Officially, the purpose of my trip was to attend and compete in the World Beard and Moustache Championships held in the tiny mountain town of Leogang, Austria (Spoiler Alert: I took 7th place in the World, with two of my friends in the Austin Facial Hair Club scoring 1st place in the World in their respective categories).

However, I had some other plans in store for this trip.  In the weeks leading up to my journey, I was emailing with Katrin and Robert at AustriAlpin (makers of “the world’s highest quality safety hardware for military, SAR, fall-stop, para-sport and mountaineering”) with the crazy idea of a visit.  I was almost surprised when they quickly agreed to give me a private tour of the factory/headquarters while I was there during my only available window of time.  Yes, I plan for carry-related brand visits whenever I’m traveling, be it domestically or internationally. 

AustriAlpin Cobra buckles adorn some of our very favorite carry brands’ products on the market (Mission Workshop, Bedouin Foundry, DEFY Bags, and more) and I’m a massive fanatic of the hardware and brand, so this pitstop was a must-do for me.  In fact, I’m so much of an AustriAlpin addict/junkie, that I modified my Triple Aught Design FAST Pack Litespeed to include a total of 9 Cobra buckles.  Yes, nine.
Maybe overkill?  Definitely.
Super awesome?  Absolutely.

To be honest, I was extremely excited for this AustriAlpin HQ visit.  Maybe even more so than the World Championships…the primary purpose taking a backseat to this private tour.

“I’m so much of an AustriAlpin addict/junkie, that I modified my Triple Aught Design FAST Pack Litespeed to include a total of 9 Cobra buckles. Yes, nine.”

For the purpose of carry geeking, the Alchemy Equipment AEL008 Carry On and AEL006 Daypack were my two bags on this trip and they were more than amazing for carrying everything I needed for 14 days in Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary.  Plus, no checked bags since the AEL008 is carry-on size and the AEL006 acted as my personal item.  I even had enough room on my final days abroad to stuff in some bulky gifts for friends and family.

Immediately upon exiting Salzburg Airport, I loaded my AEL008 and AEL006 into the small European rental car and started the drive from Salzburg to AustriAlpin located in the picturesque Stubaital Valley in the middle of the Stubai Alps. 

“For the purpose of carry geeking, the Alchemy Equipment AEL008 Carry On and AEL006 Daypack were my two bags on this trip and they were more than amazing for carrying everything I needed for 14 days in Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary.”

To be honest, the 2-hour drive took well over 3.5 hours due to the countless repeating stops to marvel at the incredibly stunning vistas…and maybe pet an uber-friendly dairy cow or two.  This drive was a brilliant way to almost instantly see the famous countryside of Austria after having only landed in the country hours ago.  Though Austrian cities are charming and full of wonderful history, the outdoors is where this country shines.  Get out there.

“To be honest, the 2-hour drive took well over 3.5 hours due to the countless repeating stops to marvel at the incredibly stunning vistas…and maybe pet an uber-friendly dairy cow or two.”

Following the GPS on the foreign twisty roads, I was a bit shocked when it had verbally announced that I had officially arrived in the destination village of Fulpmes, Austria (just south/southwest of Innsbruck if you’re familiar with Austrian geography).  I couldn’t believe that there could possibly be a manufacturing facility among these iconic beautiful cottages out here in these green-grassed mountain farmlands.  Where could this facility be hiding? 

I mean, there was an actual glacier in full view, towering above the sun-soaked valley.  Absolutely no signs of “heavy industry”.  The only sounds were happy birds chirping through the rich air, the ambient bubbling of an unseen glacial-melt river somewhere down through the trees, and mellow gusts of wind which carried the paragliders who seemed to be floating effortlessly miles above me in the sky.  It was well beyond what I had imagined.

“I couldn’t believe that there could possibly be a manufacturing facility among these iconic beautiful cottages out here in these green-grassed mountain farmlands.”

Just down a small road at the edge of town, revealing its disguise while in plain sight, there was a minimalist white structure with the AustriAlpin logo on the front.  It both stood out and blended into the surrounding architecture and landscape with ease.  This was it.  I made it.

My email contact Katrin came out to the front parking lot, wearing a full and genuine smile, to shake hands and officially welcome me to AustriAlpin. 

Still taken aback by the beauty of the surroundings, almost distracted by them, high on sunlight and the fresh air, my head on a swivel, I fumbled with my words and commented on the incredible weather and the paragliders soaring up above.  Katrin agreed with me on the superb weather they had been having, then took a moment to squint at one particular barely visible tiny ant of a human flying up in the sky.  “Ah yes, that one is my uncle. He’s using our hardware.” He mentioned this tidbit so casually, as a simple matter of fact. Of course Katrin was related to him and of course he was using their hardware.  It was comical how much sense that made.  Then we made our way inside.

We entered the first of the two buildings, which is where the business side of AustriAlpin takes place.  Robert, another employee who would show us around, met us inside.  The interior is very Austrian in design; minimalist, beautiful, clean.  Meeting rooms, open air offices, full of cheerful workers warmly introducing themselves.  It screamed out “this is a place anyone with a pulse would want to work”, but in a well-mannered, polite tone.

“The interior is very Austrian in design; minimalist, beautiful, clean. Meeting rooms, open air offices, full of cheerful workers warmly introducing themselves.”

Then, I was led downstairs to the connected warehouse portion of the office.

This is where they kept the gold; all their products, ready to ship out to customers around the world. 

Row after row after row of tall shelves stacked with boxes filled with Cobra buckles, GT Cobra buckles, Cobra FM buckles, carabiners, ice axes, ice tools, climbing helmets, crampons, and other hardware bits that I’m not enough of an outdoor athlete to even begin to identify or guess their intended purposes. 

I’ll tell you, reaching my hand into a cardboard box with the words “Made in Austria” on the exterior and filled to the brim with Cobra buckles is a feeling like no other. 

Better than a box full of precious valuable metals used for currency.  Nearly worth as much too.

“I’ll tell you, reaching my hand into a cardboard box with the words “Made in Austria” on the exterior and filled to the brim with Cobra buckles is a feeling like no other.”

The different color options which I’ve only seen photos of online, were even better than I imagined.

Though I always prefer the pure and simple black or silver clearcoat Cobra buckles… now I wanted one in every color that they offered.  Brilliant.

I wish I had taken a photo of the blue Cobra buckle I spotted, but I was a bit overwhelmed and must have forgotten.

I jokingly asked if there was another giant room filled with their buckles that I could dive into and swim through like Scrooge McDuck.  Perhaps behind a secret door?

Sadly, there wasn’t such a room that existed.  But this experience would surely suffice.  Maybe someday they’ll build this room based on my suggestion. 

Since I normally don’t get to handle the full collection of AustiAlpin’s gear, I was mentally shopping and taking notes for which set of ice axes and crampons I’d like to purchase for an upcoming adventure trip to Nepal.  Each version was better than the next.  Whenever I’ve saved up enough, it will be AustriAlpin-made products that I confidently trust my life with.

Honestly, I didn’t want to ever leave this warehouse, as I could spend a lifetime fondling these high-performance and amazing bits of kit.

“Whenever I’ve saved up enough, it will be AustriAlpin-made products that I confidently trust my life with.”

If I was a warehouse employee here, I’d get absolutely no work done.  AustriAlpin Hardware Fondler.  That could be a job.

But, I was told we’d be leaving now, headed to where the magic happens…the factory.

“If I was a warehouse employee here, I’d get absolutely no work done. AustriAlpin Hardware Fondler. That could be a job.”

Fully expecting a long walk “over to the factory” or maybe even a short drive, I was surprised to see the factory only 100 feet or so in front of us, just across the parking lot. 

Here in the parking lot outside the factory’s back/side doors, I met the two owners of AustiAlpin.  Both were pleasant, welcoming, and more than willing to take time out of their day to join along in the tour.  I recall them both having a great sense of humor, language not posing a barrier whatsoever.  I will admit, their English is much better than my Deutsch.

The very first thing you see upon walking into the factory is the giant display of Cobra buckles which makes up the AustriAlpin logo; 340 of them if I counted correctly.  That’s roughly $8,500 USD and nearly 50 lbs of Cobra buckles.  Awesome.  I want one.

“The very first thing you see upon walking into the factory is the giant display of Cobra buckles which makes up the AustriAlpin logo; 340 of them if I counted correctly.”

Just through the main entrance is a sea of CNC mills, cutting away.  Running 24 hours a day (if my memory isn’t failing me).  This is Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for a gear geek like myself.  Here, I was able to witness Cobras and other high-end AustriAlpin hardware bits being made from scratch.  They all start out as massive bars of raw aluminum, brass, and steel.  Then manipulated into their final form via a variety of fabrication processes and high-dollar, high-tech, high-precision machines.  Start to finish, everything done right here in-house.  Even the super durable coatings.

“Just through the main entrance is a sea of CNC mills, cutting away. Running 24 hours a day (if my memory isn’t failing me). This is Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for a gear geek like myself.”

Though this was the most exciting part of the visit, I’m not allowed to share much regarding the actual manufacturing details, as many of their processes are patented, patent pending, and/or just plain old confidential.  They are the best of the best, after all. 

There were many times I’d ask if I could photograph a specific aspect, process, or detail of the manufacturing process and they would very kindly explain that it was not a good idea. 

So, honoring their privacy, I won’t go into too much detail on these steps and I will only show the photos that they agreed to when I asked.

I will say, from my professional knowledge and understanding of production, materials, and quality from many other factory visits throughout my Industrial Design career…this is one of the finest hardware facilities in the world.  The machine operators were all very happy, the inside was spotlessly clean, and the air was as fresh inside as it was outside.  This brand takes their people, their products, and their company very seriously.

“I will say, from my professional knowledge and understanding of production, materials, and quality from many other factory visits throughout my Industrial Design career…this is one of the finest hardware facilities in the world.”

Once we finally wrapped up in the factory, which was the last stop on the tour, we made some small talk and some jokes out in the parking lot, soaking up the warm sunlight.  I’ll admit that I was dragging it out, I didn’t want to leave.  But, I had 5-liter beers and homemade schnapps to drink with my bearded competitor friends from all around the world…who happened to be well under way with kicking off the festivities, hours away in Leogang.

With a generous gift of a very cleverly designed AustriAlpin “fifty:fifty autolock carabiner” straight from off the shelf at the warehouse clipped onto my Alchemy Equipment AEL006 Daypack, we all exchanged some handshakes and hugs, then I was off.

To this day, every single time I use this carabiner, I think of my unbelievable day visiting AustriAlpin headquarters in that wildly gorgeous valley of the Stubai Alps.  I’m sure every bit of it is just as perfect there as the last time I saw it; the stoic mountains, the powerful glacier, and those weightless paragliders soaring up above…using AustriAlpin hardware, of course.

Thank you to everyone at AustriAlpin, the makers of the finest hardware in the world, for allowing this once-in-a-lifetime tour to occur.  I’d wholeheartedly love to come visit again.  Until that day comes, I’ll be daydreaming on the idea that you’ve taken my suggestion and built a room full of Cobra buckles that I can swim through like Scrooge McDuck.

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As you’ll see, our nominees this year show some of the evolution that comes from this wider adoption and it’s shaping up to be real show stopper.

Be sure to nominate your favorite active messenger and get it the recognition you think it deserves.

You have two votes to use as you will…

Allocate your 1st choice with 2 points

And your 2nd choice just with the 1 point. 

Note: any votes made over the allotted limit will be wiped from the voting tally. 

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Timbuk2 Especial Messenger

Here we have a fine example of the ‘more is more’ philosophy jammed into a messenger. This bad boy’s got fistfuls of features in it: from the epic Fidlock buckles to reflective elements and wicked expansion and compression, and hey, throw in a slew of rad pocketing and you’re nearly there. Let’s face it, they’re busier than most. But if you want more, then this is your player.

Bedouin Genghis

The updated version of the Saracen, this small messenger is classic Bedouin, which means classic British lux messenger design. There is zero compromise on materials and hardware, with a masculinity that lets you get away with the smaller format. This is the messenger that can move between polo or bike polo without unbuttoning it’s top button.

 5.11 Tactical RUSH Delivery Lima

The messenger format has had trouble transitioning beyond bike brands. When outdoor, surf, or most other lifestyle brands try, they end up too structured, or with fabrics that are all wrong, or just not bringing new thoughts to the table. Thankfully, tactical brands are starting to find a new rhyme, lead by crew like 5.11. Their Lima is modular, has amazing access on the go and sports some real clever tricks.

Trakke Wee Lug Messenger

Glasgow is the perfect city to develop messenger bags in – it rains lots, the road surfaces are hell to ride over, and there’s a no bullshit vibe that keeps brands grounded. The part we love about Trakke is that they then draw on their Scottish heritage, incorporating classic Scottish fabrics and aesthetic influences. Their Wee Lug displays all this in a mid-size format, and is available in Harris Tweeds, or by order in Dundee Waxed Cottons. These bags are beautiful yet burly.

Ally Capellino Tommo Despatch

So it turns out that it’s the Brit’s doing the most to reinvent the classic bike messenger; treating it with heritage fabrics, colors and hardware rather than the usual synthetic trappings or the heritage trinkets that most other messenger brands fail to escape. Ally Capellino has been at this for awhile, and it shows. Their new bike focused Tommo is timeless yet modern, beautiful yet totally functional.

F-stop Shibata

Small, kinda cute, not overly complicated and totally affordable, the Shibata is a great way to carry a small camera setup around on your adventures. And with the surge in Micro 4/3rds formats, these small messengers are more relevant than ever.

Crumpler Wren Messenger

This is a really easy bag to pass over, but you’ll be doing yourself an injustice if you do. Small, light, and aimed squarely at a female audience, it finds subtle new details that bring a freshness. The hidden padding on the shoulder strap. The sprung stabiliser strap that retracts back. The slightly tweaked proportions and very soft color pallete. We dig.

Black Rainbow Project Red Messenger

The Black Rainbow Project has been so underground it’s at risk of suffocating. Scott, the owner, has been chipping away on the evolution of his pro-sized messengers for years. The good thing is that if you get in touch, pay upfront, and get a big dose of luck, you can actually land one of these beasts. It’s still shrouded in mystery, so this is not one for the faint hearted.

– VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED –

What’s not here?

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I’ve been testing Bedouin’s Barbary messenger bag now for 5 months.

This bag has hauled more groceries than the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev.

This bag has transported more beers than all four Bernstein brothers, combined.

This bag has been to more outdoor concerts than Ben Dorsey.

And it’s only just starting to get broken in.

I love this bag.

Upon my initial discovery of Bedouin, I was immediately pulled in.  Their story, their craft, and the style of their products had me wanting to learn more.  I know it’s wordy, and taken directly from their site, but I’m posting it here as an introduction to Bedouin, as I couldn’t describe their brand any better than they can themselves…

“Inspired by traditional craft, geometric art, the macabre and surrealism. Designed for comfort and durability.

At Bedouin we believe in quality. We believe you should buy a bag that lasts a lifetime. We do not believe in disposable fashion and an endless replacement cycle; buy quality and buy it once. We are extremely confident of the quality and workmanship of our bags, that is why we offer a lifetime guarantee on materials and workmanship from normal wear and tear.”

They then go on to talk about sourcing the finest ingredients, the best English craft, being inspired by the Bedouin tent, and all that sort of vibe. You can read the full blurb here.

Products inspired by craft, geometric art, the macabre, surrealism, and the metaphor of a Bedouin tent?  Handmade, durable, quality?  Not only do they have my curiosity, they have my full attention.  Take a look at their site and the wild imagery on it (some selected images shown above).  I’m a fan.  So I got in touch with the owner and founder of Bedouin, Silas Grant, based out of London.

Silas is an ex-bicycle courier himself, so you can see how the idea for the Barbary messenger and their additional carry products were inspired. Instead of sending me a Barbary messenger with tentative warnings, Silas suggested that “these bags need to be broken in, ideally for 6 months, and treated extremely roughly“.

I was asked to give it a “thorough review, and it needs heavy usage to get to its best (mine is in that old leather jacket stage now, extremely comfortable and like an old friend)“.  Mission accepted.

Presentation

The unboxing of the Barbary was a serious treat.  So much so that I included an “unboxing” section.  Inside the cardboard box, the messenger comes in its own protective Bedouin custom cotton printed drawstring bag.  Not some low quality bag.  Its so nice it could probably be sold on its own.  I’m quickly starting to realize they take their products very seriously.

Even the hang tags are impeccable.  The detailed quality of the printing (and beautiful artwork), light-brown super-heavyweight cardstock, rich red cotton hang cord… and the hand pressed Bedouin red wax seal.  Oozes quality.  One card has the description of the brand and products, the other card has the care instructions for the British Millerain waxed canvas.  The second card notes that there is a tin of British Millerain wax dressing inside the package, which I didn’t spot during the unboxing.  I look around my desk to see if it had fallen, as well as inside the empty cardboard box, and it appears as if it were left out.  I reread the card, it states, “there is a tin inside your bag”.  Sure enough, there it is, stored neatly inside one of the interior pockets.  This is easily the best branding and packaging I’ve seen for any bag or pack, without question.  These are the details that I pay attention to, and Bedouin has executed every single one of them perfectly.  Serious credit is due.

Materials

If you’ve been paying attention to my personal Road Test reviews, you’ll recall I make quite a fuss about always choosing black color options for my personal collection.  Not this time (even though the black on black on black looked so incredibly fine).  This time, I opted for the unique and handsome Olive color option.  I’ll admit, I did almost sway back to the black color option right before it was final decision time, but I’m extremely satisfied with my color choice for this particular product.

The Barbary is also available in Black+Natural, Tan+Natural, and Navy+Natural.

For the Barbary I’m testing, the olive color is deep and rich within the 100% cotton British Millerain waxed cotton canvas (10 ounce Rhinowax… the thickest they make at 500 g/m2), sourced from Lancashire, England.  This stuff is super durable and extremely water resistant.

Though I have heard plenty of first-hand stories from many who use this material on their bags and outwear, and the fact that fishermen have being relying on it’s waterproof / water resistant properties for over a century, I haven’t personally had to opportunity to experience the battle of H2O and Rhinowax… because it simply never rains in Austin.

From all accounts, it should repel rain like no other, but I haven’t seen it, and I look forward to that day that I will put it to the test (I will post an update here in the comments).  However, there is a reason they’ve been making this material in the same way since the 1880’s… it works really well.  Below, you can see some of the British Millerain waxed cotton canvas cut into patterns (left side), ready to meet the beast of a sewing machine (right side).  The feel of this thick waxed cotton canvas is buttery, almost leathery.  While we’re talking about leather, lets talk about leather.

Leather

The leather panel is thick top grain European vegetable tanned leather, which is going to age beautifully.  Their leather is sourced from a few different places… “the Grey leather is from Italy, The Tan Veg leather is what Louis Vuitton (doesn’t use), (but an extremely high grade), The black leather is either Italian or English (we refuse to use leather that is not from Europe for quality and animal welfare, and is a by product of the food industry). All the leather is Veg Tanned (this is the old method using tree bark and acorns etc) NOT using such nasty chemicals as most leather (Chromium)“.  Additionally, they’re using matching leather edge binding throughout the bag.  The reason most brands don’t use leather for edge binding is because it is extremely difficult and takes a talented craftsman many years to learn properly.

The buckles

My favorite.  As I said about them before…  Military-grade AustriAlpin Cobra buckles, imported from Austria.  This bag uses 3 in total; two in the 28mm size used at the front flap and the other is 50mm wide for the shoulder strap closure/adjustment. They can each support up to around 2,000 lbs and they have an amazing resilient clear coat finish to show off the raw forged metal (all three still appear as new, after several thousand airline, bicycle, and car miles).

Made from steel, brass, and aluminum, these buckles will probably outlast you and probably a couple more generations after you.  The experience of opening them feels like you’re reloading an AR15 rifle each time you open up the bag. I like the feeling that I’m reloading an AR15 when I’m grabbing some chewing gum from my bag.

Side note: in our previous Buckle Analysis writeup I ignorantly leaned toward the Raptor buckles, but now after having serious firsthand experience and doing much more research on the issue, the Cobra buckles have proven to be a far superior product.  Test after test and user experience proves it.  Cobra buckles are without question the best buckles on the planet, 100%, no doubt.  Anything else is a far 2nd.

Other details

The light blue and olive green Velcro is a great touch for the shoulder strap.  It does its job well, and creates some refined visual contrast.  There is additional Velcro used in conjunction with the AustriAlpin Cobra buckles to keep the main messenger flap closed.  The legit seatbelt webbing has an extremely high tensile strength and also creates the same aesthetic effect as the Velcro on the shoulder strap.  The single Riri metal grid zipper adds additional value to an already great combination of materials and hardware.  If there is any other brand of zipper that I personally prefer over YKK, it would be Riri (they’re from Switzerland, a country known for quality technical products).  The zipper has a different feel, performs equally or better than YKK, and its more difficult and more expensive to source.  In this case, it’s also nice that there is just one zipper.  There is a nice matching leather puller on the metal zipper slider, making it easy to grab hold of and give a good tug on.

Lining

I saved the lining for the last material to discuss.  This stuff is eye-popping and beautifully done.  All going back to their metaphor of the Bedouin tent; weatherproof on the outside, comforting and pleasing on the inside, with just enough places to store your stuff.

The lining is natural mild-weight 100% cotton drill lining sourced from Manchester, England.  It is all hand-printed, using only water based ink, by a print master on a 25m/75ft long (!!!) print table at his shop located in a railway arch in South London.  All the illustrations used for the lining (as well as the website, hang tags, and more) are created by a super talented artist named Zeke Wade, who is heavily inspired by Islamic geometric patterns (among other inspirational sources as well, I’m sure).

Every time you open the bag, its a stunning visual treat.  The print that came with the olive color option Barbary is the “Crank” option, in white and black, a mix of bicycle cranks, cogs, wrenches, chains, feathers, chainrings, vines, flowers, with a geometric background to pull it all together.  I’m into it.

I don’t know of any other carry brand HAND-printing artwork on their own lining.  Especially lining, of all things.  Usually this is where companies try to save money to increase profit, by using the cheapest possible nylon or polyester lining directly off of the shelf of a Taiwanese supplier who made too much for a previous client.  Not here.  I would bet that the lining of the Barbary (taking into account the cotton drill fabric cost, the artist’s costs, and printmaker’s labor costs) is more expensive per yard than the exterior fabrics of most high performance bags.  Its the details that count.

Organization

The Barbary messenger (150 x 370 x 640mm / 5.9 x 14.6 x 25.2″) isn’t heavily compartmentalized for all sorts of tech gear and little items, though it still can store them if you implement some Inception Packing.  The messenger is actually described as “a large capacity professional Courier Bag designed to fit the body, contract and expand depending on the load being carried.”

The organization of this bag was heavily inspired by Silas’s past as a professional bicycle courier, designed for bicycle couriers in mind, with additional organization and details for non-pro’s in mind.  Inside, there is one large main compartment, with no laptop area.  If you want to carry a laptop, pop it in a sleeve and then into the main compartment.  Bicycle couriers don’t carry laptops, hence the lack of the dedicated compartment. (Below: a photo of Silas’s 3+ year old Barbary, “Transporting 3 shoulders of Belgian Veg tanned leather with my Barbary bag. Damn heavy!“)

Inside this main compartment, there are three drop pockets against the wall of the organizer panel… in other words, these pockets are located on the opposite wall that of the one that is against the wearer’s body.  (Below: the three drop pockets inside the main compartment).

Outside the main compartment, on the organizer panel, you have one Riri zipper pocket and two matching drop pockets (without zippers) behind that.  Pocket grand total is six, plus one large main compartment.

At first I was a bit concerned about the lack of organization.  But I’ve found, through extended use, that 6 pockets is nice.  Things are simpler this way.  There is just enough organization, where I think if I had even one or two additional pockets, I’d forget where I stored an item.  In fact, maybe the Barbary could even go down to 5 pockets, but people do like pockets when they’re about to make a purchase.

As mentioned before, this is a large capacity professional Courier Bag.  This bag eats up large, heavy, odd-shaped items, which is common for couriers.  24 beers (whether inside their cardboard case or whether shoved in loose), no problem.  A samurai sword (don’t ask), one heavy wool winter jacket, some fresh produce from Whole Foods, several miles across the city, on my bike… sure, no problem.

The big items stay inside the cavernous main compartment, keeping my small accessories (bike tools, portable hard drive, keys, glasses case, etc) in one of the six respective pockets.  There have been more than a few occasions where I’ve been surprised by the depth of the main compartment when carrying a large object from point A to B.  Now its gone from being surprised, to confidence.  I don’t have to worry about not being able to carry it all.  With the Barbary, I’m almost certain any reasonable object (or even slightly unreasonable object) will fit just fine.

It should also be noted, for those looking for a smaller option, Bedouin offers a “Genghis” messenger (150 x 350 x 500mm / 5.9 x 13.8 x 19.7″) and has nearly identical internal organization.  Note the previous link may change, as the “Saracen” was just recently reintroduced under the name “Genghis”.  Bedouin also has a few other carry and non-carry products, all worth taking a careful look at.

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Aesthetics

This could quite possibly be the best looking bag that I own (I own lots).  This bag always gets a comment.  Always.  More so than any other carry product I own.  The DEFY BAGS Recon Messenger starts a lot of conversations, but the Barbary takes it to a new level.  The comments are always positive, questions regard the waxed cotton, the leather, and/or the buckles.  Again, not something I really planned on.  I talk about carry all day, so I don’t mind the topic of conversation and meeting a stranger.  There is plenty to talk about with this particular bag.  Look at the photos, let them speak for themselves.  Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on how you think it looks.  I think it looks amazing.  (Below: photo to illustrate a better idea of scale of the Barbary / I’m 6’0″)

Branding is minimal, at best.  You won’t see any giant colorful names across the front messenger panel.  Just a simple fabric label with “BEDOUIN” in a nice typeface, located on the shoulder strap.  Other than that, there is one other highly-detailed Zeke-Wade-designed fabric label located in the main compartment, which looks great.

Patina

Additionally, since this bag is made of natural materials, its going to age and patina with much greater character than any similar bags constructed from synthetics.  You’ll see some photos below of Silas’s personal Barbary, after 3+ years of hard use, cycling through the rough streets of London, international trips, a two-year-long adventure around India by motorbike, and more (left side image shows a brand new Barbary compared to Silas’s Barbary).  He admits to being extremely tough on everything he owns, and to never once washing it, waxing the cotton, or conditioning the leather.  Looks great.  Silas says, “The buckles scratch up and age pretty good, the leather is the raw Veg leather, and is very well broken in…. This bag is so comfortable now.”  Which leads to our next topic.

Comfort and Function

Right out of the box, the single shoulder pad is heavily padded and super comfortable… even when carrying 30+ lbs on my back for extended periods of time, walking and cycling.  I’ve been worried about the weight of some of the loads I was about to carry on several occasions.  Especially because this is a larger sized messenger, it can really store a lot of mass and volume.  But then once its loaded up, it never caused pain, where all other messengers I’ve used would have been painful in this situation.

The shoulder strap can’t be switched from right shoulder to left shoulder.  This single-sided construction sucks for some people, but a benefit is that it keeps the bag simpler/more streamlined and keeps the cost/weight/complexity down.

There is also a strip of Velcro webbing which allows you to add accessories (pouches or other objects) to the shoulder strap in order to customize your pack to you.

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I’m not an ambi-turner

Now, about the shoulder orientation.  The Barbary slings over your left shoulder, and down your back, toward your right hip.  In the UK, they drive on the left side of the road.  In the US, we drive on the right side, and subsequently, we bike on the right side as well.  So when you’re riding your bike in the US, when you go to look over your left shoulder to check for vehicles approaching you from the rear, the shoulder strap is there at your shoulder.  Normally, even with moderate loads, the shoulder strap doesn’t block your line of sight whatsoever (Below: Vision is no problem for a small load / photo taken at speed, looking back and over left shoulder).  But if you’re carrying a huge volume load, your sight line can be mildly blocked.  In the UK, this obviously isn’t an issue at all, as when you look over your right shoulder to check for vehicles approaching from the rear, you have no shoulder strap.  This has only been an issue once, when I was carrying some ridiculously huge object that was sticking out from under the flap on both sides, but I probably should’ve been using a “Wide Load” sign on the messenger at that point.

Additionally, the male/hook Velcro is exposed at your shoulder.  For 99.99% of you, this won’t be an issue.  If your moustache is somewhere over 12″ long from tip to tip, like mine is, sometimes it can get stuck in the Velcro.  Not really something that needed to be addressed, but a funny thing to realize during the process of my testing.  Now that summer is here, this bag can make things a little warm while cycling.  The waxed cotton canvas doesn’t breathe too well up against a sweaty tshirt in high heat.  Then again, the Barbary was designed in London, where it doesn’t get the crazy heat like we experience here.  Austin is a bit of an extreme example, so maybe it is a bit unfair to mention it at all (in 2011 we had 90+ days of 100+F degree weather / hottest summer anywhere in the USA since they started recording it).  Anything I put on my body here will make me sweat, even the most streamlined of high-tech hiking breathable suspension systems.  Either way, I thought it should be noted.  An addition of a top grab handle could be nice feature for quick grabbing, but I could see how bicycle couriers wouldn’t require this, simply thinking out loud.  Bottom line, this bag is extremely comfortable, even under the heaviest loads.

Construction and Craft

This is a handmade functional piece of artwork.  The lining, mentioned earlier, printed by a master print maker in South London.  The artwork for the lining, created by a talented artist in London.  All the finest and most expensive fabrics and hardware (all sourced from England, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria).  These all come together, stitch by stitch, by the skillful hands of a master craftsmen, Paul and his wife Cynthia.  Paul and Cynthia own their own handmade bag/luggage crafting workshop located in Lincolnshire, England.

It is a great material and craft story how these different parts traveling in from all of Europe, meet together in this old school workshop, and then become hand sewn together to make a product as nice as the Barbary.  Stitch for stitch, everything is perfect.  I have an eye for quality control, and there isn’t one mistake on this entire product.  Trust me, I’ve looked and tried to find one.  This is craft.  This is quality.  This is handmade.  This is why this product costs £390 (around $600 US).

Yep, that’s a bit of money, but I actually think the price is fair, considering what goes into each product.  Each of these materials and bits of hardware have a very high price on it.  Plus, the high hourly rate of multiple skilled UK artisan craftsmen, renowned for their attention to detail… that is what you’re paying for.  That is the type of brand and process I like to support with my money.  Plus, they offer a lifetime guarantee “on materials and workmanship from normal wear and tear”, which is a nice bit of insurance.  All of their products, the Barbary especially, as well as the Bedouin brand itself, scream quality.

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Similar bags?

What else should you be checking out in a similar space? You should probably have a look at Teddyfish, Porter, KILLSPENCER, Defy, Millican and Bagjack. Each of these is either a little more fashion, or a little more tech than the Bedouin, with none hitting that exact vibe of the Bedouin (which is really quite distinctive).

Conclusions

This is an expensive bag, yes.  But for the materials, hardware, skilled artisan craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into its construction, I firmly believe the price is right.  For all the other bags you’ll buy and destroy, you could make this purchase once and forget about it.  Keeping one great bag, rather than owning several “OK” bags (quality only hurts once).

Though it may not be a perfect all around bag for some individuals (only OK as a business bag, for example), it has become my favorite all-purpose grab-and-go bag in my life.  If I’m running to the grocery store, or grabbing some beers for some friends and I to meet at an outside concert, this is the bag I will grab off the wall and rush out the door with.  It’s almost second nature now.  Its extremely comfortable, durable, uncomplicated/simple to use, superb-looking, highly-commented-on, and well made by people whose expert craftsmanship I am proud to support.

If you like these attributes and features as much as I do, I highly recommend you considering the Barbary messenger bag large capacity professional courier bag from Bedouin.  I’m looking forward to letting in break in and show its developing character over decades to come.

web:  BedouinFoundry.com

facebook:  Facebook.com/pages/Bedouin-Foundry-Made-in-England/169455196501317

tumblr:  BedouinBags.tumblr.com

The post Road Tests :: Bedouin Foundry Barbary Messenger appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Bedouin

Why we like them: In the product world, things tend to drift towards sameness. Once someone is having success, everyone else tries to copy their formula. Bedouin seem to move to a slightly different beat. They are almost luxury, but not. They are kind of old world, but fresh and interesting at the same time.

Who else might like it: They are a step-up brand, so if you like Killspencer, but find them too masculine. Or if you like Jack Spade but find it too conservative.

Where they are: They’re online, but their geographical home is very Britain.

Bedouin Website

The post Liking :: Bedouin appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.