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this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
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Buy it for Life
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Two things I'd like to know:
How is the leather quality?
Can the side pockets fit modern waterbottles (nalgene/hydroflask/etc)?
I can't say that I'm an expert about leather, but it seems good enough. Their website says that their leather comes from Red Wing, Minnesota, and searching for that brings up SB Foot, who I'm not familiar with.
It uses two different kinds of leather: one for the straps that hold the rolltop down, and a different kind in the riveted places for reinforcing the riveted spots. The same leather for the rolltop straps is also used at the bottom of the shoulder straps for attaching to the backpack itself.
The leather for the straps is fairly hard and makes a "clack" sound if you tap your fingernail against it. The underside is unfinished, and I think a few little pieces still need to be rubbed off for it to pass through the buckles a little easier. It still isn't broken in at all, so I'll wait to weigh in on that.
The leather for reinforcing the riveted spots is softer and more flexible.
Here are some close-up pictures of the leather: https://photos.tuckerm.us/share/0xNl8uoBGRJc2l3lJA8O_RYfaySyihQuLZ0QhGhBvLzbZJZwmOdRFAHW5RZdu-yVoaA
Yes, the side pockets are very large. My widest vacuum bottle is a 24 ounce Stanley with a 4 inch diameter, and it just drops right in pretty easily. Aside from the absolutely giant Nalgene/Hydroflask jugs, I'm pretty sure most of those are 3.5 to 4 inches. https://photos.tuckerm.us/share/SvCfwVRaRT0wXCNOUoqNenVTyXkuN-fZn00s4d72i9CuteFy63MQ3EV1JJpGEtbIglc
That tannery is a subsidiary of red wing boots, so I bet it's really high quality. I've had stuff made from leather that looks like/sounds like that. I think it's just completely full-grain that hasn't been pre-"broken in", so it feels really stiff compared to a lot of cheaper products that beat it up ahead of time so it looks right out of the box. It's should take on a really nice patina.
Good news on the waterbottle pockets, though. Too many companies put them on bags assuming we are all still carrying around tiny bottles
Oh nice, that's good to know. I wasn't sure if the name "Red Wing" was just a coincidence or not.