–

Huckberry

Huckberry have embraced Black Friday with open arms, offering savings across a score of items including bags and EDC from Inside Line Equipment, Will Leather Goods, Boreas Gear and Tactile Turn to name a few. Dig into the deals here.

GORUCK

GORUCK are throwing themselves bodily into Black Friday (we’d expect nothing less) with great deals across packs in their most popular colorway – yup, you guessed it, Black. Plus there’s plenty of other steals and deals to scoop up, from sweet discounts on kid rucks, to savings on patches and pockets. Scope them out here.

Timbuk2

Duffles, backpacks, messengers, totes, panniers…you want it, Timbuk2 has got it – and at awesome discounts. Whether you’re looking for your next work bag, getaway carry or about-town hauler, you’re spoilt for choice with Timbuk2’s Black Friday deals offering up to 50% off usual prices.

Arkin Leather Goods

Arkin Leather Goods are offering a 20% discount across everything on their site. However, you can do even better, with a 30% discount plus free postage using the code BLACKFRIDAY15 during checkout. The deal ends at midnight on Sunday.

Sportique

Sportique is getting in on the Black Friday action with discounts across a range of phone cases, plus a host of savings on Poler bags and deals to snap up on camera carry from Peak Design. Check them out here.

Peak Design

Speaking of Peak Design, photographers can capture some tempting discounts on straps, clips and bundles for camera gear from now through Cyber Monday. Zoom into their site for details.

KILLSPENCER

KILLSPENCER are serving up a 15% discount across their bags and accessories when you spend a minimum of $100. The sale ends at 11:59pm PST on Sunday 29 November. Use the code BLACKFRIDAY2015 during checkout to enjoy savings on some seriously sleek carry.

J. Panther Luggage Co.

In celebration of their fifth anniversary J. Panther Luggage Co. are offering discounts of between 20% and 40% across select pieces, including savings on their two bestsellers, the RucTote and Courier Ruc Case. Stalk them out here. Free shipping worldwide is available with orders of US$300 and up. The sale runs from 27 November to midnight EST on Monday 30 November.

SurfStitch

SurfStitch has no shortage of bags, wallets and travel carry to get your weekend off to a good start and get your gear to work or school when Monday rolls around again. And now you can enjoy a cool 30% off sitewide when you use the code BLACK30 during checkout.

Samsonite

Travel can be expensive. Save some money on your Samsonite luggage so you have a little extra for souvenirs. Use code THANKS25 for 25% off select items, plus code EXTRA20 for a further $20 discount off select items, with free shipping to the continental US.

This Is Ground

This Is Ground are offering 20% off orders over $100 with code tig20 and 10% off orders under $100 with code tig10. Plus you get a free Rudolph Cord Taco with any order made on Black Friday.

Pacsafe

Pacsafe are helping keep your gear safe while also saving you some moolah with up to 75% off selected items. Check out their site for details.

–

Know of great deals we haven’t already mentioned? Share them in the comments and help others bag some awesome carry discounts.

The post Bag a bargain :: Black Friday deals appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

Who it suits

This is an attractive urban tote that you might buy on a bit of a whim just because you like the look of it, you like the materials, or you like the feel. It’s US$645, so you’ll have to be relaxed about that sort of coin. You can imagine folks in New York or London using this as a tote for short outings or a relaxed office vibe, and then occasionally flicking it into backpack mode for a quick bike ride.

Who it doesn’t suit

Those short on cash, or demanding on carry, or after a performance bag.

Looks

It’s an attractive heavy-gauge canvas that is only very lightly waxed – so think light showers, not heavy downpours. The leather is lovely and soft, but it is quite analine, so expect it to mark up, darken, and get a real patina to it.

Other things to note, the canvas is picking up quite a few marks from me just in daily use, so it either needs a cleaner owner than me, or would need cleaning or another surface coating to just help protect it from that.

The format

This bag is all about its format, a roll-top tote with backpack-able straps. Here’s our take on why you buy key formats:

Tote: Fast access without much demand for carry comfort

Backpack: Slower access but better carry comfort

Roll-tops: Slow access but great weather protection

So the J. Panther RollTote has innovated by combining several of these. But for us, we just couldn’t love it. A tote is all about great access, but the roll-top stops that fast access. A backpack is all about comfort, but with the short torso height, thin straps and clanging metal clips, this misses on the comfort. And then a roll-top is all about great weather protection, but with only a light coating, and the external pockets, the weather protection is only okay.

You can’t just grab the bag by the backpack straps, as it tips forward and carries awkwardly. So it’s best in tote mode, and then needs semi-careful handling in backpack mode.

Organization

Inside there’s a very simple slip on the back but very little organizing in there. It really is just a big shell. Plus, with an all-black interior it’s a little harder to find contents in.

The two long front pockets are deep enough that it’s not easy for organizing and then if you’ve only done up to the top buckle they’re not watertight, so rain would fall straight in. Therefore you need to fold the top over to the lower edge to get it watertight but when you do that you’re left with these sort of rabbit ear vibes unless you really carefully try and nest it and tuck it yourself. But then you’re just doing a lot of the work instead of the bag doing it for you.

Construction

It’s well made. There’s no loose stitching and the materials are nice.

Others to consider

This is playing between a tote and backpack, so we’re really talking about handsome bags that are simple and low volume.

The Hard Graft 2Unfold is a natural comparison, which really innovated in this convertible fold-over tote space.

Haerfest have loads of interesting options, while a KILLSPENCER tote or backpack are also well worth considering.

Tailfeather are then amongst our favorites, with plenty of interesting stuff in this space, while Mismo’s M/S Day Pack is another classy option that should definitely be checked out.

Conclusion

J. Panther have a great brand feel, but we think they have better bags than this. The RollTote looks nice, but there are just a few too many compromises, and in a price range where there are some amazing other options.

We say check out the other J. Panther product, and let us know how you go.

The post Road Test :: J. Panther Luggage Co. RollTote appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.

1. What is the essence of your brand?

Innovation, with no expense spared on materials: basically I try to balance materials, function and overall aesthetic design so that we are the best in our field. We are expensive in some eyes, but I am competing against the very best luxury goods houses as our product is of that standard, if not better in many cases. Although, we are small enough that we can still pay attention to the smallest details. We pay particular attention to internals; look inside the Courier Ruc Case for example.

2. How do you connect with and understand your core customers?

I often get emails from my customers and I answer them personally. It’s especially flattering when I can see many customers that have purchased more than one item. What’s interesting is that many of them are perfectionists and pay huge attention to detail; this comes over in their correspondence. I respect my customers as they are making an investment in a brand relatively unknown compared to the big houses with over 100 years of history; they are prepared to take that step. I conceived the brand to have a wide appeal, but I don’t mean that in a “please everybody” way. What I mean is that it’s always been my dream to design a product that becomes a “classic”, let’s say; classics outlast trends, transcend niches and can appeal to young, old, city or rural customers. Our bags go all over the planet; the last one shipped went to Italy, which was a surprise!

3. What things won’t you do with your brand?

I’m not very good at doing things with the bag that save me money while compromising the product. I will try to save money occasionally by getting a good price on a component that’s standard, but not if it compromises the product. Sometimes I overdo this frankly, as my goal at the moment is to just make the very best product I can, not to sell thousands of bags. I think we will have time to do that (sell loads) in the future, but for now I just want to create wonderful product and enjoy both the process and the end result.

The post 3 Questions :: J. Panther Luggage Co. appeared first on Carryology - Exploring better ways to carry.