Ultra Takes the Stage

What we’re really referring to when we talk about UHMWPE (U-PE) or its more common brand names are the fibers that are utilized in the end product. Oftentimes when someone says “Dyneema®”, what they really mean is Dyneema® Composite Fabric; a lamination of nonwoven Dyneema® U-PE fibers and a polyester face. Or, when someone refers to Ultra, it’s Challenge Sailcloth’s flagship line of fully woven U-PE faced laminates. However, these brand names encompass a much wider range of textiles and technologies than is usually referenced in common conversation. For example you could be talking about Ultra100, Ultra200, Ultra400, Ultra800, Ultra200TX, Ultra400TX, UltraGrid, or UltraStretch… and the list goes on.

This lineup of fabrics have one thing in common: the use of Challenge Sailcloth’s U-PE fibers, better known simply as Ultra. In today’s world of softgoods, it’s easily one of the most innovative fabric initiatives we’ve seen disrupt the industry in a long while. Alongside Challenge’s more mainstream ECOPAK products, Ultra has taken over higher end offerings from brands across the board.

The fully woven laminate offerings, Ultra100 to 800, use a matching denier face consisting of a blend of Ultra and high-tenacity polyester fibers laminated to a 0.5mm recycled UV treated PET film. These fabrics, above all else, are a truly unique option with off the charts strength; gram-for-gram it is 15x stronger than steel. The use of a woven U-PE top layer rather than a polyester top layer means that Ultra fabrics have double the tear strength of comparable composite fabrics, and seven times the abrasion resistance. This is why we’re working Ultra fabrics into our collaboration program.

Keen to see it put to the test? Like frozen, smashed and dragged for miles through the dirt? Check out Miyagi’s seriously thorough test.

Who’s behind this brand on the rise?

From Sailcloth to Softgoods

Hale Walcoff may not be a name that many know, but it’s one we can attribute to the prominence of laminate materials in softgoods all over the world, and their transition from the sailcloth industry. He’s a sailing World Champion, and has been working in technical textiles for decades, and over the years has been instrumental in the success of many of our favorite fabric brands today, like Dimension Polyant. Let’s put it this way, if you had hands on any of the 20+ X-Pac® styles on the market, it’s likely Hale designed it.

After a sabbatical, Hale approached North Sails about creating a pilot program for recycled polyester laminates; something better for the environment. Around this time is when we start seeing the first peeks at what would eventually be called ECOPAK and Ultra; check out some of the Triple Aught Design prototypes floating around out there. However, in early 2020, when the world was disrupted by a pandemic, the program was unfortunately shut down.

As we know, the story doesn’t end there. With the support of his friends at Challenge Sailcloth, Hale was able to restart the program, and that’s where he resides today, as Managing Director of Challenge Outdoor, Challenge Sailcloth’s wing of softgoods-focused laminates and fabrics. This is also about the time where we see the development of RUV, a 100% recycled, UV-resistant film.

ECOPAK was the world’s first composite laminate made from 100% recycled fiber and film.

Responsibility Without Sacrifice

Every yard of ECOPAK takes about 20 plastic bottles out of the environment and puts them into a durable good. Even hyper-performant Ultra materials take 5 bottles out per yard thanks to Challenge Outdoor’s proprietary lamination technology. This adhesive technology is unique in the fact that it does not use any VOC-laden solvents. VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are toxic pollutants. When these VOC-containing-solvents are used in the lamination process they also require energy intensive steps like drying in large oven-rooms. ECOPAK and Ultra have no VOCs, and cure at room temperature. Not only is ECOPAK helping clean up the environment, it’s putting our planet first in every step of the process.

All of this drops the carbon footprint of Challenge Outdoor’s recycled polyester fabrics to 50% of that of the typical nylon textiles commonly used in softgoods. Even going beyond the lamination process, all of these textiles are produced at facilities powered by hydroelectric energy. And what’s one of the largest costs, both environmentally and monetarily to the production of textiles and associated softgoods? Transportation. Challenge maintains stock in both the United States and Asia to better support brands around the world.

Challenge is able to accomplish all of this while keeping up with the performance demands of everyone from ultralight hikers to thick-and-thin commuters; not to mention sailors!

Relationships & Development

There’s only one thing that Challenge has put in front of their commitment to the environment, and that’s a commitment to the makers, brands and their customer’s needs. Ultra200 and Ultra100 exist as softgoods fabrics as a result of direct feedback from ultralight customers like LiteAF and Zpacks, who wanted something lighter than Ultra400 for their thru-hiker patrons hitting the trails for thousands of miles at a time. To steer the industry in a more sustainable direction, people still have to want to use your product.

All of this comes down to why we’ve such a break-neck adoption of ECOPAK and Ultra fabrics; from small studios like Greenroom136, DMade Bags, and 1733, to heavy hitters like Bellroy, ULA Equipment, and Shinola. The work that Hale and his team have put into cultivating product, process, and relationship shines through in every layer of Challenge Outdoor. We’re undeniably fans of what we’ve seen, and we’re excited for what the future holds for Challenge and their impacts on the softgoods industry that we all know and love.

Read more about Challenge Outdoor, their wide range of recycled fabrics, and their sustainable textiles initiatives at challenge-outdoor.com

The post Challenge Sailcloth | The Dawn of Ultra™ Fabrics appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Before we dive into the Rucksack #1, it’s important to understand what makes this mountain workshop different. First and foremost, Racing Atelier is a design house, not a bag manufacturer. That might seem like a small difference on paper, but in reality it is the fuel that makes these wonderful packs special. Leander has serious design pedigree, which we discovered when we spoke to him back in 2018, and it is clear that this varied experience brings unique energy to his brand.

After years of admiration, we were ecstatic to get the chance to play with their flagship piece the Rucksack #1. Let’s dive into this unicorn-of-a-pack from Racing Atelier.

Breathtaking Beauty

It’s hard not to be immediately drawn in by the look of the Rucksack #1, after using it for the last six months, I have been stopped by people from every walk of life either exclaiming how they “love your bag” or asking “what is it!?” That type of reaction must be common for every Rucksack #1 owner, because it is a beautiful bag, more like a work of art. We had it hung on the wall at our recent Trakke meet up in Glasgow, and carryologists were ogling it and whispering to each other about “the yellow bag!”.

It’s clear to see why, aside from the striking yellow colour, the silhouette is so subtle that it fits any person who’d slide it on. My wife is a lot more slender than I, but it was perfect for her as we hiked around Oregon. For my shorter friends, they’ve carried it for a day or afternoon and had no issues with either look or comfort. It reminds you of an old school, heritage hiking pack, but step closer and you’ll realise that this is a bag that is a coalescence of the past and future. There are no sharp lines on the Rucksack #1, undulating curves make this a joy to look at, and to carry. Konbu® and leather work in tandem to give you the benefit of modern fabric advances, but with a taste of yesteryear, it’s a potent combination. With a 27 litre capacity, it hits the sweet spot of “not too big” and “not too small”, meaning it’ll cater to a lot of people.

Old world style meets new age materials

You simply can’t write about RA and their products without discussing materials, hardware, and all that comes with it. The level of detail in this Rucksack is quite astounding when you sit with it for twenty minutes and pore over every detail. Konbu®, leather, custom aluminium hardware, Edelrid wax dipped zipper pulls, Edelrid b-ware repurposed cinch closure, RiRi AquaZip, the list goes on and on. Each of these materials are leaders of the pack in their own fields, and when unified, it is something to behold.

You don’t need to do much research to realise how exceptional these materials are. Edelrid is commonly used in parachute lines, the custom aluminium hardware is aircraft grade (designed by RA and made in Germany) while the Konbu® and Leather are favourites at opposite ends of the same scale. 

Konbu® is pure witchcraft. Made by Cordura®, it is 500D nylon fibre that is 30-60% lighter than its traditional counterpart, it is of course durable like most Cordura fabrics, and it is incredibly weather resistant thanks to its DWR coating. Visually it is reminiscent of waxed cotton, but without the weight and the maintenance. Each bag made from Konbu® looks different, just like each waxed cotton bag takes on its own character. The organic aesthetic of Konbu® is reminiscent of Japanese Kelp, where it takes inspiration from.

Not only does it look good, it performs. I’ve carried the Rucksack #1, in all of its bright yellow glory, up and down mountains, across fields and beaches, not once have I been concerned with its weather resistance, while hiking in Oregon, it even took a pasting in a waterfall crossing and all my goodies were dry inside. It is almost impossible to stain, with a quick wipe down after each adventure, it sits pristine and eagerly waiting to get outside again!

I also found that Konbu® pairs beautifully with the custom made leather harness. It may seem romantic, but the marriage of old and new is truly exquisite on the Rucksack #1. This leather harness has to be seen in person to be believed, it is impeccable craftsmanship, and is arguably the most unique part of this bag. Vegetable tanned, this cowhide is painstakingly pieced together, hand rolled, and contorted into the beautiful silhouette that you see. It starts as a pale natural shade, but after just a few short wears it’ll begin to tell its own story, wear its own battle scars, and become uniquely yours.

This isn’t just happenstance either, Leander intentionally made this choice from a performance standpoint first, not an aesthetic one.

He describes how: “I use raw, untreated, vegetable tanned cow leather for the back panel and shoulder straps of the pack because of its functional characteristics: same as our skin the leather used to be skin as well, therefore can adopt better to the climate of our body – this becomes most obvious when we sweat > then it is a lot cooler to the body than a mesh or other material. Then the leather adapts to the shape of our body – the more we wear it, the more we sweat in it, the more often it gets wet the better it will fit our body. And leather is one of the few materials that can be ‘folded’ around the shoulder straps in inside and outside radius without having to fold it, wrinkle…. which I consider a valuable fact to the comfort of the shoulder straps”.

Not only that, since the spring of 2022, all of the leather is sourced from local towns, giving it an even more unique story than any other pack you’ve owned. It’s a circular process that can be admired, culminating in Bavarian leather coming from a known cow, farmer, slaughterhouse, and tannery. Every detail on the leather work is sublime, from the aforementioned stitching, to the hand stamped logo and product number. While I understand leather isn’t for everyone, if you are going to own it, there aren’t many better ways than this.

How does it perform?

Unique materials and innovative manufacture aside, a bag of this cost must do the job, and do it very, very well. The good news is that it does.

Within a few wears, you can already begin to feel the leather harness molding to your body, that is a real pleasure. While all bags break in with use, there is a connection with this leather harness that feels different, and it only gets better. I’ve had no problems with carrying heavy loads in the Rucksack #1, I’ve managed thirty to forty pounds easily. Either hiking gear including layers, food, and water. Or more tech focused carry including cameras, tripods, and the like. There was no notable discomfort and I was astonished at how breathable the back panel proved to be. Although I do think the optional waist strap would have come in useful on longer trips at those higher weights. The adjustable chest strap is a pleasure to use thanks to the simple hook engagement, and is easily used with one hand on the move.

Functionality wise, this version of Rucksack #1 is a simple bag. With one main cavity, a lid pocket, and a side compression strap. The main cavity is probably around 24-25L, while the lid pocket is 2-3L. This lid pocket is protected by the RiRI AquaZip and I found it to be a natural home for wallet, phone, and snacks or accessories. There is also a key loop in there to keep the essentials close by.  The main cavity is whatever you want it to be, and I found myself pairing it with slings and pouches pretty regularly. There is no lining in the Rucksack #1, and I don’t think it’s needed. You can see everything, from the fiber of the leather, to every stitch and join.

This isn’t what you would call quick access by the current standard – there isn’t a secondary access from the side or magnetic closures, but when you look past that, you’ll find my favorite part of the bag. The cinch system.

The delightfulness of this closure system is hard to describe. It’s slow, it takes some getting used to, but once you have it down, it is an absolute joy to use. The custom made hardware shines here from both the rope tension closure, through to the seemingly sailing inspired aluminium and pension tension adjusters. The rope cinch is intertwined with the repurposed Elderid b-ware cord that we mentioned earlier, and the blue adds a wonderful flash of colour as you activate the cinch system. These too take on their own patina and scuffs throughout use, and this bag becomes more and more unique each time you use it. While it is slower to access than I’m accustomed to, it feels very intentional when you do interact, there’s something charming about that.

Orders and Customisation

There is no hiding that this bag isn’t cheap. At 2300 euros, it’s a barrier to most. However, I would say that the Rucksack #1 isn’t just carry, it’s art. It isn’t just any art either, it is personalised, specialised, individual masterpieces. Made to your taste. When you begin your process of ordering with Leander, there are multiple options. While originally designed as a hiking pack, it is not limited to that, and Leander will work with you to create what you desire. Some of the options include: compression straps, axe or pole attachments, laptop sleeve inside, side pockets, waist straps, and different colour webbings. He also offers different materials including Konbu®, Dyneema® and there’s even some special fabrics coming later this year.

Quite the range of choice, however, this isn’t a pick and choose make your own Frankenstein backpack deal, this is a collaborative design process where Leander will take your desires on board and discuss how they can be integrated into the delightful form factor of the Rucksack #1. I love that about Racing Atelier, they create and we’re just along for the ride, riding the coattails.

“Even though not every pack is used heavily outdoor or the like, I want it to be as functional and comfortable as it should be. At first I never say no, because I like to accommodate customers’ wishes. It is my main interest to create a product that is meaningful to the customer – the more it suits his/her needs the more meaningful it becomes”.

Note, it takes approximately four weeks for Leander to create your bag from the beginning of the process.

Why you might like it

I’m going to hedge my bets and say that if you buy a Racing Atelier bag, you’ll never own anything better. It is a work of art, created for you, and no-one will ever have the same bag as you. It is the definition of bespoke, and one that will stay with you and your family for decades. It is pure craftsmanship of the highest level. Recently I watched two owners of other very well respected brands drool over the quality of construction and design of the Rucksack #1. I had to keep my eyes on it at all times!

It’s hard to sum up how I feel about the Rucksack #1. I see its obvious strengths, and some of its less obvious flaws. However, I keep coming back to two things. Firstly, I have never been as excited to wear a bag as I am every time I put this on, I get giddy because I know how unique it is, how comfortable it is, and how different it is. I find great joy in knowing that my “040” Rucksack #1 isn’t anywhere else in the world, just on my back.

Secondly, I have never seen others fawn over a bag the way they do with the Rucksack #1. When I think of our community, and what we aspire to, that is quite something. A celebration of all that people can do, and sharing it with the world. Sometimes, when I wear the Rucksack #1 around town, I feel like I’m wearing a masterpiece on my back, and rather than it being locked away in a private gallery–it’s out there for all to see. I think as Carryologists it can be easy to fall into the trap of criticising bag X for what it doesn’t do compared to bag Y, and we can overlook the intention of the designer. Here, Leander wants to make a bag for you to use, love, and trust. He isn’t trying to make bags that compete with the mass market. That is a wholesome intention that is manifested in his products. 

If you’re a purist, and want a very special experience from conception through to delivery – and to wear a backpack that is truly at the pinnacle of backpack design and product art – the Racing Atelier Rucksack #1 is something well worth investing in.

The post Racing Atelier Rucksack #1 | The World’s Most Luxurious Bespoke Backpack appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

I am not the sort of guy who picks fashion over function, nor am I one to pick the reverse. I want it all.

A couple of years ago when I was the filmmaker and brand consultant for the made-in-the-USA bag company, Tom Bihn, I was fortunate to get to spend a good amount of time with Tom himself. We discussed bag design, manufacturing, and even life in general. It is one of the highlights of my career.

At one point I asked Tom why they didn’t offer any white bags as I’d seen some from other brands that looked amazing. I said that my perfect bag would be the Tom Bihn Synapse 19, but in white fabric. I won’t get into all the details of the conversation, but to summarize, Tom basically said white fabric looks great when it’s new, but get dirty and worn-looking too fast, and suddenly the bag looks gross. He said they’ve tried prototypes out of white a few times, but it’s always the same issue. “In fact,” he said, “we have some white fabric on the shelf. We’ll make you one and you can see for yourself.” What? A one-of-a-kind of my ultimate dream bag?! This can’t be real! But it was real, and they did make one for me. Very exciting. Too exciting!

It’s a beautiful bag, and every time I went to use it, I’d hear Tom’s voice in my head that it would get gross-looking too fast. I couldn’t bring myself to ruin such a beautiful bag. So I just kept it on my wall and looked at it like a painting.

Over the years I’d tried white bags from other companies, but of course, Tom was right. It didn’t take long for those other white bags to lose their magic – that is until I discovered white X-Pac.

I’m not going to dive deep into what X-Pac fabric is, there are lots of resources out there on that, but I will say that it is very lightweight, very durable (for the weight), and in my opinion, stunning to look at. And pops as a face fabric and as a liner. And just as important to me, it stays stunning-looking for a long time, and – at least with the bags I have – if it does get dirty, it cleans up nice and easy. Keep in mind I don’t go out of my way to baby these bags in daily use, but I also haven’t dragged them behind my car, rolled them around in the mud, or generally torture-tested them. I take good care of them and have lots of bags, so none have been used a massive amount. So will they stay looking this good forever? Probably not, but so far, so good!

Take a closer look at my collection of (mostly) all-white X-Pac bags…

Makers

I’m going to start with bags made by makers. These are all brands where most likely the person who designed the bag also sewed the bag and probably answered your email, too. Most (though not all) makers will make their bags customized with fabric and colors you choose. Some let you pick the thread color, or even make functional tweaks to the bag (looking for an extra-long shoulder strap or five superfluous COBRA buckles?). And sometimes it costs the same – or even less – than an equivalent bag from a large manufacturer. If you like any of these white X-Pac designs, make sure you reach out to the individual maker to find out what they can do for you.

The Ancoats Bag Company

From Central Oregon we hop over to the UK where John Clark gets to live what he describes as his micro bag-making daydream. This is what John made for me: The Standard 4 -Way Tote in white X-Pac VX21 with blue front webbing, white VX07 lining, blue contrast stitching on the exterior, and red pop binding and stitching on the inside. John also whipped up a matching white X-Pac Utility Case. I have to start off by saying I consider this bag to be both highly utilitarian and high art at the same time. Details like the triangle stitching on the front outside pockets and webbing zipper garages delight the senses. The level of customizable options should satisfy any bag lover with particular tastes without distracting from what is clearly the work of an artist.

What about functionality? Those who haven’t used a high-end tote-type bag, hop on the bus already and those experienced with the tote style will love the added organization and hybrid carry style this bag affords. The two very large and deep front pockets could each hold a rolled-up sweatshirt, beach towel, etc., while inside an organization panel offers to hold your wallet, mobile phone, pens, and the like near the top of the bag to keep them handy and away from the bottomless pit of wide-open storage inside.

This white X-Pac tote can be carried by hand with the two adjustable side handles and also carried over the shoulder with the included removable, beefy shoulder strap. But it also includes a pair of adjustable shoulder straps with large Fidlock buckles for backpack-style carry, making this one of my favorite personal item bags for air travel and a great bag for trips to the beach. If you need a bag with padded handles and straps because you tend to haul loads of bricks for days at a time, this is not the bag for you. But if you are looking for daily utility with timeless quality and impressive artistry, this is definitely one of those Where-Have-You-Been-My-Whole-Life bags.

D4 Bags

Let’s continue our trip around the world. Our next stop is in Ukraine where Dima from D4 Bags designs his beautifully crafted, custom techwear bags. I got the STLTH EDC Bag in all-black X-Pac. Seven pockets spread out around the bag along with a removable key strap and two pen slots to make this bag easy to organize while the 12″ x 10″ x 1.5″ dimensions keep the bag incredibly compact and slick-looking. Add in the MOLLE attachments – like the straightforward but excellently constructed D4 Molle Pouch in Black X-Pac – and the adjustable cinch straps at the base of the bag and you can easily add additional pouches to the front for more storage and a rolled-up jacket or compact umbrella to the base, allowing this bag to easily carry more than its diminutive size would imply.

One of the inside pockets is nicely padded on one side and sized perfectly for a tablet. If you are a lover of the compact carry life like me, it could be your perfect EDC bag for around town or visiting faraway cities. Thanks to the X-Pac fabric and water-resistant zippers your gear should survive any sudden cloudbursts. The bag can be ordered for either left or right shoulder carry and includes a compact 1″ strap with Fidlock buckle so you can take the bag off even when cinched up tight without having to adjust the length of the strap or mess up your slicked back – dyed black hair. Though the strap’s swivel snap hooks are very nice quality, I would have preferred metal hardware. It wouldn’t change the function of the bag, and would make it a bit heavier, but I think it would be the perfect touch for such a sleek bag.

D4 makes a big brother to the EDC called the STLTH Messenger. I got this bag in White X-Pac with Black X-Pac bottom and X-Pac liner. The bag’s features are nearly identical but sized up to 15″ x 11″ x 2″ with the padded compartment large enough to hold many 13″ laptops. The craftsmanship on the STLTH Messenger is equally excellent as the EDC. It also includes a removable chest strap in case you are suddenly on the run from the men in black and are forced into an emergency Parkour situation and need to keep that bag from bouncing around. I really enjoy wearing the STLTH Messenger. Even when fully packed it hugs close to my body and I can weave in and out of tightly packed sidewalks and stores without feeling like I’m going to knock somebody over with my bag. And whether I’m wearing the EDC or Messenger I secretly feel WAY cooler than I actually am. These bags make me very excited to see what Dima will come up with next.

If you ever priced techwear gear, you probably noticed the surprisingly high price tag. Not so with D4 bags. With these, you get really well-crafted, smartly designed bags that are handmade by the designer and are customizable all for an incredibly affordable – I might even say cheap – price. Of course, if the techwear style ain’t your thing, or you need a bag for bulky items, give these a miss. But if compact carry, quality construction, and slick design fills you with joy, check out the impressive work from D4 Bags.

Filip Raboch

A quick 18-hour drive west from Ukraine brings us to Prague, Czech Republic where bag maker extraordinaire, Filip Raboch put together this custom admin pouch for me. Its diminutive 7.5″ x 5″ x 2″ black X-Pac exterior sports MOLLE webbing along the backside so it can be attached to other bags, webbing loops for the removable shoulder strap, a 2″ wide strip of Velcro for your favorite patch, and two waterproof zippers – one to the outside pocket and the other to the main compartment. Inside you’ll find a slash pocket that runs the full length of the bag on one wall and the same on the other, but the other side is segmented into two pockets, ⅓ and ⅔ of the length – both made from white X-Pac.

This bag somehow manages to look tech, street, and tactical all at the same time. I think this is the perfect bag/pouch for anyone who likes to stay organized with their EDC essentials but often switches between different main bags. Filip will not only customize the fabric and zipper options on this little guy, but he’ll also change the pocket configuration and even the overall dimensions if needed. For me this is the perfect size, small enough to put in (or attach to the outside of) almost any bag, but big enough to hold my essentials. And with the removable strap I can even throw it on crossbody for an extremely compact carry on days when my pockets just won’t cut it. Though I haven’t had a chance to check them out in person yet, Filip also makes some gorgeous-looking custom backpacks that you can see on his Instagram. This is definitely a young bag maker to keep your eyes on.

Pinch Flat Designs

When my search for awesome X-Pac bags began, who knew it would take me all the way around the world and right back to my hometown of Bend, Oregon – home of Pinch Flat Designs. This incredibly well-made Custom Dropper bag is as functional as it is fun. It’s one of my all-time favorite hip/fanny packs. And I actually went to Ben’s house (about 20 minutes from mine) and met the maker in person to pick it up when it was ready. The outside is Bahama Blue X-Pac with contrasting red thread, red tie-down cording, reflective stripe, and innertube logo tag. The inside is lined with my beloved white X-Pac, creating a bright cavern to stuff with your EDC. I think this is one of the nicest-looking color combos I have in a bag, but if it’s all too much for you, I’m 100% to blame as Ben sewed it up with exactly the colors I wanted.

Webbing runs around the outside front and sides and is tacked down every two inches, making it easy to attach more items if needed. Around the back is a small grab handle, a lightly padded back panel, and a very clever setup for stowing a map or trail pamphlets.

Inside the bag, you’ll find two wide strips of elastic to hold down water bottles or your choice of canned beverage. There’s also a key strap and two slip pockets to tuck away your smartphone, some cash, and/or ID. If you choose to be dehydrated – or cinch your bottle to the top outside, the inside suddenly has plenty of room for a rolled-up light jacket or fleece. The strap is long enough for crossbody wear (if you are on the larger size or want to wear it over a big winter coat you may want to ask Ben to make the strap a bit longer), but includes sliders to keep the strap out of the way if you’re wearing it on your hip. If you are the buttoned-up type, this might have too much character for you. But if fun and functional are high up on your wishlist, check out the Custom Dropper Pack from Pinch Flat Designs.

EARTH Workshop Studio

With all these great custom bags coming out of the Eastern Bloc, we head north for one more to Poland where Michael makes the EARTH Workshop Studio EVERYDAY BAG 2.0. I had Michael make this one for me with a Black X-Pac exterior and white X-Pac lining along with a Fidlock buckle for the outside of the bag and a big old Cobra buckle for the crossbody strap. The stock bag has a mini Cobra on the front of the bag, but I like to be able to quickly buckle my bags with one hand if possible, so I picked the Fidlock. I went with the Cobra on the strap because they are just so damn cool-looking, but you could elect to go with a Fidlock on the strap if you like.

The strap comes with well-thought-out webbing keepers so you don’t have a bunch of dangly webbing if you cinch it up tight. And it can be tightened up enough to use as a hip pack, but I think it’s the perfect size for a crossbody – at least for the way I carry. And that’s how I usually wear it. There’s a zip pocket on the outside back that works great for storing quick-access items like a notepad, mobile phone, small pouches, etc. Pop open the Fidlock and inside you’ll find a slim zipper pocket at the top backside and a deep zip pocket on the inside front of the bag. All these zippers come with paracord pulls. I think I’d prefer it in use if the zip pull tab was removed and the paracord pulls attached directly to the sliders – and I’m sure you could order it that way if you like.

None of the zipper pockets have sub-pockets for additional organization – which is fine by me as I like to use pouches so I can quickly switch between bags, but if you are looking for more organization in the sub-pockets and don’t want to use pouches, make sure to mention it to Michael if you order a custom bag. The main inside pocket does include a two-inch wide elastic strip that’s been strategically sewed to make slots for securing your mobile phone, pens, sunglasses, multitool, etc. I like this option, but it may take some getting used to if you’ve never used this style before.

One of my favorite features of the bag is the two long strips of Velcro that the flap attaches to. This combines with the shape of the flap and long webbing on the Fidlock to let you easily adjust the size of the bag from incredibly compact 10″ long x 6″ tall x 2.75″ deep to over 10″ tall – nearly doubling the capacity all while looking great from the smallest size to largest and everywhere in between. The ability to change size ranks very high on my value scale as most of the time I carry very little and don’t want to have to carry a larger bag on the chance I might have a few extra things I need to carry. If you need a million little pockets in your bag or need something large enough for laptop carry, this is not going to work for you. For me, the EARTH Workshop Studio EVERYDAY BAG 2.0 quickly became one of my favorite bags and is in high rotation for my EDC and day trips.

Skinth

Hailing from Manitoba Canada, Skinth has made quite a name for itself with its custom multitool sheaths and cases. But Eric – the owner, designer, and builder – also makes some very clever and great-looking bags. The Brunch 4 Tote – this one in limited edition Multicam Alpine X-Pac – is like a luxury lunch sack that is both built to last and a pleasure to use. The bag features a base of rugged ballistic nylon, two outside pockets, both with Velcro for patches, and a laser-cut MOLLE pattern in case you’d like to attach extra pouches. I hope to see more of this style of MOLLE on other bags. It looks super slick.

At approximately 11″ x 9.5″ x 5″ it’s big enough to hold a 32oz Hydro Flask and still have room for your sandwich, chips, and that brownie you were going to give your cubicle partner, but ate on the way to work instead. The inside is just an open tote, no extra pockets – it doesn’t need them. Outside a magnetic buckle will keep large items from falling out if you tip over your bag, but the top is still open, so small items could still escape. But I think the chances of the bag falling over are slim as it stands up on its own quite well.

There is an adjustable length handle for each side of the bag as well as two D-rings – a thoughtful touch that lets you attach your own strap for shoulder carry. The look, feel, design, usability, and construction are all top tier. I’m super impressed with this bag. Of course you don’t have to just use it as a lunch sack. It’s great for any situation where a compact tote would shine: hauling library books, foraging for wild edibles, even carrying that D&D gear to your next roleplaying party – you could fit a lot of polyhedral dice in here.

Eric has told me he’s considering making the Brunch 4 available in custom fabric combinations, but if you are looking for this limited version, there are only a few left in this awesome fabric combo, and I don’t expect them to stick around for long. Eric also designed the super fun Morale Patch S’tag you may have seen online. I had him make me a Black X-Pac version. It looks so good! If you’re looking for a way to show off your favorite Velcro-backed pouch but your bag of choice is Velcro-free, the S’tag is a clever, stylish solution.

TUFA Climbing

Josh’s TUFA Climbing bags are handmade in Kalispell, Montana. Lightweight is his battle cry. He has a few stunning, innovative, ultra-light bag designs – and I’m hoping to cover them soon. Today, let’s talk about his custom Bartender Handlebar Bag and XX Kit pouch. The Bartender – this one in White X-Pac with Bahama Blue X-Pac interior – is 10″ x 5″ x 5″ with a small stretch pouch on each end of its cylindrical visage. Small webbing loops on each side of the water-repellent zipper could easily be used with your own strap for shoulder carry if desired, but the two adjustable webbing loops with quick-release Duraflex clips reveal the bag’s true intentions – it wants to be clipped to your handlebars. Those webbing loops can be fed through three different spots to fit different size handlebars and include buckles to keep the extra webbing from flapping around. The cross webbing also features an integrated grab handle. Very nice. The craftsmanship is flawless.

Inside you’ll find a slip pocket hugging the back of the bag to separate items to which you might need quick access from the vacuous remainder of the bag, which could easily hold water bottles, a tool kit, and backup clothes in case the weather gets rough. Of course, it’s not going to hold as much as a set of panniers, but if you’re looking for a bar bag that’ll hold a lot and look good doing it without adding unnecessary weight, ride over to TUFA Climbing to check it out.

While you’re there take a peek at the white X-Pac XX Kit pouch. The offset water-repellent zipper adds some flash to this 6″ x 9″ flat pouch. The XX is made from upcycled scraps left over from constructing their other bags, which I appreciate. Webbing loops of different lengths hug each side, giving your fingers a place to perch when opening and closing the zip and doubling as a handy place to attach a clip if you’d like to secure it inside a larger bag. It’s simple but sleek and available in eight different X-Pac colors. I’d love to see them add some additional sizes.

Hartford Gear Co.

Georgia from Hartford Gear Co. describes her company as No Frills Backpacking Gear, but don’t let that fool you. The bags are elevated by their simplicity and expert craftsmanship. The attention to detail is clearly the work of someone who loves to make bags. Georgia offers three sizes of her Packing Pods and they are each available in over 10 different fabrics with four different colored water-repellent zippers. The pods all feature water-repellent zippers with double slides, colorful corded zipper pulls, gripping tabs at each side that are clippable loops, and a grab handle on one side to help extract your pod from an overpacked bag – very nice touch! The large size is 10.5″ x 5″ x 4″ – great for packing rolled-up clothes, the Medium is 9″ x 4″ x 3.5″ – like a large DOPP kit, and the small is 7″ x 3″ x 3″ – a perfect small DOPP or power cord bag. The white X-Pac Pencil Case is essentially the same as the packing cubes – water-repellent zipper, looped tabs, and grab handle, but is 8″ x 2.5″ x 2″.

These are high-quality accessories at low prices. For instance, the large Packing Pod is only $13. I also grabbed the 4.25″ × 3.25″ X-Pac Zipper Pouch in white X-Pac with a green water-repellent zip. The pouch includes grab tabs on each side of the zipper made from loops so they double as attachment points in case you want to clip it inside a larger bag. I’m really impressed with the quality of these accessories and hope to see Georgia introduce some full-size bags. In the meantime, if you are looking for high-quality pouches, handmade to order in the US, head over to Hartford Gear Co.

Companies

These bags are all from companies – companies that, as far as I know, have a designer or designers and people who sew the bags – and they aren’t the same person. Some are big and some are small, but I felt like it made sense to group them separately from the makers since it’s a different buying experience and all of these company bags come the way they are without customization from the end user. Well, all except for two:

Rickshaw Bags

My love for SF-made Rickshaw Bags is no secret. Though I’ve never been to their San Francisco factory or met any of them in person – both of which I hope to correct as soon as possible – I feel like you can tell a lot about them by the incredible craftsmanship that sings out loud when you hold their bags in your hands. Most of their bags and accessories are available in a mathematically-challenging large number of color combinations, including many colors of X-Pac. I’m quite proud of my Rickshaw X-Pac collection so don’t let my brevity imply any less, but there’s a lot to get through, so I’ll be as brief as possible. To save you from having to read the same thing over and over, every single one of these features incredibly high-quality craftsmanship, impeccable attention to detail, and quality materials. And most of my Rickshaw collection features Alpine White Camo X-Pac on the outside and Bahama Blue X-Pac on the inside. But I did mix it up on some pieces, you know – for fun!

The iPad Zero Messenger is a compact messenger-style bag that I love for EDC, air travel personal pack, and I even use it as a weekend bag since I pack light. It comes with just two pockets, making it a blank canvas for your packing needs – making sub pouches (my preferred way to carry) your best friend. But you can add the optional small Deluxe Drop Pocket, which Velcros in, if you’re more the built-in organization type of person. No judgments. The bag is roughly 14″ x 11″ x 10″ with a giant front flap to keep the weather out and four D-rings placed around the outside for clipping keys or an optional cross strap. The comfortable shoulder strap is attached to the bag with glides which make it tidy and clean, but it’s also easily adjusted for length with the cam buckle. Short and longer straps are available at order for no extra charge, too.

The Rickshaw Fanny Pack is a comfortable cuboid 5″ x 9″ x 3″ in size that has a D-ring for attaching keys and a slim pocket that runs the width of the bag in the main compartment. There’s also a zipper pocket on the outside big enough for oversized smartphones. It’s attractive, clean, yet rugged. This is often the first fanny pack I grab when I’m heading out on a hike. I wrote about their Fanny Pack (and the Zero Messenger) in my post: 9 Great Ultra-Compact Men’s Crossbody Bags. So check that out for more details.

With over 21L of carry capacity I could easily see using the Large Zero Messenger as my carry-on suitcase for around-the-world travels. I know a bunch of folks who take a 40L bag for a weekend trip, but not me. I could use this bag to pack everything I needed with space left over! Then when I arrived, I could unpack it and use it for trips to the market, the beach, and more. Just like the iPad Zero Messenger, it’s not bogged down with millions of sub-pockets. But there are Velcro strips on the inside back and front so you can add optional Drop Pockets if that’s what you’re looking for.

I got the bag set up with a custom color combo of black X-Pac exterior with White Alpine Camo inside. White Alpine Camo X-Pac wasn’t a liner option on their website at the time I put the order in, but I emailed and asked if they could use their exterior fabric option on the inside and they said sure! You may notice that the only closure for the bag is a wide strip of Velcro. It is also available with a double quick-release strap option, but I went with Velcro only to keep it looking super clean. My wife doesn’t really care about bags (I know, right?), but every once and a while I’ll get one that grabs her attention and this is one of those bags.

Who doesn’t love a good duffle? The Getaway Duffle Bag from Rickshaw Bags is one of my favorites. The design gives it structure so it stands up even when empty. If you’re in the market for a duffle you can flatten and stuff in the closet when not in use, this isn’t the one for you. But most of the time I prefer my duffles structured so I can more easily load and deload. At 9″ x 9″ x 18″ it holds about 24 liters and can pass as a personal item depending on which airline you’re flying. It has an exterior water-resistant zipper pocket with a handy D-ring sewn in to clip keys or organizer pouches. The main zipper is also of the water-resistant variety.

Zip that bad boy open and inside you’ll find two open-top pockets on one wall and two zipper pockets on the other side of the padded bottom panel. There’s an extra D-ring inside the bag, too. I wish more bag makers would include these. There’s even a compression strap inside the bag to keep the contents in check. I think it’s a brilliant design. Almost too brilliant. It’s so nice that it leaves me craving one thing. I’d love the option to upgrade it to metal hardware for the strap attachments and D-rings. They use top-quality plastic ones now, but the bag looks so damn high-end, it would be great if they at least offered a deluxe option with some of those fancy metal clips and rings making their way onto the market. I’d pay for the upgrade without a second thought.

The Banzai Bag is an interesting beast. In many ways it’s like a mini version of the Rickshaw Duffle. It’s structured and holds its shape even when empty. It has two webbing handles for grabbing. It also has an outside water-resistant zipper as well as one for the main compartment. There’s also a slip pocket on the outside – very handy. Inside you’ll find a slip pocket that runs the length of the bag and on the other side one that is split into two pockets. There’s even a carabiner clip for hanging keys or attaching your pouches.

The entire outside of the bag, as well as the entire outside zip pocket is padded, so this could work great as a gadget bag, small camera bag, etc. It’s a bit too structured for me to be an EDC bag as I like my EDC to compress flat (or as close as possible) when I’m not carrying much – which is most of the time. But its internal dimensions of 8″ x 10″ x 3.5″ make it great if you EDC books, 7 x 10 spiral notebooks, A5 notebooks, tablets – even an iPad Pro 11 should fit. If you’re looking for a shoulder bag that collapses and expands to adjust for your various carry loads, their Zero Messengers would better fit the bill. But if you want a bag that holds its shape and looks good doing it, check out the Banzai Bag from Rickshaw.

In addition to a bunch of awesome bags, Rickshaw makes an impressive assortment of pouches – also in custom fabric combinations. This is nice not just for people like me who like matching bags, but for carry fanatics who want to color-code their pouches so they know what’s inside without unzipping.

The Diplomat organizer is designed to hold a pocket notebook (or two), passport, pens, some cash, and business cards, but if you’re not a business card type person, you can throw a pocket knife in that slot instead. I love the Diplomat. If you change bags as often as I do and you can boil all your essentials down enough, this could be the one pouch that always goes from bag to bag. Hitting the town without a bag? This will easily fit into most jacket pockets. Like any good diplomat, this pouch has a secret: there’s a small webbing loop on one side that has no apparent use and isn’t mentioned on the product page. I suspect it’s so a small split ring or key clip can be attached. And that’s how I use it. Now as long as I have the Diplomat with me – regardless of what bag I’m carrying that day – I know I’ll be fine.

The Plush Pen Pouch is like a cozy blanket for your beloved pens or any other smallish (2.5″ x 6.5″ x 3″) item you’d like to coddle. They say it’ll hold 20 pens, but I’ve never tried to put that many in there. I more often use it to hold sunglasses or camera batteries, chargers, and cables. I also have one that holds a backup battery, very compact Bluetooth keyboard, lens cloth, earplugs, and a SweetPea Mini Lanyard Pouch which holds a very small USB cable and adaptors.

At 4″H x 5.75″W x 3″D the Hero Pouch is the Plush Pen’s taller sister who tells it like it is – with a 420D replacing the plush insides. I like the Hero Pouch for holding my laptop charger and longer USB cables and charger but it would also make a great pen pouch for those of you who wouldn’t be caught dead with only 20 pens.

The Dash Wallet is a 5″ x 3.75″ zipper pouch that includes a plastic sleeve for keeping your business cards crisp and away from all that dirty money. For me, this is not a great wallet – too big. I pocket carry my wallet. But it’s one of my favorite pouches. The perfect size for all those little bits and pieces that I don’t want floating around in my bag unsupervised. It’s basically a portable pants pocket. So anything you might carry in your pants pocket, now you can keep it in here. And there’s even a webbing loop so you can attach it with a small strap to the inside of a bag to keep it handy. Yes, please! That said, if you keep your wallet in your bag, this may work great for you as a wallet. Either way, I like to have several of these in different colors so I know what’s inside and can grab it without thinking. I hate thinking.

The Pac Man Wallet is a little smaller (4.5″ x 3.0″) but also thicker (1″) than the Dash. It’s also padded on both sides which makes me want to stuff it with tiny electronics, though I usually keep overflow from my pocket wallet in here – extra cash, less used credit cards or passes. I also have one that I keep a pocket knife, hex bits and a driver in. The padding means I don’t have to worry about them jabbing the other gear in my bag.

Though the Dopp Kit does work perfectly for storing your grooming essentials, I pack light and usually fit all my toiletries into a small or medium utility pouch. I like to use the Rickshaw Dopp Kits as packing cubes. That’s why I have one with a red lining and label and one with a royal lining and label – so I can easily identify the contents of the bag without having to open it. Okay, I wouldn’t have to have a different color lining for that. But it looks so dang cool, I couldn’t resist.

The Mini (4″ x 6″), Small (4″ x 8″), Medium (5.5″ x 8″), and Large (0.25″ x 7″) Utility Pouches by Rickshaw are some of the nicest pouches I own. And they each have a small webbing loop to attach inside your bag! I wish all manufacturers did this. These are all a zipper-at-the-top design that can maximize how much you can stuff in here. And just like nearly everything Rickshaw makes, you can get these in custom fabric combos to match – or contrast – your bag.

Flowfold

If I remember correctly, Flowfold is one of the first companies to start using X-Pac in consumer products. They also let you customize some of their offerings. I’ve got the Custom Nomad (all white w/ black pulls) which is a great 24L duffle. At 9″ x 9″ x 18″ it should qualify as a personal item on most major airlines. It only weighs 10.6 oz / 300 grams, so it makes a great travel companion. When you’re not using it, it easily compacts down flat so you can store it while taking up hardly any space.

It also folds up pretty easily, making it one of my top picks for trips that call for one small bag on the way out and a second larger bag on the way back. I fold up the Nomad and stuff it in my small bag, then I’m ready if I need to bring a second bag’s worth of things home. The white X-Pac combines with the water-resistant zippers to make a bag that looks slick and keeps the elements at bay. To keep it all lightweight the strap doesn’t have any padding, so if you’re easily bothered don’t stuff the bag with rocks, but the strap has worked great for me on every occasion.

The inside of the bag is just an open bucket waiting for you to fill it, but they did include an additional water-resistant zipper pocket on the outside to keep smaller items at hand. A great companion to the Nomad is their white X-Pac Custom Aviator – Dopp Kit. It’s almost too big at 9.5″ x 4.5″ x 4.5″, doubling as an excellent compact packing cube. It only weighs 2.4 oz / 68 grams! If you’re looking for a great-looking, customizable duffle that feels like it weighs nothing, put the Nomad at the top of your list.

Their white X-Pac Custom Optimist is a tiny 10L backpack that measures just 18″ x 9.5″ x 5″. The back and shoulder straps are not padded which helps it reach a weight of just 9.7 oz / 275g. Despite the lack of padding, I find it to be quite a comfortable pack to use. It’s plenty big for my EDC needs, and I often use it when I’m out surfskating around town. A sweatshirt, food, water bottles, and GoPro camera and accessories fit easily with room to spare. There’s nothing inside but empty space which is fine by me, though I’d love it if they added a pair of small webbing loops near the top so I could clip in my keys and a small pouch like their awesome Essentialist – Mini Pouch. The front outside of the bag has a 6.5″ x 11″ pocket for smaller items you want to keep quarantined from the main part of the bag. The look and feel of this bag, like all the Flowfold gear I have, is really nice and I think the black and white combo of X-Pac is quite striking.

That look continues over in their white X-Pac Custom Rebel – Fanny Pack. This is an extremely compact bag just 8″ x 5″ x 3″. The strap is long enough to wear it cross-body, too. It just has one zipper and inside you’ll find the compartment separated in two with one section to hold a wallet, keys, earbuds, and the like. The slip pocket is just large enough to hold my 6″ screen phone. This is a great bag when you want to carry just the bare minimum and I often use it when I’m going on a long walk and don’t want my stuff dangling around in my shorts. If you’re looking for a super-compact, close-to-the-body fanny pack that’s so light you’ll forget it’s there, make sure to check out the Flowfold Rebel.

Remote Equipment

As the name suggests the BRAVO 18 (in Alpine Multicam X-Pac) is an 18L bag – 18″ x 10.5″ x 6″, but what it doesn’t imply is that this is one of the most interesting bags I’ve seen in years. It’s a shoulder bag! It’s a tote! It’s a sling! It’s a backpack! It’s all of those and does them all quite well. Before I go any further, I would be remiss if I didn’t stress – both in italics and underlined – that this is one of the nicest made bags I have ever touched. The design and quality of materials and construction is exceptional.

I suspect Philip de los Reyes – the founder of Remote Equipment – is either channeling the bag-making gods or has been reincarnated two dozen times and each time came back as an expert bag maker. I can think of no other logical explanation. Selfishly, I want him to read my mind while I sleep and then slave away at making all the yet-to-be-made bags I lust after, but in a design that far exceeds my wildest dreams.

The main compartment is a giant tube ready to fill with whatever you like. A small panel on the inside back near the top has both slip and zip pockets for a mobile phone or other small items. There is a large side zip pocket on the outside front of the bag big enough to hold several books/magazines or a scarf, hat, and mittens. That’s it. So if you’re looking for a bag with a bunch of pen slots with a place for everything and everything in its place, move along. But you’ll miss out on a bag that is as much a pleasure to use as it is to look at.

If 18L is enough to hold all that you carry, but on some days you want a tote, others a sling, and sometimes a backpack, your prayers have been answered. The top of the bag cinches closed when needed but stays out of your way when you don’t. Fill that bag up from the top nice and quick but easily access the guts from the outside of the bag with a zipper that runs nearly the full length of the bag. There are two handles for tote-style carry and they’re adjustable length so hold it long or short as you like at the moment.

Need to keep your hands free? There are two seatbelt-style webbing backpack straps so you are golden. Still want those free hands but need to get in and out of the bag a lot? Quickly remove one of the backpack straps and use the other for cross-body messenger-style carry. You can even attach that strap diagonally and wear it like a sling. At first I thought these were all nice features to have on a list, but the design is so well thought out that I actually have used the bag in all these configurations and switched back and forth without hesitation.

The straps are not padded, so if that makes you freak out, you’ll just have to miss out, but I find the straps plenty comfortable for my needs. I’ve already taken the BRAVO 18 as my only bag on several extended trips and though 18L worked great for me, keep in mind how much you like to carry. If 18L is enough for you, make sure to check out the innovative and striking BRAVO 18 from Remote Equipment.

Wexley

The idea behind Wexley bags was born in France and that heritage is reflected in the clean design lines.

The white X-Pac Wexley Stem is an 18.8″ x 11.4″ x 6.3″ (17L) backpack with just the right amount of built-in organization. The outside back panel is molded EVA padding that feels as good as it looks. The straps are comfortable, if slightly overpadded in my opinion for a bag this size. And there’s a handy zipper pocket integrated into the strap big enough to hold credit cards and some cash. On either side of the padded back you’ll find zipper pockets big enough for a small tablet or e-reader. Around the front of the bag a hidden zipper runs from top to bottom, opening up to a pocket large enough for a couple of water bottles, a jacket, hats, and gloves. There’s also a key clip in this pocket.

The main compartment has dual zipper sliders and a small section of webbing that combine to make unzipping the bag tricky for sneaky subway thieves. The front inside of the bag has both a water bottle pocket to keep your drink upright and a zipper pocket large enough to hold a passport, paperback book, and other small accessories. The inside back sports a zipper mesh pocket and a very well padded, fuzzy-fabric lined compartment that will fit most laptops up to 15″. Even with these pockets loaded there should be plenty of room for a bag lunch, accessory pouches, or a bicycle helmet and lock. The bottom of this section is also nicely padded. If you like clean lines and built-in laptop storage, the Stem is definitely worth taking a look at.

Wexley continues this design aesthetic over to their white X-Pac Slingbag, a 7.9″ x 13.8″ x 1.18″ (2.1L) cross-body sling that is going to be the perfect bag for those folks whose EDC primarily consists of a tablet and a few other essentials. There’s a hidden RFID-blocking pocket around the back that has plenty of padding to hold both a small tablet (up to 9″ x 6″) and your wallet or mobile phone. There’s even a pass-through for headphones if you’re still flexing the wired type. The front of the bag is also padded as are the inside pockets that also seem perfectly sized for your tablet or e-reader.

Despite being slim, there’s definitely enough room inside the main pocket for a 24oz. Hydro Flask, beanie, sunglasses, and more. Personally, I don’t like this much padding in my EDC bags, but I don’t carry a tablet or e-reader unless I’m traveling. If I was checking my bags for a flight, this would be a great personal bag and could hold all I’d need to stay hydrated, moisturized, and entertained for a transcontinental flight.

The white X-Pac Cosmo crossbody bag from Wexley offers a big style upgrade to travelers and commuters that rock a neck wallet to keep their passport and valuables close to the body without taking up a bunch of space. At 8.2″ x 6.7″ x 0.39″ the 1.4L double pocket bag easily hides beneath a jacket yet has plenty of room for money, keys, other daily doodads, and even a paperback book or e-reader.

DEFY

If you’ve never held a bag from DEFY, man are you missing out. DEFY are playing at the top of the game. Manufacturing in Chicago, their bags have that Chicago flavor that makes pizza great and bags even greater (greater than pizza? Okay – as great). DEFY bags just ooze cool style.

The Insidious Sling is a 16″ x 9″ x 5″ (10.5L) sling-style bag with water-resistant zippers on all three compartments. Those shiny black zippers look great against the white X-Pac. On the outside front you’ll find a long strip of MOLLE webbing for adding extra pouches. Though I love the clean look of the bag just as it is, it’s nice to have it in case you want to clip on something extra.

The front zip pocket runs the full length of the bag and has two additional storage pockets inside of it. The middle pocket has a wide-open section for books, a jacket, plenty of water bottles, etc. And there’s an organization panel as well with a hardcore metal key clip, pen slots, a place for your phone, backup batteries, and walkie-talkies. The third compartment has a ⅓ / ⅔ slip pocket that runs along the padded back of the bag with plenty of room left over for a tablet and DEFY’s Project X-Pac 3 Pouch Bundle. Which, if you are picking up this bag, it seems to be a no-brainer to pick up the excellent matching pouches. The small is 4.5″ x 3.5″, medium – 7.5″ x 5.5″, and large – 9″ x 7.25″.

The padded shoulder strap on the Insidious Sling includes webbing loops and a D-ring for attaching additional items and an awesome COBRA buckle so you can quickly remove the bag without taking off your Storm Trooper helmet. The strap is also easily reversible for left or right shoulder carry. It’s not the lightest weight bag for its size (thanks to the heavy-duty lining and metal hardware), so if that’s what you need, there are other options to look at. But I’m happy to take on the extra weight if it means I get the style, functionality, and insane quality that comes with the bag.

I think this is a great personal item bag for air travel and it would easily hold everything I would need for even extended warm weather trips. It should fit standing up under the seat in front of you on most planes, leaving plenty of room for your feet on either side. Keep in mind, though it’ll hold a 13″ laptop in a slim sleeve, it isn’t wide enough to hold my 14″ unless I throw it in there without any padding. If that doesn’t scare you off, I think this would also make an excellent EDC bag. No matter how you use it, it’s going to look amazing. And in case I didn’t stress it enough, the design, materials, and craftsmanship are all absolutely top-notch.

Mission Workshop

The Khyte : VX and Arkiv Tech Case : VX from Mission Workshop are high-end from top to bottom. From the made-in-the-USA quality construction, to the modern tech look, Fidlock V Buckles, and weather-resistant VX-21 diamond ripstop fabric, I think this is one of the best made and best-looking messengers on the market. The black and white combo looks so good and makes this the bag of choice for my next trip to the international space station. If you haven’t seen one of these in person or had the opportunity to touch these bags with your own fingertips, I suggest you rectify that immediately.

The Khyte offers a nice organizational balance with a padded 15-inch laptop pocket that sits on the backside of the bag so you don’t have to open the flap to extract it. The main compartment has no organizational panels. But the front of the bag has a zippered pocket with an additional zippered mesh inside of it. Under the front flap you’ll find another water-resistant zipper concealing a tricot-lined pocket big enough to swallow the biggest cell phones or sunglasses.

Though I like the look and feel of this outer front flap, it uses magnets to keep the flap closed and I’m not a fan of this in actual use as I find it takes an extra bit of effort to open the flap and it often closes several times while I’m still trying to use the pocket underneath. Fortunately, there’s a small zippered pocket on the side of the bag for quick access to things you might need regularly like keys, some cash, or a packet of astronaut ice cream. And if all that isn’t enough there are multiple attachment points on the outside of the bag to add additional bags – including three Arkiv rails which work great with the matching white X-Pac Arkiv Tech Case.

When attached the Tech Case looks like it’s just part of the Khyte. Yet you can quickly remove it when you want to throw your cords, tools, batteries, laser welders, etc. that you’ve got in there into another bag. They work so well together I’d be surprised if most people don’t order them both at the same time. Now, in case you haven’t worked it out already – this is a big bag: 21″ x 14″ x 3.5″ (approx. 24L), which is far too big for my ultra-compact everyday carry. But it’s such a nice bag, it makes me wish I needed to carry more on a regular basis. If you’re the type that EDCs a 15″ laptop, lots of documents, your lunch, a spare jacket, gym clothes for after work, safety tethers, and a trace gas analyzer, this might be the perfect EDC bag for you.

For me, I would happily use this for weekend and even multi-week trips to carry everything I could need for my adventures. I hope they make a mini version of this bag someday – maybe 12″ x 9″ x 3″. That would be perfect – especially if they skipped the magnet flap. Either way, I think everyone on the space station is going to be jealous as I float by.

Afterschool Projects

Founded by some of the crew from Chrome Industries and Mission Workshop, LA-based ASP creates bags and apparel, all made in the USA. These guys make one of my all-time favorite sweatshirts and this small white X-Pac crossbody that is the perfection of simplicity. The white X-Pac ASP Sacoche Grande is a 10″ x 7″ pouch with a ¾” strap and water-resistant zipper. Inside you’ll find an elastic cord with a nice metal key clip and a slip pocket that runs along the inside back of the bag made from mesh to isolate your items without losing sight of where they are.

It’s simple and lightweight and somehow manages to pack in a ton of cool style. When I’m carrying more than my pockets can hold, if I want to keep my pockets empty, or I’m not wearing pockets at all, especially if I’m feeling style-conscious, this is the bag I’m bringing. If I’m not packing my camera gear, this also makes a great day bag for the way I travel the world. It takes up almost no space in my main bag, but it easily holds my phone, passport, wallet, rental car keys, backup battery, charger, cables, sunglasses, field notes, pens, a flashlight, Matador Mini Pocket Blanket, Spirit Gum, fake mustache, and antivenom. Bonus: its slim profile tucks away nicely under a jacket if I want to keep it out of sight.

Inside Line Equipment

ILE makes some of my favorite pouches. The white X-Pac Load Cell Cuboid Small is 11″ x 5″ x 4″ and makes a great packing cube with a single mesh panel to see what’s inside, a handle at the top so you can easily extract it from your overstuffed bag, D-rings on either side of the handle so you can clip it into your bag or even attach your own shoulder strap – though I don’t see me using it that way, and there’s a flat zipper pocket on one side for keeping small items like jewelry, receipts (that’s how I mostly use it), or any other small items you want to keep separate from the main section. This little extra detail makes it significantly more useful than an ordinary packing cube. They make larger ones as well, though I’m a fan of this size.

The white X-Pac ILE Key Holster – Small measures 2.5″ x 3.5″ and I think this is the smallest pouch in my collection. It rocks an itty bitty water-resistant zipper on the front and a loop of Velcro around the back so you can attach it to your belt, backpack, or shoulder strap. It isn’t big enough to hold credit or ID cards but it will hold some folded up cash, change, wireless earbuds, keys, and even a few hopes and dreams. I’d love to see a version this size with a small cord loop and no Velcro on the back so I could clip it inside other bags. I’d also recommend they slim up the Velcro loop on the back a bit so we could use this pouch on MOLLE-compatible bags.

These are my first pouches from ILE. But with the quality of design, construction, and materials, my wife has already started worrying that they won’t be my last.

Able Carry

I’ve only had the opportunity to see two Able Carry items in person, but both are so incredibly well designed and constructed that I can’t wait to see what else they come up with. The Thirteen Daybag – in X-Pac Multicam White Alpine – is a compact 13L backpack (17″ x 11″ x 6.7″) designed to hold most 13″ and 14″ laptops and all your other EDC items provided you’re a light carry type EDCer like myself. Looking at this bag for the first time is like playing a game of hide and seek, so if you don’t want any spoilers, skip to the conclusion at the end.

This bag is a looker with its sleek, padded top handle (one of my favorites I’ve used on any backpack), black zippers, pulls, and straps combining with the futuristic design to create a bag that has strangers asking me who makes this pack nearly every time I leave the house. On the front of the bag, with a little investigating, you’ll find a zipper that slashes diagonally through the bag hidden by a fold of fabric. This, like so much on this bag, is a great design element. Many of the bag’s elements feel origami-inspired and I love it. This front zip pocket is essentially the full size of the bag with plenty of room to stuff a jacket, water bottles, food, and more.

A slip pocket sits beside it and is a great place for items you’ll want quick access to. There’s even a three attachment point webbing hidden in the top of this pocket for clipping your keys or whatever you like. A similar webbing near the bottom of the front of the bag – perhaps for a blinky light – hides under another fold of fabric. Around the side on the back panel you’ll find a hidden zipper that opens up to a pocket large enough to hold a book or tablet.

Behind the main water-resistant zipper you’ll find even more secrets and organization options. There’s a mesh zipper pocket on the inside front with a built-in key strap and carabiner which is where I usually attach the Able Carry Joey Pouch – one of the best wallet-type pouches I’ve ever used. The Joey is another origami masterwork with two slip sections on the inside and a perfect change pocket on the outside back. There are even key loops in both the inside and outside pockets.

Back to the Thirteen, attached to the inside back panel is a hidden Velcro pocket big enough to hide your vile of truth serum and/or some backup cash. Below that is the padded laptop compartment, lined with fuzzy fabric. Snugged up against that is an additional slip pocket that could easily hold a large tablet or a top-secret dossier. There’s even an elastic-topped pocket inside the bag on the side, presumably to hold a water bottle upright – but it is on the smaller side, so if you have one of those wider bottles (over 24 oz.) it probably won’t fit.

The outside back panel has what I think is the perfect amount of padding for this type of bag and it’s the same rugged stealthier take on white X-Pac as the rest of the bag. This may get you a bit sweaty if you’re on a fast-paced adventure but looks a million times better than a mesh back panel and works great for EDC use.

Then there are the straps – and they’ve got some tricks up their sleeves, too. They use the same X-Pac fabric as the bag and it looks amazing. They’re also curved to fit the body, making them especially comfortable. There’s even a black webbing-like piece that goes across one of the straps in case you’d like to attach something to the strap.

I’ll get to the strap secret in a second, but I did want to point out my only quibble with the bag – and I’ve seen other manufacturers do this, too, and I don’t like it. It’s a small bag. Most likely it’ll never be loaded down to the point where it’s crazy heavy. So why put such thick padding in the straps? I feel like they almost look silly, such a small bag with such thickly padded straps. I’m sure plenty of people either don’t notice, or don’t mind, but it’s the only thing that keeps this bag – in my opinion – from being a lighthouse of design excellence.

Ah… but then the straps reveal their secret and all is forgiven. Each of the straps contains a hidden slip pocket perfectly positioned and sized for some folded-up cash in one and credit cards/driver’s license in the other. It makes me wish I had this bag when I lived in New York City. If you’ve got the kind of job where you can get away with coming to work with such a cool-looking bag, I think you’ll quickly find the usability is as solid as its visual appeal. If you have trouble fitting your EDC into a big, black garbage bag, this 13L isn’t going to cut it. But if you lean towards compact travel and want a top-quality bag with plenty of built-in organization without going overboard, bombproof construction, and enough mystery and intrigue to make James Bond jealous, get your hands on the Thirteen Daybag from Able Carry.

Instinct London

I’ve used a LOT of camera bags in my life as a professional filmmaker. It’s pretty rare that I find one pushing bag design into new areas. That’s why I was excited to get my hands on the White X-Pac Pro Camera Sling Bag from Instinct London. It is a 7L (12.2″ x 7.8″ x 4.7″) convertible sling/shoulder style bag. It can also be worn like a fanny pack, though that’s my least favorite way to use it. For sling and shoulder style the bag excels in comfort and usability without weighing you down. Instinct London describes the bag as stormproof and I suspect the AquaGuard zippers and white X-Pac fabric could fight off a tsunami. Just remember it’s not designed to be submerged.

The outside of the bag features two lash straps along the bottom for attaching a small tripod to the bag (thank you!) and two stretch pockets for water bottles or other quick-access items. There’s a front AquaGuard zipper pocket with a loop on the zip slider so it can be attached to the compression strap in a way that would discourage strangers from peeking inside without drawing your attention. Inside this front pocket you’ll find two pen pockets, four slip pockets (for things like business cards, compact external hard drives, etc.), and four memory card slots. Personally, I prefer to use sub-pouches for my accessories. But if you like the option to have built-in organization, they’ve done a great job with the design. The pockets do stay out of the way if you are using pouches instead of the built-in pockets.

At the top sits an extremely comfortable, lightly padded grab handle. Below that is the padded back of the bag – the perfect amount of slim padding. It uses a pass-through so you can tuck the sling-wings away when using it over your shoulder, keeping the bag’s slick, futuristic design intact. The shoulder strap is also lovely to look at and minimally – but perfectly – padded. Instinct London includes camera strap adaptors so you can use this excellent shoulder strap as a camera strap, too.

The bag itself also has what seems to be the perfect amount of padding. But strangely the two adjustable dividers – though they’re nicely constructed and cleverly include a slide pocket for filters – are twice as thick as I would like. Along the inside back wall of the bag is a padded slip pouch which should hold a tablet nicely. The inside front of the bag has a zipper pocket split into two sections each with two sections and a total of four elastic camera battery slots. The way they’ve done this is very clever and amongst the most useful built-in pocket organization I’ve seen in a bag.

If you haul around a huge selection of prime lenses, this bag won’t be big enough to satisfy. But if you’re walking around with a mirrorless system plugged into a 24-105 f4 you’ll have plenty of room to also hold a pair of primes (or a small drone), tablet, and accessories. If you’re looking for a compact camera bag that is very cleverly designed, make sure you check out the white X-Pac Pro Camera Sling Bag from Instinct London. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

ALPAKA

The Atom X Basics Kit (in white X-Pac) is made up of the Atom X Sling, Magnetic Stabilizer Strap, and Modular Phone Pouch. These tech slings are constructed from top-quality components and materials. The webbing is all seatbelt style – which is my preference in most situations. And there’s a strip of it across the front of the bag for attaching accessories like their phone pouch. All the buckles are from Maglockz and they work great – slide open easily and click together even easier. The only downside is they are quite a bit thicker than a Fidlock V Buckle and with such a slim bag I think the V would have been a better design choice.

It really is a thin bag. This would be perfect for anyone looking to empty their pockets and sling this under a jacket. Measuring just 11.8″ x 7.9″ x 1.1″ (5L), it would practically disappear – not so much with the phone pouch attached, but for sure without it. Although I like the phone pouch by itself or to attach to a full-size pack, I think it doesn’t look good attached to the Atom X Sling. Design-wise I think they look and work better separately.

Most likely you’ll have enough room in the sling to hold your phone in one of its three pockets. Around the back there’s a zipper pocket that fits my large phone perfectly – even with a case on it. Though for some reason they chose not to use a water-resistant zipper on this pocket, the other two zippers on the bag are the water-resistant type. Those other two zippers also feature pulls with an integrated clip that attaches to hidden cord loops that will secure the zipper in a way that would definitely frustrate anyone trying to check the contents of your bag without you noticing.

The front zip pocket includes a quick-release keychain and is lined with copper and silver nano-particles that are supposed to destroy germs and block RFID at the same time. The main pocket replaces the RFID-blocking fabric with 250D ripstop. Along the inside back of this pocket two mesh pockets hug items you want to keep flat against you or separated from the other items. If you use sub-pouches to organize your bags like I do, these mesh pockets are a great place to stow them. Though the bag is super slim, you can still get a beanie and some gloves in there or a light jacket and still have room for daily essentials if you don’t mind it puffing up a bit.

If tech slings aren’t your thing, I think this bag will leave you cold. But if you’re looking for something to let you move your essentials out of your pockets and find the tech aesthetic enticing, you just might fall in love with the white X-Pac Atom X Sling from ALPAKA.

That’s it. That’s my white X-Pac collection – for now. As a side note, I’ve seen some blowback on forums against the X-Pac phenomenon and perhaps some of it is worth considering, but I’m not using any of these bags in tactical situations. I’m not a paramedic, nor am I seeking a life of danger with a need for a bag that can protect me when things “get real”. I just want these bags to look and function great and keep looking that way for as long as possible. So far, so good!

What’s in your X-Pac collection? Do you have a favorite white X-Pac piece? Let me know in the comments below.

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But what makes this almost mythical material so special? Let’s find out…

History of Damascus steel

Damascus steel has an extensive history behind it, stretching as far back as 400 CE. Blacksmiths in the Middle East used Damascus steel to create weapons renowned for their hardness, flexibility, and excellent edge retention.

While there is no definitive origin of the name ‘Damascus steel’, some suggest it refers to steel that was made, bought, or traded in Damascus, Syria. Some also suggest the name comes from the steel pattern resembling damask fabric. Damascus steel is also known as Persian watered steel (due to the wavy water-like pattern), and some of the finest Damascus steel blades were made in Persia (roughly modern-day Iran).

Damascus steel was created from imported wootz blocks. Wootz was a special kind of crucible steel made in India over two millennia ago. However, it was from around the 3rd and 4th century that items and weapons made from wootz gained popularity as they were traded and sold in Damascus. Wootz offered excellent malleability when heated, but once cooled, it became exceedingly tough. Strong but not brittle, wootz allowed blacksmiths to forge weapons far superior to those made of iron. It is believed wootz involved combining iron, steel, and charcoal in environments with no or very little oxygen. It was likely processed at high temperatures over several days, absorbing high levels of carbon from the charcoal, before being allowed to slowly cool to room temperature and resulting in a crystalline material featuring carbide.

Forging Damascus steel blades using wootz was likely done at lower temperatures before the shaped blades were reheated and then quickly cooled. Historically, Damascus steel blades have been associated with quenching in “dragon blood” and many believed that the quenching process instilled magical properties in the blades. While it’s not certain how the blades were quenched, this process could have contributed to the remarkable properties of Damascus steel by adding additional elements such as nitrogen.

Creating Damascus steel weapons and other items required a high degree of skill and resulted in highly valued pieces. However, the traditional technique for creating wootz and Damascus steel was lost somewhere in the 1700s.

Modern-day Damascus steel

Many have tried to recreate Damascus steel. And while some have come close (including metallurgists at Stanford who created a superplastic steel with properties similar to Damascus steel), no one has unlocked the secret to the original production process.

Even though the traditional technique is lost, modern-day blacksmiths have risen to the challenge of making Damascus steel. Some of the more well-known names in the industry include Devin Thomas, Nichols Damascus, and Alabama Damascus Steel, while Swedish-based Damasteel utilizes a powder metallurgical process to create Damascus-patterned steel.

While it is not created in the same way as traditional Damascus steel (and rightly or wrongly, some argue it shouldn’t be called Damascus steel), modern-day Damascus steel offers all the benefits of the original, including strength without brittleness, great edge retention, and of course the iconic wavy pattern.

How it’s made

Most modern-day Damascus steel is usually made by welding different steel alloys together and folding them to obtain a desired pattern. The end product will differ in aesthetics and properties depending on which alloys are used and how they are heated and forged.

Layers of iron and steel alloys are hammered together at high temperatures to bond them. Forging the various layers together creates the wavy pattern throughout the metal. The metal is acid etched to reveal the pattern formed from the different types of steel.

However, it’s important to note that some blades will have a Damascus pattern etched on the surface only. This pattern doesn’t run all the way through the metal, and can eventually wear away. This is not a true Damascus steel blade and won’t perform like one. But since these types of blades are much cheaper than pattern-welded Damascus steel, they are an affordable alternative for those who want the Damascus aesthetic without the associated cost.

There is no uniform pattern when it comes to Damascus steel. Blacksmiths can create a wide range of patterns, resulting in distinct aesthetics that will appeal to a variety of personal tastes. The number of layers in the folded Damascus steel can also vary greatly, sometimes exceeding 300 layers. Creating Damascus steel is a time-consuming process requiring expertise, and the more complex that process, the more expensive Damascus steel items will tend to be.

Performance

Damascus steel EDC knives are known for their edge retention. However, for the most part, they do require some maintenance such as cleaning and oiling to keep them in good condition. While historically traditional Damascus steel offered excellent performance properties compared to other alloys available at the time, it doesn’t offer the highest blade performance available on the market today. The draw of Damascus steel EDC knives is the aesthetic, the history, the production process and skill involved, and not having to sharpen them as often as many other blades.

If you’re a fan of Damascus steel and keen to add its distinct aesthetic to your EDC setup, the pieces below are a great place to begin your search. Whether you’re looking for “the real deal” or simply want that awesome aesthetic, these Damascus steel EDC knives and essentials may be just right for your needs…

EDC Titanium Damascus TC4 DIY Pendant Knife Beads (US$61.10)

If you’re looking to add a little personality to your carry setup without breaking the bank, these titanium Damascus patterned beads might suit your style and budget. The beads are versatile for attachment to lanyards, knives, ropes, and more. And with three styles to choose from, you can opt for one or mix and match.

CIVIVI Anthropos Flipper Knife Black G10 Handle with Carbon Fiber Overlay (US$115)

Designed by Elijah Isham, this CIVIVI Anthropos Flipper Knife is an affordable option for a Damascus patterned EDC knife. A sub-brand of WE Knife, CIVIVI offers practical, affordable knives suitable for a range of day-to-day uses. The Anthropos includes G10 handles with a carbon fiber overlay, along with a stainless steel pocket clip.

Kershaw 1870OLDAM Knockout Assisted Flipper Knife (US$124.95)

An update on the Kershaw Knockout, this knife features olive green handles and a Damascus blade. Useful features such as SpeedSafe® assisted opening, a four-position pocket clip, and a sub-frame lock enhance the user-friendly appeal of this flipper knife, making it a functional and stylish addition to your daily setup.

The Ridge Damascus (US$175)

If you’re looking for that Damascus aesthetic appeal in a wallet, consider the Ridge Damascus. This RFID-blocking wallet features a laser-engraved steel pattern inspired by Damascus steel. Backed by a lifetime warranty, it’s made with 304 stainless steel and reinforced elastic and offers a sleek, minimalist means of carrying up to 12 cards and cash.

Spyderco Damascus Delica 4 (US$203)

The handsome Spyderco Damascus Delica 4 features what is sometimes referred to as VG-10 Damascus. The blade has a VG-10 stainless steel core, sandwiched between layers of Damascus steel on each side. The knife also features solid titanium handle scales with a bead-blasted matte finish, as well as a four-position pocket clip.

The James Brand The Chapter – Titanium and Damasteel (US$395)

The Chapter is a suave and practical EDC knife that lends itself to a variety of uses. But if you’re looking for that extra-special touch, consider opting for the Damasteel version combining a titanium frame-lock construction with a Damasteel Rose DS93X blade. Designed with minimal moving parts for low maintenance, this dapper piece fits easily into a range of EDC setups.

Victorinox Hunter Pro Alox Damast Limited Edition 2020 (US$400)

The Victorinox Hunter Pro Alox Damast Limited Edition 2020 features a specialist-crafted Damast steel blade incorporating 125 layers in a unique pyramidal pattern. Complementing the blade are high-grade Alox scales in an attractive copper colorway. Handcrafted in Switzerland, the knife is limited to 6,000 units and is an eye-catching and multifunctional collector’s piece.

Michael Zieba MS3 Damasteel (US$425)

MS stands for Manhattan Special and the Michael Zieba MS3 Damasteel is certainly a special edition to any EDC setup. The striking flipper design exudes elegance and is a chic pick for those seeking a refined EDC knife for urban settings. Made in Brooklyn, New York, it features a Damasteel blade available in various patterns. The Damasteel is a powdered stainless Damascus requiring minimal maintenance. The blade is paired with blue anodized hardware, titanium handles, and a pocket clip.

Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21 with Devin Thomas Damascus (US$675)

Chris Reeve is one of the most respected names in the knife world. And this Damascus twist on the ever-popular Sebenza 21 (celebrating the 21st anniversary of the original Sebenza) expertly fuses a pocket knife icon with stunning materials, excellent craftsmanship, and everyday multifunctionality. The knife features a Devin Thomas stainless Damascus steel blade in a ladder pattern and a Macassar Ebony inlay on the handle. If you’re searching for undeniably classy Damascus steel EDC knives that embrace a variety of EDC uses, you won’t be disappointed with this piece.

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Earlier this year, the brand launched its Samlaren initiative. This aims to bring new life to surplus materials by repurposing them into practical products. The name, Samlaren, is Swedish for “the Gatherer”. By taking scraps and leftover materials off the cutting room floor, Fjällräven is bringing them together to form unique collectible products that will be released in recurring and limited capsule collections.

When the company realized they had shelves full of excess material, they set out to find a way to give them purpose. This is the reverse design process that companies take. Usually, a product is created to meet a consumer’s need or demand. In the case of Fjällräven Samlaren, the company wanted to create products to use the materials. With that starting point, they set out to create products that still met the same quality and usefulness customers expect.

One of the most resource-intensive parts of clothing and bag creation is the actual production of fabric. It uses a large amount of water, chemicals, and power and produces emissions and by-products. By using materials that are already in their mills and factories, new products can be produced without having the cost of production go to waste.

The first collection is made out of surplus G-1000 fabric. It includes the classic Greenland jacket, Kånken backpack and updated versions of the tote bag and even a cap. The designers cleverly employ color blocking to add a touch of playfulness but also subtly signal the items are upcycled.

The Fjällräven Samlaren Jackets come in three colorways for men and three in the women’s cut. The Kånken backpack is slightly larger than the original model. It features padded shoulder straps and several pockets – open, zippered, and with button closures. There are four colors to choose from. Similarly, the Totepack is also available in four colorways and has a simple design with an open main compartment. A small buttoned inside pocket provides quick access to small items. Lastly, two caps round out the collection and feature contrasting shades in the bottomside.

Many companies are taking sustainability and conscientious production more seriously recently. But this has been top of mind for Fjällräven throughout the company’s history. With advances in material production and recycling processes, consumers no longer have to make a decision between buying green versus a quality product. Companies have proven that products using recycled or upcycled components perform just as well as those using virgin materials.

However, Fjällräven’s ultimate goal, naturally, is to become so efficient in their design, patterning, and material production that they no longer have excess or leftover materials that need a home. Ironically, if the brand reaches this goal, the Fjällräven Samlaren project will become obsolete. But they’ll be an even better brand for it. Respect.

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Enter Stojo, founded by three dads from New York, who wanted to create a reusable cup that was ultra-portable and leak-proof. It comes in four sizes ranging from 8 oz to 24 oz, and in a variety of colors. They all are made of LFGB Certified silicone, are BPA-free, and have no phthalates, leads, or glues. They are dishwasher safe, fit in standard cupholders, have a lid with a leak-proof seal. And if you opt for one of the larger two sizes, they come with a silicone straw as well. For hot drinks, there is even an ingenious insulated sleeve, just like from your favorite coffee shop.

But why a cup? For starters, a drinking experience is greatly enhanced and dependent on the vessel it’s consumed in. There is specific drinkware for almost every occasion. From single malt whisky glasses to matcha bowls for enjoying Japanese green tea on special occasions. A cup is easier to hold because of the way it flares out, and depending on the opening, makes it easier to enjoy certain beverages, as opposed to sipping it from a bottle.

The portable and collapsible nature of the Stojo cup means being able to enjoy a drink and pack your waste in situations you might not have imagined. Fill it up with your morning coffee or tea at the hotel continental breakfast before you head to the first session of the conference. Take it on a plane and enjoy a hot beverage without worrying about spilling or needing to ask the stewardess for refills. When you are done, the whole thing (straw, sleeve, and all), collapses into a tiny footprint that fits most purses or even jacket pockets.

In practice, I found the 16 oz easy to use, after about a minute to adjust. It comes collapsed to just 2 inches which is great for two reasons: first, it reduces packaging waste, and second, it makes for a great initial user experience unboxing it, teaching you how to expand and assemble it. When empty, the silicone walls are soft and flexible so my hand’s muscle memory and expectation of grasping a traditional stiff mug meant I slightly squeezed in the walls. I thought the added weight and pressure from filling it with water would stiffen things up and it did, to a degree, but I was still using too firm of a grip. The solution? Use the included insulated sleeve, which slides on perfectly (don’t worry, you’ll know when to stop), and provides the right amount of rigidity. From there, it was smooth sailing.

Not to be outdone with just beverages, the team at Stojo recently introduced a sustainable, and you guessed it, collapsible bowl. It holds an impressive 4.5 cups (or 36 oz) and is made from the same food-grade silicone. Everything fits together, from the lid to the snaps, without the need for glues or chemicals. This means what you put in your body is safe and free from BPA, lead, and phthalate. It also means that all parts are dishwasher safe. I was surprised at how nice and convenient the bowl was to use. A minor niggle is the latches take quite a bit of force to open but I’d rather struggle a bit than have food leaking or spilling out of my bag.

The uses seem endless. Taking your lunch to work or school is an obvious choice. Once you are done, you can rinse it out, and collapse it down for easy commuting back home. The bowls are stackable when collapsed and in this state, they are only 1.3″ tall. The bowl is also a great vessel to transport food to share, to a picnic or backyard BBQ. When everyone’s had their share, it drops down, and you leave needing a smaller bag than you came with. And, like the cups, the experience of eating food out of a proper bowl instead of a plastic Tupperware container or disposable paper bowl, is much nicer.

With cups and bowls out of the way, Stojo didn’t forget where this sustainability journey started – the bottle. Their iteration is a 20 oz wonder that has a pleasant tear-drop shape. It comes in nearly two dozen different colors and drops down to just 3.3 inches. The screw-on cap creates an airtight and leak-proof seal and it disassembles for easy cleaning. Lastly, this month, they are introducing their collapsible sports bottle, perfect for anyone looking to stay hydrated during workouts. Compared to the standard bottle, the cap was designed to be easier to unscrew during workouts.

Stojo started with $1M of funding and has had $14M in lifetime revenue in just four years. Like water bottles that are now commonplace, educated consumers are hungry for a company to deliver solutions to make their lives easier while allowing them to support sustainability and reduce waste. With their collapsible and reusable cups and bowls, Stojo is poised to make great strides in the zero waste and plastic-free movement.

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By now you’ve probably noticed Dyneema® popping up more and more in both high-tech outdoors gear and even high fashion. What you might not know is that Dyneema® has actually been around since the ’90s, helping to stop bullets, moor oil rigs and repair human joints. Given the amount of mystery surrounding this latest miracle material, we thought it was about time we gave you the full rundown.

What is Dyneema®?

In its most simple form, Dyneema is simply just a tiny synthetic fiber. What makes this little guy a modern-day miracle is that it happens to possess some incredible qualities. The most famous trait is its amazing strength-to-weight ratio. But it also boasts a long list of other beneficial characteristics that have made it useful across a huge range of applications.

Unlike natural fibers that you might find in nature, like wool or cotton, synthetic fibers are found in the lab. This particular fiber was discovered by the Dutch company DSM. They also gave it its proprietary name “Dyneema®” and hold the exclusive rights to manufacture it. Along with Spectra, Dyneema® is one of the two predominant types of fiber known as an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber, or UHMwPE. While Dyneema® has only been around since about the ’90s, the story of how it got here goes back over 50 years.

Before DSM discovered the fiber, UHMwPE was already well renowned in its solid plastic form. Due to its amazing strength and high impact strength, it had become the material of choice for spine implants and hip replacements as early as the 1960s. Around the same time, DSM decided to establish a new research department looking into the new field of polymer technologies. One day in 1964 the head of the new department, Dr. Albert Pennings, happened to start stirring one of the polyethylene solutions he’d been working on. While stirring, Dr. Pennings began to notice crystals forming whisps around the stirring rods. And by complete chance, these whisps turned out to be incredibly strong.

Like all good things, the journey to turn the discovery into what we know today as Dyneema® took time. Three decades, in fact. Aside from corporate politics and funding issues, there was a major hurdle in figuring out how to produce these fibers on a commercial level. 

To begin with, DSM didn’t have a background in producing fibers, otherwise known as spinning. To make matters worse, Dyneema® couldn’t be produced through any existing spinning methods. So 14 years after the initial discovery DSM decided to set up another new research team. This one tasked with finding a way to produce Pennings’ tiny whisps at a commercial quantity.

What resulted was another significant discovery, a patented process known today as gel spinning. Here’s the part where things get a little bit technical. In gel spinning, the polymer is first dissolved into a gel state using a solvent. Then it is squished through a device known as a spinneret, turning it into tiny strands. While still in their gel state the strands are then stretched out, which is where the magic happens. The stretching results in near-perfectly aligned molecules. The standard analogy is that molecules transform from a mess of spaghetti into a packet of neatly aligned dried spaghetti. This combination of super-strong UHMwPE polymers formed using the unique gel spinning process is the core of what makes Dyneema® unique. Jump forward another 12 years to 1990, and DSM had successfully established Dyneema® as the strongest and most durable lightweight commercial fiber in the world.

What’s so great about Dyneema?

You might be thinking, if Dyneema® was around in the ’90s why am I only hearing about it now? Unfortunately for the outdoor enthusiasts, DSM was going BIG. It’s because of the raw strength-to-weight advantage of Dyneema® over materials like steel that the fiber was first snapped up by big industry. You see, Dyneema® is 15 times stronger than steel and 40% stronger than its main rival Kevlar. This also gives it a crazy high tear strength, around five times higher than a like-for-like fabric made using HT-Nylon. Dyneema® is also self-lubricating, which when combined with its strength gives it amazing abrasion resistance.

To launch Dyneema® into the market, DSM decided to focus on pushing these properties to the extreme. Some of the first practical uses included body armor that could stop bullets from a Kalashnikov and mooring lines that broke the machines meant to test them. But it’s not all about strength. What’s particularly unique about Dyneema® is the combination of strength with softness and flexibility (it even floats on water). 

These days Dyneema® has worked its way into all aspects of life wherever strength is needed. From cut-resistant gloves to safer winch ropes and lighter trawler nets. If all that is still not enough to impress you, in 2008 Dyneema® was chosen as the fiber to weave a 30km rope that was used in an experiment to tether a satellite to the earth. And if all of that still isn’t enough? It’s impossible to not be amazed by Luke Aikins’ 2016 parachute-less jump from a plane. After falling 25,000 feet Luke was traveling at 120mph when he was safely caught by a giant net made with Dyneema®.

Dyneema® vs Spectra

Though similar, Dyneema® is not the same as Spectra. There are performance differences in the specific fiber properties (product grades) and manufacturing process. Dyneema® has a manufacturing facility in Greenville, North Carolina for the fiber and all fabrics are developed in Mesa, Arizona. Spectra is also a proprietary UHMwPE fiber, in this case, developed by the US company Honeywell.

Dyneema®’s first steps in the carry world

Looking at the latest Dyneema® developments, it’s impressive to see how far the fiber has evolved. Compared with the slick finish of the Team DSM cycling apparel, the early days of Dyneema® in the outdoor industry were a lot more rugged. Unlike a lot of high-tech developments, it wasn’t the big brands that first started dabbling with Dyneema®, but small ultralight brands and experimental makers. 

As early applications of Dyneema® were all about brute strength, production of the fiber was fairly simplistic. The nets and ropes being made for fishing trawlers and oil rig moorings were a long way from fabric and a very long way from cycling apparel. But around about the same time high-end sailmakers had developed a new composite fabric technology that incorporated high-performance fibers. The new sailcloth was made by sandwiching networks of ultra-strong fibers between layers of lightweight fabrics. Similar to plywood, the combination of layers created a fabric that was stronger than the sum of its parts, as well as being waterproof and incredibly lightweight. The new technology made its America’s Cup debut in 1992, becoming known in the industry as Cuben Fiber. This proved to be the vital link that would open Dyneema® to the outdoor market.

Through Cuben Fiber ultralight makers, such as Bill Fornshell of Ultra-Lite Skunk Works and Mountain Laurel Designs, were able to tap into Dyneema®’s potential for making incredibly lightweight packs. For the era, the first packs they created seemed from another planet, both in terms of weight and look. As light as a golf ball, and always a semi-transparent off-white fabric that looked almost like a throwaway plastic bag. Cuben Fiber also provided a supply chain to source small quantities of Dyneema®, which spawned a wave of makers. Over the following years, the designs progressed through brands like Zpacks, Six Moon Designs, and Hyperlite Mountain Gear. It wasn’t long until DSM saw the potential of this new market and in 2015 they purchased the company making Cuben Fiber.

New Frontiers for Dyneema®

Since the acquisition, Dyneema® has been busy working with brands to merge these two technologies. And in that short time, they’ve created a pretty impressive range of bag and apparel materials offering performance properties such as enhanced strength or reduced weight. On the carry front, brands like SDR Traveller are incorporating the high-performance properties of Dyneema® into travel and commuter gear. Their D3 Traveller Duffel uses an incognito Dyneema® composite that’s both strong enough to carry a load of bricks and so lightweight it packs down to the size of a notebook.

Now even luxury brands such as Moncler are getting in on the act. Their 2020 collection was self-described as a merger of skiwear and space suits. It is a functional range that plays up the material’s unique look and exotic appeal. ECCO Leather is bonding a Dyneema® composite fabric to leather to make the thinnest yet strongest leather on the market. Dyneema has also partnered with other fabric mills to develop high-performance fabrics like motorcycle denim and protective cycling jerseys. You can check out a bunch of innovative creations in the Dyneema Project.

Renewable Dyneema®?

Today, with Dyneema® in high demand and in large-scale production, the chemists at DSM have since turned their attention to improving DSM’s environmental impact. Specifically, Dyneema® is aiming to move toward a circular production system for the fiber. In 2019 the company pledged that from 2030, 60% of Dyneema® fiber feedstock would be sourced from bio-based raw materials. The pledge also committed the company to find a way to recycle Dyneema® at end-of-use. So far progress is looking promising on both of these fronts. Last year they made their first major steps honoring that pledge, launching bio-based Dyneema® fiber made from the byproduct of the wood and paper industry through mass balance accounting. By cleverly incorporating a renewable input at the very start of production, the remainder of the process is left unchanged. The result is a bio-based fiber with no loss of performance at all. 

Now, to further enhance the impact of their protective products across the value chain, DSM have also helped launch a cross-industry coalition, known as CirculariTeam®.

Additionally, earlier this year DSM announced that small-scale recycling experiments had proven successful. Due to the fact that Dyneema® is often used as a composite, there might be a long way to go before we’ll be recycling any backpacks, but it’s a promising start. And if there’s one thing DSM have proven over the years, it’s that they’re in it for the long haul.

Packs featured in hero image: Best Made Company, Patrol Pack, Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism

Jacket: C.P Company Metropolis 020

The post The Pro Guide to Dyneema® | the Modern-Day Miracle Material appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Now we’ve seen that growth crossover into the carry world and Dyneema® continuing to build into exciting new realms. It seems that the wonder fabric has endless applications for those in the carry world. Bringing strength, feathery weight, waterproofness, and its signature crunchiness to jackets, bags, wallets, and sneakers. Dyneema® is surely now the UHMwPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) of choice. We’ve even used it in our collaborations, of course.

Below, we’ve dug through the portfolio of the Dyneema® Project, and pinpointed the top seventeen brands who continue to lead innovation with this marvelous material: from bonded ECCO® leather to moto jeans and ultralight tents.

Vollebak

The material maestros at Vollebak have been tinkering, experimenting, and reinventing outdoor gear since 2015. Solar charged jackets, hoodies, and pants made for the next century, and even ski jackets designed to mimic a butterfly’s reflective wings. They have built a following based on this research and development process. So it seems only natural that they would feature Dyneema® in their products.

The Indestructible Puffer and Vest are a true embodiment of what Dyneema® fabrics are intended for. By taking a popular yet flawed product from the outdoor world (the insulated puffer) and re-engineering it with the world’s strongest fiber, the weakest product becomes one of the most robust. By using Dyneema® black (a thicker, heavier fiber composite) this puffer can take anything you can throw at it, including a knife blade. That isn’t a fallacy, I’ve tried it and the jacket came out stronger on the other side. Not only does it make the outer shell impenetrable, but Dyneema® also gets stronger the colder it gets (often why it is found in mooring ropes). Vollebak continues to innovate, and don’t be surprised to see many Dyneema® products in their catalog in the future.

Westcomb

The team north of the border at Westcomb are known for making elite performance apparel. Not only that, they’re never shy when it comes to using innovative materials. The Switch AP hoody is a fine example of technical excellence and groundbreaking innovation colliding. Handmade in Canada, this piece was designed to allow adventure in the toughest conditions, without slowing you down. Dyneema® Composite Fabric is combined with an eVent® DVAlpine shell to give those mountainous souls shelter when the weather comes in. Robust and weighing in at under 300g, this ultralight packable shell is the pinnacle of alpine performance.

Racing Atelier

From mountain biking roots in the Bavarian Alps come Racing Atelier, a brand who are the perfect marriage of traditional techniques and modern materials. This partnership is no clearer than in their Rucksack#1, a harmonious mix of vegetable-tanned leather and Dyneema® Composite Fabric combined. The result of this is a made-to-order, handcrafted, luxurious lightweight backpack that looks both like a timeless classic and a high-level performance piece. With vegetable-tanned leather chosen for its natural flow and the Dyneema® Composite Fabric chosen for its lightweight strength, this is truly a beautiful piece that will only get better with use. At 27L this is an excellent daypack that will surely turn heads and hearts.

LiteAF

As the name suggests, these packs are, well, light AF! The team creates custom packs designed for all of your outdoor needs, ranging from fanny packs all the way to fully-featured 46L suspension packs. All LiteAF packs are completely customizable. And as the photo shows, they come in some psychedelic patterns should you choose that route! LiteAF have taken advantage of all that Dyneema® has to offer by creating robust outdoor packs that can be made to fit any situation! With a recommended load weight of 35lbs, the Curve suspension pack is ready to help you tackle outdoor escapades and leave your shoulders feeling all the better afterward!

ECCO® ExoStrike Sneaker

ECCO® are known for their comfortable and durable shoes. But they’ve also been at the forefront of the game when it comes to incorporating Dyneema® into the carry community. The ExoStrike has won multiple design accolades including ISPO, RedDot, and Scandanavian Outdoor awards. When you see the sneaker, it is clear why. A marriage of elegant design and high performance, the ExoStrike strikes a great balance between timeless style and futuristic technologies. ECCO®’s bonded leather adds incredible lightweight strength to the shoe, while retaining the texture and aesthetics of the leather that we all know and love. These sneakers provide comfort, strength, and style in equal measure.

adidas Ozweego Dyneema Sneaker

adidas are the epitome of the sporting world, and their three stripes are iconic worldwide. They have reimagined and reinvented every type of sports equipment going, from soccer cleats to tennis shoes. Their designs are always at the forefront of progression in the sports industry. With the Ozweego sneaker, adidas have harkened back to the instantly recognizable sneaker aesthetic of the 1990s. But they have updated the materials, and the performance, by pairing with Dyneema® to create a mesh upper, adorned in the Dyneema® diamond logo. Add this durable upper to their Adiprene midsole, and you’re left with a sneaker that is durable, comfortable, and striking. That’s a win in our books. These sneakers stand out in a saturated market, and cement adidas’s place as innovators.

Porter Yoshida 85th Anniversary Collection – ECCO Bonded Leather

ECCO are at it again, this time with Japanese powerhouse Porter Yoshida. The Japanese soft goods brand are known for their thoughtful, tasteful, and intelligent design. It is no surprise then that to celebrate their 85th anniversary, they are the first Japanese brand to use Dyneema® in their manufacturing process. By using the ECCO® bonded leather, they have created an ultra-lightweight, exceptionally tough collection of bags and accessories. Paper-thin, this collection showcases Dyneema® and its versatility. Porter Yoshida and ECCO have created a collection with the same timeless style that leather is known for, but with a modern, long-lasting reinforcement.

Saint CC Unbreakable Denim

Australian motorcycle brand Saint CC worked directly with Dyneema® to create this unique and groundbreaking road collection. Able to slide for four seconds (or more than one hundred and fifty feet) before breaking through, the Unbreakable collection is an ingenious application of Dyneema® into the apparel industry. Much like Levi’s did to workwear, this unbreakable denim could be the new benchmark for performance motorcycle gear. Traditionally there are two camps of motorcycle clothing – tank-like protective gear that makes the wearer look like something from Tron or stylish summer denim that will provide minimal protection. With Saint CC’s new collection, riders can get the best of both worlds. Slim-fitting and stylish, the Unbreakable collection should be on your wishlist.

Stone Island Shadow Project Bomber

Stone Island’s Shadow Project has a unique history, particularly when it comes to personnel. Errolson Hugh was responsible for creating an independent design and consulting agency dubbed ACRONYM®. After collaborating with an impressive array of clients that include Arc’teryx, Burton Snowboards, Bagjack, and Disaeran, American sports giant Nike tasked Hugh with the revitalization of their ACG line. Finally, Hugh headed up Stone Island’s Shadow Project, which is their research and development line focused on creating classic products with unique material compositions. In their twelfth year, they have reinvigorated the classic bomber by updating its construction with ECCO®’s leather bonded with Dyneema®, allowing this jacket to be extremely thin, exceptionally light, and still as good-looking as ever.

Samaya Equipment Assaut2 Ultra Tent

French natives Samaya have won no less than three ISPO awards in three years. Design pedigree like this is shown across their catalog. But no more so than in the Assaut2 Ultra tent made with Dyneema® Composite Fabric. The winner of the 2021 ISPO Gold award weighs in at a measly 900 grams. With space to fit two people, this is the perfect alpine backpacking tent. Developed with Samaya® athletes, this tent performs in the harshest places on the planet in all four seasons. This tent is the epitome of quality. While it is featherlight, it still provides the comfort and respite that all serious alpinists need during exploration. Samaya® are leading the way in ultralight performance, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.

The North Face Emergency Jacket

The North Face are innovators through and through. They have almost single-handedly been responsible for some of the biggest breakthroughs in outdoor equipment and apparel. Their Purple Line (only available in Japan) often features rare pieces that have been developed in small numbers and haven’t made it to the mass market. The Emergency Jacket comes from this line. And as the name alludes to, it’s a jacket designed for quick deployment in unexpected situations. Made with Dyneema®, this piece is perfect for the moments when you’re caught unexpectedly in a downpour on your commute. Or when you need an extra protective layer when a weather front comes in on the trail. You name it, this jacket will help protect you! Pocket packable, ultra-lightweight, and robust as they come, this jacket is perfect for the UL crowd. Now you’ve just got to try and find one!

CP Company Metropolis Jacket

In 1998, CP Company designed their now iconic Metropolis Jacket. Created with the goal of providing the urbanite everything they needed from a jacket as they entered the new millennium. Now, 23 years later, they’ve reintroduced the Metropolis in a modern version with Dyneema®. Ready for any urban utopia, the Metropolis Jacket is robust and handles anything that the city can throw at you. Equally functional and futuristic, this updated version with Dyneema® even includes a timely anti-smog face mask that is adjustable through the hood. Even when the clock strikes thirteen, you’ll be ready to roll.

Specialized Cycling Shoe

When one thinks of cycling, it is often Specialized that comes to mind. They lead the cycling industry with their innovation for all products that relate to two-wheeled pursuits. They were one of the first to harness the power of BOA® closures. And now they are one of the first to use Dyneema® in performance cycle gear.

Designed for the hottest ascents, the S-works Vent is a cycling shoe built to make rides as comfortable as possible. Mesh uppers can often be a failure point in sports shoes when they are really put under duress. However, that won’t be the case here as the mesh is reinforced with Dyneema®. Meaning you can put mile after punishing mile on these without having to worry about durability. Not only that, the mesh is still supple enough to give you that slipper-like comfort you get when using your shoes. The tour isn’t all that far away, you know…

Zpacks Ultralight Packing Cubes

Most of us in the carry world appreciate the benefit of packing cubes. They are the ultimate tool to organize your trip preparations, both maximizing space and making it easier to find items! However, the more you use, the more weight that is stolen from that measly airline allowance. Zpacks uses Dyneema® in a multitude of their products. But their use of Dyneema® Composite Fabric really stands out in their packing cube selection. Using a wrap-around webbing closure and compression system, you can cinch these as much as you need to maximize space. They also use a waterproof zipper, keeping all your goodies dry. Coming in three sizes – Small (2L/17g), Medium (4L/21g), and Large (8L/27g) – there is something for everyone with these impressive ultralight packing tools.

Hyperlite Prism Backpack

As the air gets thinner, the push becomes harder, and it all feels heavier. It seems only natural that Dyneema® would find its way to the peak of the mountains! With the Prism, Hyperlite have created the dream alpinist pack. A fully featured technical pack, that can be enhanced or simplified thanks to its modular design and accessory catalog, this was made to charge up ravines and over crevices with consummate ease. With enough storage for up to four days, this is the epitome of high performance. Dyneema® is appropriately used here thanks to its extreme weatherproofness, high abrasion resistance, and featherweight construction. For those in the harshest places on earth, now they can focus on the task at hand, rather than the weight on their shoulders.

Team DSM cycling equipment

As one of the leading teams in competitive racing, team DSM are always looking for an edge when it comes to their performance. Their motto of “Keep challenging” is clear in their quest to create the world’s best performance cycling clothing with their technology partner Bioracer. By using Dyneema® in their racing slicks, they are advancing the traditional cycling suit from a uniform tool to a performance-enhancing must-have.

It’s an exciting time for the carry community in general, with innovators popping up left, right, and center, creating exciting products that solve problems and doing so using the best materials around. Dyneema® is right at the top of that material list. And as you can see from the brands and products listed here, the possibilities are endless. Here at Carry HQ, we can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Materials

The OOBD features 86% post-consumer recycled polyester and 14% Lycra. What this means to you in practical terms is it has some degree of stretch, for comfort. It also means that it’s primarily polyester which you might recognize from some of its key features: notably the weight (or lack thereof) and handfeel. I think it most closely resembles silk but man-made instead of harvested. Polyester is very commonly used in sportswear. If you have any running or gym shirts in your wardrobe that are slightly shiny and drape over your body loosely, they’re probably polyester.

What’s important about polyester is it’s naturally hydrophobic, which means it does not attract or absorb water. This is wonderful because it means if you get caught in a downpour or, in my case, don’t pay attention while washing dishes, any liquid you get on your shirt dries quickly.

The OOBD also has great anti-wrinkle properties. It doesn’t mean you won’t see some crinkles from time to time (especially right after a tumble in the washer). But a light application of heat flattens it.

It’s also very breathable and is rated at UPF 50+ for sun protection.

Construction

Heylow reached out to a well-known manufacturing partner with experience in producing men’s suits (among other sartorial items) and together they collaborated on producing the OOBD. The experience shows. Upon arrival, I could not find any evidence of a bad stitch or loose thread. I did have a small issue with a buttonhole not fully punched but it was an easy, 15-second fix. With each shirt being fully reversible, you now end up with double the hardware. For example, there’s a full secondary set of buttons along the placket and dual cuff buttons, one on each side.

Speaking of the front area, it along with the collar are lined with a thin mesh material to add structure and a bit of heft. The challenge with button-downs or dress shirts made with non-traditional materials is they often don’t have the natural weight to keep structure or form (collars) or pull down (placket, bottom hem) properly.

Details

There are a lot of wonderful details I appreciate on the OOBD. First, as I’ve mentioned, it’s reversible. On the Fall Harvest Plaid colorway I was sent, the opposite side is a subtle emerald green thinly striped pattern. I really like that the design, in addition to the colors, is completely different on each side. I feel like the green side looks more dressed up. So I can imagine doing some city exploring on the plaid side and then reversing the shirt before I head to dinner.

The buttons are beautiful on the Heylow Out of Office Button Down. Harkening back to my mention about Heylow’s manufacturing partner, they remind me of something you’d find on a nice dress shirt. They are not mother of pearl but have a wonderful iridescent quality to them. On my shirt, they are a deep blue, reminding me of the ocean when you are out at sea and the only light is from the moon.

Speaking of buttons, I love the use of them on the collar. There’s even one in the back. Having worn a lot of collared shirts, I cannot stand when they are not crisp and folded properly. While some might like the cleaner look of collars without buttons, I think it’s a small price to pay to look put together.

The way Heylow handles the buttons is great but takes some getting used to. Like I mentioned, every button has a twin. So, at first, you cannot rely on your muscle memory of buttoning up your shirt or cuffs. It doesn’t take long to adjust but there’ll be some fumbling initially as your fingers feel the buttons on the opposite side.

One thing that I came to appreciate after a few wears is how clever the pocket placement is. There’s a single chest pocket and as you guessed, there’s one on the reverse as well. The stitching here is a light-colored thread and it is of a very fine pitch. That means you can see the outline of the reverse pocket but it’s barely perceptible. It almost looks like a design element, to be honest.

Lastly, Heylow includes three extra buttons sewn into a seam-tag; always appreciated given how easy buttons are to lose. In this case, you must remove the tag if you plan on reversing the shirt. This means cutting it off with a pair of scissors but I hope future versions have a more fun way of removing it like a perforated tear-away or a thread that will release when you tug on it.

Fit

When I congratulated Patrick on the fit, he told me his approach was simple. He just measured a bunch of shirts and took the best parts of each to come up with his sizing. Well, for my 5’8″ frame, the medium was spot on. The shirt isn’t meant to be fitted but it is much more flattering than many of the shirts out there. It’s described as being Tailored Fit and I tend to agree. One thing to note: because of the light weight of the fabric and the Lycra stretch, it feels very comfortable and you may get a sense that it’s baggy. However, if you take a look in the mirror, you’ll find that it is more fitted than you think.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the arms were a little long on my shirt. But I also am the first to admit, I probably have shorter arms than a typical person wearing a medium. Luckily, with the cuffs buttoned, your wrist is a natural barrier keeping the sleeves from getting into any trouble.

Who It Suits

The Heylow Out of Office Button Down is perfect for the one-bag traveler who is trying to pack light and get the most versatility out of their clothing; after all, that’s the motto of one-bag travel, right? It’s ideal for someone who wants a single shirt that can go from city to trail and back down to a backyard BBQ. It’s also ideal for those who travel or live in warm environments or for those who want to use it as a light layer.

Who It Doesn’t

This shirt is not great for those who need more structure or weight on their button-downs. This would not pair well with a suit in my opinion and would not be my first choice as a solo shirt for late Fall or Winter outings. It also has no natural wicking abilities so it can feel clammy depending on the weather and your activity level. Polyester is also oleophilic which means your skin’s oils readily absorb into the fibers. And in some situations it can get stinky, so don’t buy this shirt to work out in.

Verdict

Modern everyday clothing is going through a revolution right now. Small brands are taking the technical materials designed for performance sports and pairing them with practical designs and excellent tailoring. Heylow wants to be your weekend uniform and I think their Out of Office Button Down really meets the brief in this regard. It’s like buying two shirts in one and it’s reserved a spot on my packing list.

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If you take the time to think about how we typically discuss bags, there is very little consideration to sustainability or the full life cycle of the bag. The industrialized world operates on a very linear level; there’s the production of the product, then at the end of life, it ends up in landfills. The term product life cycle gets thrown around but this is not a closed loop system in the slightest. The focus has always been the best performance, at the cheapest price. Let’s break down each of the two components and consider thinking about them in a different way.

Thinking About Performance and Cost in a Different Way

When you speak about the performance or capabilities of a product or material, it’s important to think about appropriateness. As Christian Paul Kaegi, co-founder and Creative Director at QWSTION, explained it doesn’t make much sense to drive a large truck (for example) if you’re just transporting yourself because you are using a 6,000 lb vehicle to move a 150 lb person. Taking that concept and applying it to bags:

“When you speak of sustainability it is absolutely crucial. It doesn’t make sense to create a bag that can carry 600 pounds which Cordura basically can do. The strength to the materials is at a point where it has really high tear resistance and really high tensile strength but it’s overshooting the goal.”

Christian Paul Kaegi

If we are truly being honest with ourselves, how much bag do we need? When will we ever utilize the 2000 lb capacity of a Cobra buckle? How important is waterproofness if we live in an area with very little rainfall? How important is colorfastness? With such advancements in materials (particularly plastic-based), consumers are spoiled by the performance they are able to achieve. These abilities, which are often relegated to specification sheets for bragging rights, are rarely needed by most users. Shouldn’t buying a bag that can do everything you need (plus a reasonable margin for extra breathing room) be sufficient?

Moving on, how much would such a bag cost? Unfortunately, due to the unfettered nylon and polyester industry, our expectations and ideals for cost are completely out of touch with the realities of a product’s total cost. And by total cost, I mean the price that’s paid for both the materials and production but also after the item is discarded. Currently, about 9% of plastics are recycled while 11% are incinerated, which releases CO2 into the environment. The rest end up in landfills where they stay for 30-400 years. The cost of climate change is paid by everyone but because it’s harder to measure or see the effects of it on an individual basis, it’s really hard to really understand what this cost is. Additionally, the effects of climate change are spread across all citizens on the planet, which acts to minimize the costs.

With those two things in mind, let’s take a look at QWSTION’s latest offering, the BioLight Collection. It consists of three bucket bags (in Mini, Small, and Medium sizes), each in three colorways – Heron, Raven, and Robin. While the Minimal Collection bags were the first to use Bananatex, their focus (as their namesake suggests) was on simplicity and minimalism. This means: minimal waste, minimal use of materials, and maximum sustainability. The Roll Pack, for example, is made from 30 parts, compared to the industry standard of over 100 pieces to make a pack. In contrast, the BioLight collection is focused on organic original materials and lightness.

Who It Suits

On a broad level, the BioLight collection is for someone who is concerned about the total life cycle of a product. The user is someone who is interested in how far organic/plant-based solutions have advanced and their performance. On a practical level, the collection with its three sizes is ideal for anyone carrying small to medium-sized loads to and from the office and school and for weekend trips exploring the city, or even evenings out on the town.

Who It Doesn’t

The nature of the materials and construction means the BioLight collection is quite rugged and robust but it would not be ideal for the most extreme situations or conditions. It would not be ideal for situations where inclement weather was expected. It is not designed to be resistant against extremes whether that’s rain, abrasion, puncturing, etc. It’s perfectly performing what it’s meant for – a bag you can carry with you daily.

Design

The BioLight collection comes in three sizes (Mini, Small, Medium) but besides capacity differences, each one has a unique design as well. First, the common traits, which will be covered in other sections, have to do with the overall build and construction philosophy. They are broadly based around an organic cotton shell, Bananatex structure and straps, a simple drawstring enclosure, and flexible carry options.

The Mini Bucket is the smallest of the trio and holds 3L and weights 0.14 kg. There’s a single large YKK zipper on the front with a key hook inside. The main compartment is a single cavity with drawcord closure. The bag is entirely recyclable due to the build and materials: cotton, Bananatex and lightweight aluminum.

The Small Bucket is the middle child, weighing a little less than half a kilogram but able to hold a respectable 18L. Here, you can see the trapezoidal shape that is unmistakable in the BioLight design language. Like the Mini, the single outside pocket features a key hook. But here, the extra volume allows for more features and flexibility. For example, an EVA-protective sleeve is included that can hold up to a 13″ MacBook Pro. It also has an additional small inside pocket. Lastly, the straps allow for multiple carry options: backpack, shopper, or shoulder bag. Swapping between the modes is seamless with a clever to carry handle that is slotted to allow for the backpack straps to pass through. Sliding this handle transforms the Small Bucket.

The largest bag of the bunch is actually named Medium Bucket. It’s slightly larger with a 20L capacity and weighs exactly 0.5 kg. It’s very similar to the Small Bucket except for two key differences: first, the sleeve holds a 16″ MacBook Pro and the design of the straps is unique. There are permanent tote straps that can be secured with a strap closure. This means that it’s both in tote and backpack mode permanently.

Both the Small and Medium Bucket have an interesting draw closure that takes a quick demonstration to figure out but once you see it, it’s simple to use. You need to grip the small QWSTION loop with your fingers and tug on the metal bar to close it. To open the bag, grab onto the loop again but this time pull it away while gripping the opposite side of the bag.

Construction

As mentioned earlier, QWSTION is all about distilling bags to their purest forms. That means for their Roll Pack the pattern consists of just 30 pieces instead of the over 100 required for a typical pack. That theme continues with the BioLight collection. The team worked closely with their production partners in Huizhou, China to produce simple forms that could be easily constructed.

What they ended up achieving is a build that is very simple but not lacking. The quality of the construction is stellar, with no frayed edge or stitch undone. The shapes and panels are quite simple but for the intended use case, there is no need for added complexity.

The Bananatex is really the glue that holds the BioLight bags together. As mentioned, it adds structure and strength and provides the handles and straps. The material is quite light for the strength it provides and is even doubled up at stress points.

Materials

The star here is of course the Bananatex fiber that QWSTION developed after several years of R&D, partnering with farmers and growers in the jungles of the Philippines. QWSTION actually started out the brand by developing their own organic cotton, which took a few years. Then they started investigating bamboo before they saw the potential of banana fibers. There are around 40 different types of banana plants and the one they chose is not used for the fruit because it’s not very good to eat. Locals have been using the fibers to make ropes but QWSTION came in and figured out a way to develop a technical fiber from it.

The plants grow completely naturally and it turns out you can extract the fiber from the plant in its natural life cycle. It has a one-year growth phase until it bears fruit, then it naturally dies and then replenishes.

“A crucial difference versus cotton, you know, the cotton fibers can be manipulated in ways to make strong textiles, but it always comes with added weight and using a strong fiber as a starting point allowed us to ultimately create a lightweight strong material.“

Christian Paul Kaegi

Despite being a monoculture crop, cotton still has advantages and makes up a large portion of the bags. The super-lightweight shell is made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified cotton with a natural wax coating for water resistance. The Bananatex pulls double duty forming the structure and backpack straps. All the metal hardware including the YKK zipper(s), buckles and key hook are made from aluminum which allows them to be recycled completely. The only aspect of the BioLight bags that cannot be recycled are the EVA-foam laptop pockets found in the Small and Medium Bucket. However, these are detachable and can be re-purposed as standalone sleeves or even a seat cushion.

Wrapping up

With QWSTION’s last major release, the Minimal Collection, the focus was minimal use of materials with maximum sustainability. They redesigned patterns from the ground up and instead of starting with the design, they started with the materials and figured out the best way to build a bag.

With BioLight, QWSTION took all their learnings (pattern creation and material use) and focused on lightness. The main aim is to combine lightness with organic origin materials. Traditionally if these were your end goals, you would not look at organic materials. Plastics dominate this field due to their incredible performance characteristics and low prices. With Bananatex, lending strength and structure, the brand is proving that it is possible to create a bag that meets the needs of most users but is also responsible.

When I listened to QWSTION’s founder Christian speak about their journey to this point, I couldn’t help but think about how much it mimicked other sustainability ventures – hybrid/electric vehicles, solar panels, rechargeable batteries. The tale starts the same way – a few companies try to offer an alternative that is better for the environment, less wasteful, and more sustainable. It gains traction slowly and only the most ardent supporters are willing to pay the price premium for admittedly less performance. But eventually with enough dedication and commitment, there’s a tipping point. This is when the product is good enough, or even exceeds consumer requirements, and the price sacrifice is not nearly as high. I think this is the goal of all sustainable companies and their founders: when their customers are ordinary people who are willing to support the environment by making sound purchasing decisions and not those who would be considered rebels or risk-takers. QWSTION has accomplished this with Bananatex, their organic cotton, and the BioLight collection and with their plans to license and share the textile with other makers and brands, they will prove to be a major driving force behind conscious consumerism.

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