Category: Bags
Works With: Anything
Price: $240
You know who thinks I look hot when I wear this bag? Everyone, that’s who. From the young hipster laydeez to the local barrio ne’erdowells, everyone steals a glance at me when I sashay down the filthy dogs hit covered streets of my dirty Barcelona neighborhood. “Who is that guy?” their eyes seems to ask. “And why is he wearing that short-strapped red leather bag with those pink shorts?” their eyes continue, before rolling momentarily in what I like to think is ecstasy, but which is probably just exasperation.
The bag, though, is worth the attention, and it probably also worth more than its contents. At €180 ($240) it’s not cheap. But then, it’s pretty gorgeous.
What It Is
This bag is the Stitchless Bag from CleanEverything, and is “crafted from two pieces of vegetable tanned leather with no stitches.” That’s right. The body of the bag is cleverly folded from one piece of leather and held together by threading the sides up through a row of slots.
This makes for a clean look, and it also means that you have no seams to bulge or break.
The strap is separate (I guess that otherwise you’d have to cut around the girth of the cow to get the skin in one piece) and held on by the same metal studs that keep the tops of the folded bag from flapping free.
The Good
The bag is light-ish (exactly 500 grams on my kitchen scale, or just over a pound) and cut from top-quality leather. It’s the kind of leather which gets better with age – I have already put a couple of scratches on the front flap and they look pretty cool, fading into the grain of the red-dyed surface.
It is also sized perfectly for a full-sized iPad, along with a few other bits and pieces. It’s a slim bag so you won’t fit in, say, a Micro Four Thirds camera, but a compact will slide in as easily as your iPhone. It’s also pretty secure on the shoulder, especially if worn across the chest where the slight swivel allowed by the metal studs makes it sit well.
The Bad
The strap is pretty short compared to all the military surplus bags I use, leaving the vertical center of the bag just about level with my waistband when slung over the opposite shoulder, bandolier-style. It’s better if just worn hanging from a shoulder, but if you carry a bag like that in pickpocket-infested Barcelona you’re an idiot.
The lack of pockets might put some people off, too, especially if you want to carry a bunch of keys along with a Smart Cover-equipped iPad. You’ll need to either make arrangements for better protection of your iDevices or just put up with the scratches.
Finally, the front flap does just that: flap. It’s not held in place by anything, so in theory someone could reach inside silently. On the other hand, it does reach the full length of the bag, and can be left open if you want quick and easy access to the contents.
The Verdict
The Stitchless Bag, then, is a fashion bag that’s made to fit an iPad. This is reflected in both the price (which has actually dropped quite a lot since I last wrote about it) and the lack of technical details.
For this reason it probably won’t be your everyday bag. It’s more of a bag for special occasions. Then again, if your needs are simple (i.e.. You don’t need lots of pockets and you have some way to keep your keys safe) then this bag could soften up to be a daily driver. It’d certainly tough and roomy enough, and the strap is comfy enough for extended carrying.
My verdict then is that, if you’re willing to pay $240 for a cool-looking but minimal bag, then you won’t be disappointed by its quality. It should last you a good long time, and get better and better as it ages.
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>Product Name: : Stitchless Bag
The Good: Gorgeous, well made, turns heads
The Bad: Pricy. No pockets. Short strap (Although I am six two)
The Verdict VERDICT
Buy from: CleanEverything
