There is little about a shoulder bag that is personal. Sure you can pick something with a color and shape you can live with, but utility drives the design.
The Maverick, as the name suggests, aspires to stand out from the pack. Created by San Francisco’s WaterField Designs, the full-grain leather bag cut from a single hide presents like a Pony Express satchel begging for a dustup on some dry Western trail.
How it weathers on the routes of its modern carrier is at the heart of the Maverick name, according to company founder Gary Waterfield. Each bag may start out looking like the other, but time will give each a distinctive patina.
“This bag invites attention and will grow with you to bear the marks of your own unique story,” Waterfield says. “It will look even more beautiful years from now than it does today.”
WaterField Designs has been around since 2008 and has avoided the mass production business model many of its customers live in. It is a small workshop that custom makes tech accessories to exacting standards meant to last and feel personal.
Utility, of course, is part of a simple design philosophy and its small-batch production of quality bags, sleeves, and other accessories has fans willing to enthusiastically endorse WaterField products. The company does no advertising and claims not to put energy into “gaming the search engines.”
Like all hand-made, small-batch products, the Maverick is more expensive than other laptop bags. The compact, which fits a 13-inch MacBook, runs $299 while a Maverick for a 15-inch machine runs $329.
The satchels are made with a rich-smelling full-grain leather in black, chocolate or grizzly. Laptop and tablet compartments are padded and waxed-canvass accessory pockets are ample to stow the rest of your carry.
The shoulder strap and pad are comfortable and made with matching leather. A grab handle is secured with rivets for a briefcase-style carry and a leather tab meeting a secure screw stud keeps the bag closed.
The bag is available for pre-order on the Maverick page of the WaterField Designs website and will begin shipping early next month.