created by an expert Taiwanese mill and hit with a PU X2 backer for improved water resistance.
CLEAN, MINIMAL, AND VERSATILE
The combination of the micro Baida and FSDX is one killer combination: luxurious, technical, lightweight and rugged, all at the same time. And you know we had to go #allblackeverything. Because of this, this pack can go anywhere: from the streets, to offices and everything in-between, blending in and standing out in perfect harmony.
Patterned with an idea of lightness, with a modified base, and smooth sweeping shape, the Chimera shape is clean and timeless. This was all thanks to the in-house Bellroy pattern ninja formerly from Arc’teryx apparel, who sculpted the silhouette in the Bellroy HQ.
All in all, 14 sub-assemblies were created and then 8-9 different full prototypes, each inching closer to perfection, resulting in the final Chimera.
APEX ACCESS AND ORGANIZATION
We’re Carryology… of course we’re going to aim for the stars and select the most premium product available for inspiration when it comes to these collabs. Well, for us, the Apex’s shining features are the access and organization. We just had to have that incredible full-access Apex flap with dual vertical YKK zippers, so you can get to all your gear when you need it, and get to it fast and without friction.
Then, we rethought the Apex top flap. While the Apex is a thing of beauty, we wanted to make it even more functional and even more beautiful. So the flap went back under the knife for some resculpting, making it a little less wide, and more sculpted with an updated pattern.
The interior uses the same four-way stretch gigamesh pocketing as the Apex, and incorporates the Apex’s ‘tool kit’ approach to pockets, offering up a ring of quality pocketing, easy to access, and out of the crush zones.
URBAN-READY DETAILS
At 18L and expanding to 22L, the Chimera would be our ultimate everyday pack but with refinement and elegance dialed up, so this pack could move into more formal and fashion environments.
To make sure we were nailing those urban-ready needs, we included a list of finer details: strap keepers to keep your dangling webbing neat and clean. A suspended laptop compartment and tablet sleeve. And a gigamesh-lined quick-access pocket on the top lid, to keep your sunnies or valuables snug and protected from scratches.
ELEGANT HIGH-VIS INTERIOR
A signature feature of our collaboration. Unlike our eye-melting interiors of the past, we’ve bumped up the elegance and refinement here, selecting a three-tone interior for inside the main compartment, so there’s still our signature high visibility but dialed down to a work-friendly vibe.
HIDDEN POCKETING FOR TRANSIT
I’ve gone on record to say the two rear access pockets on the Transit and Transit Plus are my two favorite pockets in any carry product I’ve ever carried. Seriously. I love them that much. On my international travels, these pockets have held anything from my Essentials pencil case to my sunglasses, a water bottle, and/or passport in its Bellroy Apex Passport Cover. So these were a critical addition to us. Not only did the Bellroy design team love it, but together we completely redesigned the pockets and back panel with an hourglass silhouette. This provides easier access to the pockets as well as additional volume to the pockets, allowing you to carry larger items without stealing a bunch of your interior volume.
Lastly, the pockets are lined with PU-coated ripstop to create an additional water barrier, just in case you’re storing a leaky water bottle in there, and for that little extra peace of mind.
A SHIFT IN CLOSURES
The iconic Slide Hook mechanism first designed on the Bellroy Shift would be our chosen closure. It allows for a secure, unique, easy, and fast access solution to a well-secured main compartment. Access and security. Cast from metal (nickel) and then coated with a black top hardcoat for durability. Our system is redesigned with two different layers of webbing, so the hook slides in easily, and interlocks with the second layer of internal webbing to keep things closed via solid positive engagement – but still pops open easily when you want it to.
The webbing weaves through the front layer of leather, providing several loops down the front panel to help the pack expand and accommodate however much you’re carrying, allowing you to refine the fit throughout the day.
PERFORMANCE HARNESS
The completely redesigned harness is one of our favorites in the game for daily carry packs. A long air channel sweeps down the spine for air circulation and two flanks hug the back with premium air mesh to provide comfort for long days of carry.
The shoulder straps use a dual-density foam design (soft on the underside for comfort and hard on the top for structure) in an edgeless contoured form, designed to fit snug to the body. The straps also use gigamesh for the underside of the straps for a luxe and gentle feel against the skin.
BUILT TO LAST
We always want our collaborations to be long-lasting pieces of awesomeness and this was no different. The micro ripstop Baida would do a fine job of warding off scuffs and scratches but the Bellroy team went above and beyond, secreting reinforcements ‘under the hood’ with hidden bartacks and reinforcing all major intersections, with strong and bold box stitches to secure the top and cushy grab handle.
CHIMERA FOR MORALE
We brought on the genius Hadrien Monloup, one of the co-founders of Carryology, to design the morale patch and our very own mythological Chimera to represent this collaboration.
It would be a coming together of three creatures close to our hearts: the Owl, representing Bellroy and their brand logo/mascot. A kangaroo to represent Carryology HQ (as we were founded in Australia). And Rattlesnake, to give a nod to the USA side of the Carryology team (specifically Texas, where I reside).
It would be a patch designed for storytelling and performance – a four-layer print on a reflective patch, so you can attach it to your pack when on the bike or walking at night, and it’ll catch those headlights and keep you safe.
We took some inspiration from the Bellroy x MAAP Shift Backpack, which had two reinforced loops towards the base, there to add an LED flashing light for cyclists to be seen when commuting. We took these two loops and created a custom folding patch to wrap over and around, using a molded hook to attach securely.
Want to flash your Owl/Kangaroo/Rattlesnake Chimera patch? Attach it in just a second. Or keep your Chimera clean, pop your patch into a pocket, and have the option to add a bike light (or whatever else you’d like).
PREMIUM POCKET COMPANION
You know we couldn’t do a project with Bellroy and not do a wallet. And so this is the Chimera Collection – the ultimate everyday pack with the ultimate everyday wallet.
Inspired by the Bellroy Slim Sleeve Premium, this pocket companion is wrapped in ECCO’s FSDX bonded ripstop leather, and kitted out with high-vis pull-tab and surprise Chimera beast print.
It’s a standout luxe piece that will patina, feel great in the hand, and complement your Chimera pack like no other.
THE RAREST CHIMERA
This is a pack made of many parts, but all working together to create one truly fantastic beast, for a project between two brands born from the same founders, finally coming together on our first backpack project.
We’re proud of this one. And we know it’s going to stoke you. So make sure to act fast. This is a very special project designed for the carry community, in a one-time-only drop.
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LAUNCH DATE AND TIME
Tuesday, April 19th, 8PM (New York City).
Shipping globally.
UPDATE – EARLY SHOP LINKS!
So folks aren’t scrambling to get from our Exclusive Release Article to Bellroy.com, we’ve made it one step easier.
Hit the shop links below a few minutes before the release time and refresh the page until it goes live! Then you’ll have a very short window to ‘BUY NOW’!
Good luck!
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(Canadian readers: our apologies, there's been a delay to Bellroy's Canadian warehouse and a 2-3 week delivery delay is expected)
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INTERNATIONAL RETAIL PARTNERS
Launching April 26th and 27th (various drop times). Please visit retailers' socials channels for specific drop times.
Taylor Welden
Creative Director | Industrial Designer
Taylor designs for countless carry brands, across every carry category. He’s contributed to the lost art of manly moustaches, and earned a reputation for reviews that keep our core carry nuts learning.
WAYS TO CARRY
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