Put This On

It’s On Sale: Briggs & Riley at Sierra Trading Post

If you’re looking for basic nylon luggage, you don’t need to look any further than Briggs & Riley. Their offering is pretty simple: a solid bag and an unbeatable warranty. Basically: if your bag is ever damaged for any reason, they will fix it free. Locally, even. They even cover damage done by baggage handlers, which is actually pretty uncommon among luggage companies. I’ve heard from many readers who are B&R customers who’ve seen that in action and can’t say enough.

Briggs & Riley aren’t as expensive as some of their competitors, like Tumi, but they are more expensive than then generics in the luggage aisle at Marshall’s. Luckily, they come up from time to time on Sierra Trading Post, where after coupon (sign up for their DealFlier for the best discounts) the standard carry-ons come to about $200.

There are quite a few that just came in to STP; you can check them out here.

Byrd & Belle Tech Sleeves

A reader just emailed us, looking for a recommendation - he wanted to buy a sleeve for his iPad, but wasn’t sure where to turn.

I bought my first-ever Fancy Laptop a year or so ago, a Lenovo ultrabook, and I didn’t want to throw it unprotected into my unpadded shoulder bag. I spent hours combing the web and Etsy, looking for something simple and reasonably priced. I ended up at Byrd & Belle, a Minneapolis-based Etsy storefront. I emailed a question to the owner, Angie, and she replied with a question of her own: was I the guy from Put This On?

I ended up trading a few pocket squares for a sleeve, which Angie made to the specifications of my computer (she’s happy to do this, by the way). I’ve been using it for about a year, and I couldn’t be happier. I was a little worried about the light color, but it still looks and works as well as the day I got it in the mail.

Byrd & Belle’s prices range from about $30 for phone wallets to about $75 for computer sleeves. I think that if you’re looking for a sleeve, they’re a great choice.

We Got It For Free: Hudson Sutler St. Simons Duffel

I love the canvas duffel bag. Headed out of town for the weekend? Going to a, uhm, friend’s house for a sleepover? Throw some clean clothes and a sweatshirt in your duffel and hit the road. So when Hudson Sutler asked if we’d take a look at their St. Simons Duffel, I readily agreed.

The St. Simons duffel is the basic weekend duffel size - 12” in diameter and 22” long. Like all duffels, it fits a surprising amount of stuff. In addition to the basic hand and shoulder straps, it’s got a “quick grab” strap on one end, which is a neat addition. There’s a convenient interior and an exterior zipper pocket. It’s also got a great look in navy and white, with an orange hunting dog lining by William Lamb & Son. It’s a very charming piece.

As I loaded it with crap at my office that needed to go home, though, I wondered how far that charm would get me. The bag has a big-toothed plastic zipper that seems destined to break. The lining is great-looking, but lightweight, and I was immediately worried about soiling or tearing it. The bag’s made in the USA, but it seems like aesthetics trumped the heavy-duty construction that’s usually the hallmark of this sort of bag. There was nothing to make me wonder if the bag could handle an extra pair of pants and some socks and underwear, but I wouldn’t subject it to more than a load of clothes.

At $120, the bag is reasonably priced. It’s a bit less than the classic competitor, William J. Mills & Co., who charge about $135. It’s a fair bit more than my favorite, Oregon’s Beckel Canvas, whose War Bag is about $85. Still, I love how it looks, and I’ll certainly grab it the next time I’ve got a few extra clothes to tote around. (When I’m on my way to my seaside estate, for example.)

Our director Ben tells me he ordered one of these waxed cotton backpacks from Collective Works. I’m always a bit hesitant to do social marketing for people’s products, but I have to admit it’s a nice-looking bag. At about $400, it’s no bargain, but it’s much larger and more complex than competitors that are less, like the $175 Scoutmaster Daypack from Duluth Pack or Archival Clothing’s $220 rucksack. Filson’s rucksack is $260, and a bit larger, but it isn’t a big duffel with a bunch of pockets like this bad boy.

How epically gorgeous is this new duffel from Archival Clothing? Double waxed twill bottom? Give me a break.

downeastandout:

Beanbag

Simple, durable and well-made gets better with time. As you can see.

(Source: downeastandout, via abitofcolor)