for sale: belstaff colonial canvas shoulder bag

Loyal ack/nak reader Brad has a Mountain Brown Belstaff Colonial Canvas Shoulder Bag (catalog number 756115) that is "surplus to his requirements".

You have money.

If you would like to exchange your money for his bag, you should email Brad at:

brad.rickelman@gmail.com

and let him know you're interested.

Note 1 - I'm sharing news of Brad's bag as a service to the ack/nak community - I invite both parties to any transaction to perform the appropriate due diligence.

Note 2 - If you happen to have a Mountain Brown Belstaff Colonial Canvas Medium or Large Man Bag that you'd like to trade for a Tan Shoulder Bag, let me know.

Here is Brad's story:

Bob

Enjoy the site and particularly your posts not only on product management but also on notebooks/paper/pens, etc.

After reading your posts regarding the Belstaff shoulder bag, it sounded like something I would like. My sister happens to live in London, and last Fall found a Belstaff Colonial Canvas Shoulder bag, model 756115 - Shoulder Bag in Mountain brown (I think it was at their Manchester store). Image is attached (not because you don't know what it is, but their colors and model line names are baffling to me).

Anyway – I got the bag, and have tried using it for a while – and it is not me. Nothing wrong with your reviews or expectations, it just is not me.

So here I have a rather expensive bag I am not using, and there are plenty of people who probably would like one, but can't get one.

So there you go. We're officially in the matchmaking business here now. As Belstaff continues to pare back their investment in the Colonial Canvas line, I expect I'll be doing more of this.

review: belstaff colonial canvas fall08/winter09 collection

This will be a very short review to correspond with Belstaff's painfully, sadly, unwisely abridged Colonial Canvas line.

There are now only three (3) bags left in the collection - and they aren't even the three best examples of the line from previous collections. Here's what's they're selling:

756148 - Man Bag 550

756195 - Medium Man Bag

756176 - Travel Bag

These three bags are available in Black, Mountain Brown, Kaki and Panama.

Gone are the Large Man Bag and the Shoulder Bag (the two best bags in the line), as well as the Large Shoulder Bag. Long gone are the Marsupium and the oddly-named but still-cool Body Bag.

I've gone over each of the three remaining bags in an earlier review - you can read it and see some pictures here.

But in case you're too lazy to click on that link:

The Man Bag 550 lacks the heft of its larger cousins, and frankly is just too d____d small for much of anything other than a camera and a pack of gum. The Medium Man Bag, while an improvement, teases you with greater carrying power but is still too small for magazines, maybe a couple of paperbacks would fit. And the Travel Bag? It's a mess, a shaggy, buckle-and-strap nightmare that looks like a rolled-up canvas straight jacket.

It's enough to make you want to switch to Inujirushi bags.

I can't explain what's up with Belstaff. Every time I've gotten in touch with their showroom store in New York City they've been either out of stock or nearly out of stock. Their London store had few of the Colonial Canvas bags in stock when I was last there, and good luck finding any of the bags at independent retailers. These bags are popular - so why aren't they meeting demand with more variety, not less?

It's a shame. The Shoulder Bag is the finest casual bag I've ever owned. It's sturdy and spacious while still looking great. And the Mountain Brown color is fabulously understated. I had hoped to pick up a Large Man Bag. . . but I fear it is not to be.

Numerous emails to Belstaff requesting more information have gone unanswered.

Stay tuned.

reader questions: belstaff colonial canvas bags

James from California writes:

Dropping you a line about my experience with the ever popular Colonial line. I have a couple large shoulder bags, and a couple of the smaller ones. Really looking hard for a "body bag" but dont have my hopes up as they dont make them anymore. According to the website it looks like our color choices this year are Mountain Brown and "Kaki" as they spell it, thats all I have seen. You can see examples on the website now. Although after placing a call to the store in London, I know black is available too. Not sure why im writing you, except that I am interested to hear how your bag repair went, and to say I share your affinity for this particular mens accessory!

While you may not be sure why you wrote, I'm glad you did! Finding a bag that's "just right" is frankly damned hard, and the Belstaff Colonial Canvas bags are just perfect for hard daily use. I put a lot of stock in being able to carry around the stuff that you need to be productive wherever you go. As Buckaroo Banzai said, no matter where you go, there you are.

Actually, Thomas a Kempis wrote that back in the 15th century in Imitation of Christ, ca. A.D. 1440. You may have heard this quote some other places as well.

As you've indicated, Belstaff has pared down the Colonial Canvas line over the last year by reducing both the number of styles and colors available to us. Two casualties were, I believe, the Body Bag and the Marsupium. Thankfully the colors they've kept are the two best, and the remaining bags are all good with the exception of the travel bag, which looks like utter rubbish. I've not heard of black being available, and frankly, unless I was pottering around in biker leathers - which I do not - I wouldn't really care fot it.

The repairs were successful, thank you for asking. My kaki shoulder bag has been joined by a mountain brown shoulder bag I purchased, which I actually prefer over the kaki. It seems to be made of a much tougher, yet softer sort of canvas. And the mountain brown will be better at hiding, shall we say, the indignities of daily usage.

My general guidance is that any competent luggage shop could do the sort of repairs that are required for the shoulder bag - mostly reinforcing seams, sewing in patches and some spot cleaning.

The bag I'm hoping to acquire some day is the large man bag, as it has the same rough dimensions of the shoulder bag, except in portrait format as opposed to the landscape format of the shoulder bag. Plus I find the side pockets Not All That Useful. Perhaps next year.

Youngsang writes:

My search for a good bag led me to your blog. Your excellent post about Belstaff Shoulder Bag makes me confident on the end of my search. However, I live in Bloomington, IN. The places where I can have an experience with the bag are far from here. Alas...

I'm carrying my laptop, Apple's MBP (14.1 x 9.6 x 1) time to time. So, my bag should be able to hold the laptop in it. However, I do not look for a laptop bag. The bag doesn't have to provide a spacious room even when it holds the laptop. I think that it's OK if it can have the laptop in it and provide some space for a few documents or a fairly thin book, and laptop's power adaptor. Some small devices such as iPod, Cell Phone, and others can be put into outside pockets.

Do you think that Belstaff Shoulder Bag provides enough room for those? I guess that it would do if its width and height allow the room because its depth is 4 inch. (the depth would be enough.) If you're negative on this, I got to consider Belstaff Large Shoulder Bag. However, it seems to be a bit big as an every day bag. I'm not sure, though.

If you have a time to share your opinion with me, I would appreciate it although I've already been pleased to read your post in your blog. Anyway, I've contacted to L'Uomo in NYC in order to inquire the availability of the bag. They said that after the end of August, the stock would be available. I asked them the same question. However, they just said that the laptop would fit to the bag, but I would be limited. They couldn't provide more useful info. or experience.

The Shoulder Bag will accommodate the laptop you have and some other stuff. My concern is that the Large Shoulder Bag will be too big for your laptop, whereas it is snug but not tight in the Shoulder Bag. The power brick, cord, and other bric-a-brac of your computing life should fit nicely in the front and side pockets.

For computer schlepping purposes, the Shoulder Bag is a better choice than the Large Man Bag. You will actually need those side pockets.

If you're interested in buying the bag you should also add the Belstaff Showroom in NYC to your list of possible sources. I think they may actually be able to source more stuff for you than L'Uomo. I had a really great experience dealing with them.

belstaff: colonial canvas news UPDATED

To make it easier for you to access all of my articles featuring the Belstaff Colonial Canvas line, here is a quick index:

requirements: A good bag for your essentials (December 2005)

review: belstaff colonial canvas spring/summer 07 collection (March 2007)

review: belstaff colonial canvas spring/summer 08 update (January 2008)

reader review: belstaff colonial canvas line (May 2008)

Current News:

June 2008 - My Belstaff Colonial Canvas Shoulder Bag (circa December 2005) is showing some unusual wear. I went back to the people who sold it to me (L'Uomo in NYC) who let me know the following:

The word from Italy is that Belstaff stopped producing the colonial bags for the season.

As far as repair (for your bags), Belstaff does not offer this option. (See UPDATE2 below for an update on the "official" policy relating to this issue.)

I've sent a note off to Belstaff's New York showroom, and I'll report what I hear from them. I didn't get a reply back from L'Uomo in response to my original inquiry, by the way.

UPDATE1 - I spoke with a very nice lady in the NY Belstaff showroom this morning - she even noted that she had seen my email, and apologized for not getting to it. The protocol for dealing with this sort of problem is to get the bag to the factory in Italy, where they will look at it and figure out what to do: repair or replace.

The lady I spoke with noted that Belstaff "constantly works to upgrade their product lines", and mentioned that they may have swapped the canvas out from earlier versions of the bag to the newer version.

UPDATE2 - I sent my bag off to the Belstaff USA showroom yesterday afternoon. It will go from there to the customer service team in Italy, where I've been informed they will be taking the entire month of August off. Must be nice. I'll get it back either at the end of July or around the middle of September - I'm hoping for the end of July.

In any event, it will be a 2-3 month adventure. I'll post the bag this weekend, and will keep you posted on the progress.

UPDATE3 - The nice folks at Belstaff, especially Karin at their New York showroom, have addressed my issues and I've got something inbound from them that I'll share with you when it arrives.

reader review: belstaff colonial canvas bag(s)

I get a lot of mail (and traffic) on the topic of the Belstaff Colonial Canvas line of shoulder bags. Today's email from ack/nak reader Taniel was one of the best reader reviews I've gotten in a while, so I'm sharing it with you. It doesn't hurt that Taniel also provides the phone number for the San Francisco store where the bags were purchased.

I loved your write up about the belstaff bag collection. It helped tremendously with my purchase of the shoulder bag and large man bag. I ordered both with the intention of keeping one, and returning the other. I ended up falling in love with the shoulder bag, I can say without hesitation that it is the perfect bag for almost anything, and it looks charmingly masculine so it doesnt get that man purse reaction.

I felt compelled to write you since your write up helped me so much to gather info about these bags, as you probably know info is very scarce on the web. So i wanted to give you a little write up about my experience with these two bags.

Like i said earlier i ordered both the shoulder bag and large man bag from Bloomingdales San Francisco (415.856.5300). The shoulder bag in mountain brown and large man bag in kaki.

When i compared both bags visually the first thing i noticed was how small the large man bag seems next to the shoulder bag. But in reality they are both about the same size, the only difference being one is landscaped format and the other isnt. In terms of capacity the shoulder bag can carry more stuff since it measures about 2" deeper than the large man bag, the man bag is about 2.5" and the shoulder bag is about 4". The front pockets on both are identically sized.

One limiting factor about the large bag is that it does not have those side pockets like the shoulder bag. That can be quite limiting since those pockets are perfect for little nik knacks. When slung around the shoulder they both feel very comfortable and sit very naturally at the waist.

In terms of looks, I prefered the shoulder bag because it just looked more rugged, and it had that look like every time i put it on i feel like im about to set off on an adventure. With the large bag i didnt feel as much character out of it. Not to knock it but it looks more like a large camera bag slung at your waist, the vertical format of the bag just makes it look small when worn. Also the absence of the side pockets gives it more of a refined look compared to the sheer ruggedness of the shoulder bag.

Both bags are fantastic shoulder bags with great features and you really cant go wrong with either one. But what it comes down to, for me at least, is the looks. The large man bag is a great looking bag, but the shoulder bag just looks that much better.

belstaff: colonial canvas changes for spring/summer 2008

Belstaff updates their accessories line twice a year. My particular (peculiar?) area of interest is in their Colonial Canvas line of bags, which are excellent for schlepping around your essentials.

As a service to you, the ack/nak reader, here is an update on what Belstaff has in store for us this spring/summer.

First, the good news - Belstaff is still making their Colonial Canvas line. This should not be a surprise after the appearance of the Shoulder Bag in the recent film I Am Legend.

And next the bad news - they've discontinued two of the more interesting bags from the line - the Large Man Bag Marsupium and the Body Bag are no more, according to the (very recently updated) Belstaff website.

Note that I've struck the Large Man Bag from the list of discontinued items - it's back in the line after a brief hiatus for the Fall 2007 / Winter 2008 season. Unfortunately now the Marsupium is out of the line, in a blow to all kangaroo fanciers.

The other bags from the spring/summer 07 collection are still in play - you can see them featured in an earlier ack/nak review here.

The number of available colors is currently unknown to me, as the color widget on the Belstaff website isn't working. If they are the same as Fall 2007 / Winter 2008, they have been pared down as well to Black, Mountain Brown, Kaky (sic) and Panama. Having seen the Mountain Brown up close, I can recommend it very strongly.

If you've taken the plunge and have bought your bag (L'Uomo in NYC still carries them), drop me a line.

Current product codes are:

756194 Large Man Bag

756150 Large Shoulder Bag [554]

756148 Man Bag [550]

756195 Medium Man Bag

756115 Shoulder Bag

756176 Travel Bag

If you're from Belstaff, drop me a line. I'd be happy to do a more detailed review of any of these products, wink wink.

review: belstaff colonial canvas spring/summer 07 collection UPDATED

(UPDATE1 - You can read about the changes to the Belstaff Colonial Canvas line for spring/summer 08 here.)

(UPDATE2 - I'm in the process of working with Belstaff to get my bag repaired. Read about this here)

Readers of ack/nak know of my devotion to my Belstaff bag.

So it is with great enthusiasm that I learned of Belstaff's new line of Colonial Canvas bags for Spring/Summer 2007. Enthusiasm, I say!

Full disclosure: I've not managed to get my hands on any of these bags. What I know about them is what I've seen from the pictures I'm sharing with you here. Of course, if the nice people from Belstaff were to send a few of them to me, I could do a better job of putting them through their paces. Hint. Hint. My email address is down there on the right hand side. . . yes, over there. . . under "contact me".

Note on Colors: Belstaff changed the list of available colors for the Colonial collection from last year's line. The Fall06/Winter07 colors were: Colonial, India, Panama, Mountain Brown, Kaki and Black. The Spring/Summer07 Colors are divided into two groups: "Northern Colors" - Black, and "Southern Colors" - Ice, Kaki, Sand, Mountain Brown. Of all of these, Kaki and Mountain Brown look the best. I think the majority of the photos here feature bags in that color.

Image source: Belstaff

"Where can I buy one?" - I know of one store in New York (L'Uomo) that stocked the Shoulder Bag - but I don't know if they stock the rest of the line. When I visited the Belstaff store in London last fall, they recommended that anyone who wanted one of these bags should just give them a call.

Belstaff London Flagship Store
12-13 Conduit Street
W1 S2XW
tel +442074955897


Body Bag

No, you can't fit a body in this bag. This bag is designed to sling over your shoulder and fit snugly against your chest, potentially under a coat. Note the various and sundry external zippers, a Colonial line first AFAIK. For the serious traveler in unfriendly cities, this is probably a wise choice.



Large Man Bag

This is an excellent compromise for someone who needs the capacity of the shoulder bag but doesn't like it's "landscape" format. Compare this to the Man Bag and Medium Man Bag to see what I mean. Of all of the new Colonial bags, this is the one I covet most. Note the two front pockets.



Large Shoulder Bag

Bigger than the classic shoulder bag, but smaller than the travel bag, this baby seems a bit on the big size for an everyday briefcase, but perhaps just right as an overnight bag.


Man Bag

The man bag is unique in the Colonial line in its use of top-mounted strap rings - all of the other bags use side-mounted strap rings. It also lacks a front pocket, which seriously limits its flexibility. But for a small bag, what do you want.



Marsupium

I like the mix of zippered pocket and button pocket in addition to a main zippered pouch. Another winner for travelling types, this looks like it would ride equally well on your hip as elsewhere. The marsupium is #2 on my most-coveted list.


Medium Man Bag

The ultimate man bag compromise: one external pocket, side-mounted strap rings. Don't expect to be able to put a magazine in this without folding it, but it seems to bring more capacity (and flexibility) to the table than the basic man bag. This looks like it would be a very serviceable camera bag.



Shoulder Bag

The shoulder bag is my every-day briefcase, carry-on bag and general partner in crime. Two front pockets, two side pockets and an internal zippered enclosure give it tremendous flexibility. It even has a back-mounted "handle" so you don't always have to lift it by the strap. It wears wonderfully slung across the body, in part due to the clever leather padding on the strap. Buy one.


Travel Bag

A multi-compartmented, zippered and handled monster of a bag, this addition to the Colonial collection screams "throw me in the back of the single-prop plane and let's fly over the jungle." Since my plans for flying in single-prop planes and flying over jungles are as yet unformed, I don't see one of these in my future.

So there you have it. Of course, if you're not a fan of canvas-cloth bags, Belstaff has a lot of other stuff you might like. But for me, I find the durability, charming shabbiness and comfort of my shoulder bag to be just right.

gear: belstaff colonial canvas collection (expanded)

Everyone needs a good bag. Thankfully, after years of searching and failed attempts, I finally found mine. The good news for all of you is that the folks at Belstaff, recognizing that not everyone wants a big old bag, has introduced a number of new items in their Colonial Canvas collection. Sorry, I can't link directly to it since the "new" Belstaff site is all Flash. But I can get you started. Follow the Accessories > Bags and Backpacks > Colonial trail and you'll find this bag and a number of its new friends. Cool.

requirements: a good bag for your essentials

If you're going to be schlepping all over the planet, you're going to need a good bag.

Why? Because you're going to need to keep some aspects of your personality close at hand during your travels. While your suitcase will be ritually abused by baggage handlers and your computer case will never see the light of day outside your hotel room, your bag will go everywhere you go. It is an extension of you the same way your del.icio.us tags are an extension of you.

Here are the essentials I need nearby whether I'm trapped in an airport or abusing espresso in a Paris cafe:

1. Filofax Slimline organizer - I've run through so many different ways of capturing data over the years that I've lost count. I like the size and quality of Filofax papers, so there you are. When I start a page, I tag it and date it at the upper right; later on, I'll archive pages into a larger organizer that is part scrapbook, part research library.

(Note - for those of you hooked on Moleskine notebooks, ask yourself how you'll gather all the notes you've taken on a particular topic together from all the various notebooks you've got. QED.)

2. Digital camera - Sony Cyber-shot is the shiznit.

3. A bottle of water - because you never know.

4. Your phone - I'm lucky to use a Treo 650 that my employer has conveniently hooked up to my Outlook mail and calendar. My thumbs are mighty and fast indeed.

5. Nintendo DS (formerly a PSP) - A man has to get his Mario on. The DS (especially the DS lite) is rugged, has good battery life, and lends itself to occasional usage. I recommend Mario Kart DS, Electroplankton, New Super Mario Brothers and Mario Pinball (GBA).

6. Book of the hour - Paperbacks are easier to transport than hardcovers. I just finished Snowcrash for the n-th time. Next up, Flamesong by MAR Barker.

7. 2"x2" origami papers - whenever I'm particularly stressed, I make tiny origami cranes and leave them in incongruous places as little mitzvahs for the unsuspecting.

8. "Scotch and Soda" coin trick - because you never know when you'll need to win a drink in a bar.

9. Rotring automatic pencil / replacement leads / Staedtler Mars plastic eraser in a beat-up plastic MSFT gimme pencil case - my writing implement of choice.

10. Deck of cards

11. Small squeeze bottle of hand sanitizer

12. Small package of tissues - can do emergency double-duty as toilet paper.

13. 2GB iPod Nano

14. Rosary beads / worry beads / chaplet - keeps your hands busy and your mind still

15. Rhodia Pad 11200 - this is usually in my pocket too; it's essential for quick notes, sharing info, whatever. If you've never used Rhodia pads before, try this size out. It fits in most of those "flip pad" covers you get at tradeshows.

16. Local subway map - because the best way to see a city is to wander it like a local.

17. A few bags of peanuts - they help when you hitchhike with the Vogons.

18. Sunglasses

19. Tin Whistle - a man has to practice. Depending on my mood, I'll bring my Parkhurst, Burke, Sindt, or my low A Copeland.

20. An Opinel knife - not airport safe, but damned useful to have around.

21. One (1) Connemara marble worry stone - because I worry.

22. Mints/gum/whatever kills the evil taste of disappointment and regret.

Santa brought me a Belstaff Colonial Canvas Collection shoulder bag ("as seen in the movies 'The Interpreter' and 'Batman Begins'") - which beats the tar out of the SoftSummit gimme bag I've been using.

What do you carry with you?