The Definitive MANBAG Thread Part I: 2009-2014

[Exdeath]

Quote:
I'm not a huge fan of the design though, or the handle. That and Mitchell does edge binding and a ton of reinforcement. The price is oof though.

 

[pdsf]

Hides can be ordered by thickness. It's a pain trying to reduce thickness of a piece of leather without a machine. When I make my leather stuff, I always need to make the edges thinner and it's a skill I need to keep practicing on and on and on...

No doubt Myron and Kari Glaser are ace. They definitely hand finish their leather and yeah, I can believe they trim their hides to the desired thickness, too.

Lack of use of cordovan in making bags is probably due to its size. It's real leather (lovely leather!!!!) but better for shoes and wallets.

Use of horween leather is not uncommon. Horween is a big tannery in/near Chicago and I keep seeing their name everywhere now. I have seen their Chromexcel used in many leather goods. Exdeath, keep looking!

 

[fazalmajid]

Quote:
Well, design is a matter of personal taste, obviously. Glaser sells a lot to people in the petroleum industry, who need really tough luggage, and there is quite a bit of reinforcement using nylon thread, even if it is less showy than metal hardware.

 

[fazalmajid]

Hides can be ordered by thickness. It's a pain trying to reduce thickness of a piece of leather without a machine. When I make my leather stuff, I always need to make the edges thinner and it's a skill I need to keep practicing on and on and on...

No doubt Myron and Kari Glaser are ace. They definitely hand finish their leather and yeah, I can believe they trim their hides to the desired thickness, too.

Yes, I've seen the machine they use for this, they'll give you a tour if you ask nicely. Perhaps that's why the production delays are so long ;-)

 

[pdsf]

^ I have visited Myron and co - that was a quite few years ago though. It was a wonderful experience.

 

[Exdeath]

Horween isn't my only criteria - I'm picky about what I like in my bags. Edge binding, lined interiors without exposed rivets, nice hardware, even a bit of waxed canvas at times - all those get kudos from me. So far, I've looked through quite a few manufacturers and haven't really seen much that looks nicer than Mitchell's offerings (especially some of his stuff in Horween Shrunken Bison, and Dublin). Granted, most of those other manufacturers are like 1/3rd the price or even less, though.

 

[letmefly]



This is the bag I'm waiting for btw. Very curious to see it in person!

After grabbing my grailbag Louis Vuitton Tobago Carryall a while back I've recently come to realize that it is just a tiny bit small for my size 45s, water bottle and "beauty bag". To me that is close to the perfect gymbag otherwise (looking past that it is slightly overpriced of course)...

I've received my Ben Minkoff bag now and used it the other day for going to the gym. After using smaller bags before I have to say I really appreciated the slightly bigger size. We don't have any lockers and this one fits all my stuff apart from coat and jacket while training. Looks very cool with this all black quite matt finish. The picture is quite accurate which is always a nice touch. Fairly light. Decent pebbled leather. Holds it's shape decently when empty. Only possible concern is the zipper which looks and feels quite sturdy but no idea of the make and no markings. Time will tell I guess but in all this was a very positive surprise.

 

[ErikW]

Quote: I took a little closer look at the Horween options that Mitchell offers...pretty amazing. Stretching the budget a bit though - $1580 for CXL. If I want CXL and shell it's an extra $200. Oh...and an 8 month waiting list! I keep telling myself that it'll last the rest of my life, right?

 

[Jr Mouse]

I owned one of Mitchell Leather's clip wallets once that I ended up flipping after several months of use. It was just the normal calf leather option, but honestly I wasn't impressed. Leather didn't feel that nice and was kind of thin. My experience might not be indicative of what others have had of the brand, but it did sour me to the idea of returning to them.

 

[pdsf]



I've received my Ben Minkoff bag now and used it the other day for going to the gym. After using smaller bags before I have to say I really appreciated the slightly bigger size. We don't have any lockers and this one fits all my stuff apart from coat and jacket while training. Looks very cool with this all black quite matt finish. The picture is quite accurate which is always a nice touch. Fairly light. Decent pebbled leather. Holds it's shape decently when empty. Only possible concern is the zipper which looks and feels quite sturdy but no idea of the make and no markings. Time will tell I guess but in all this was a very positive surprise.

Thanks for the review!

 

[Ennius]

I need a new garment bag - any suggestions?

And probably should replace my main business luggage - the old black Tumi roll suitcase that fits in the overhead bin. Suggestions?

Thanks

 

[fazalmajid]

I need a new garment bag - any suggestions?

And probably should replace my main business luggage - the old black Tumi roll suitcase that fits in the overhead bin. Suggestions?

You probably want something utilitarian rather than fancy like most bags discussed on this thread. I have a tri-fold Briggs & Riley garment bag. It won't hold as much as a bi-fold, but it folds down to a very compact size and still has room to carry a pair of suits and change of clothing for a 3-4 day trip.

The Briggs & Riley warranty is the best in the business - they will fix a bag for life no questions asked as to whose fault the damage is. All you do is pay for shipping to their service center.

 

[Vashin]

If any of you guys are in Toronto my friend is making some Horween bags for the one of a kind show in March. (a big crafts market/show thing) She does this on the side so she could only buy enough horween for a few bags. She hasn't made them yet but I think they'll be messengers. Here are a few of her all leather bags.

 

[Desi]

Those backpacks are not bad at all.

 

[Ennius]

You probably want something utilitarian rather than fancy like most bags discussed on this thread. I have a tri-fold Briggs & Riley garment bag. It won't hold as much as a bi-fold, but it folds down to a very compact size and still has room to carry a pair of suits and change of clothing for a 3-4 day trip.

The Briggs & Riley warranty is the best in the business - they will fix a bag for life no questions asked as to whose fault the damage is. All you do is pay for shipping to their service center.

Thanks for the info. I am following up on their website now. I agree functionality and durability are key.