Too many Jack Spade bags. Need help making sense of it all.

Hello, I just stumbled upon the site a few days ago while researching which bag to get. I've never been portable before, but I recently purchased a Macbook Pro and that has caused me to reassess the situation (i.e., how best to carry a laptop, notebook, pens, magazines, etc.) Jack Spade bags always keep turning up and I do like their style, although, I'm not a fan of loud velcro closures. The magnetic snap of the Waxwear line are more appealing. Needless to say, the Jack Spade website is useless in determining what will work for me. So far, I've come up with the following list of potential Jack Spade solutions:

• Tech Field Canvas Bag
• Nylon Canvas Field Bag
• Waxwear Laptop Field Bag
• Waxwear Computer Field Bag
• Nylon Canvas Computer Field Bag II
• Drill Nylon Computer Feild Bag

I came about this list via Jack Spade's website, Zappo's website, and Google. I grasp the differences between Waxwear and Nylon, but am not sure about Drill Nylon. I assume it goes Nylon, Waxwear, Drill Nylon in terms of ruggedness? Secondly, are any of the bag names referring to the same bag (e.g., 'Nylon Canvas Computer Field Bag II' on Zappo's might be the same as the 'Nylon Canvas Computer Field Bag' on Jack Spade)? It's quite possible Zappo's doesn't have the right name on their site. If someone would kindly shed some light on what the major differences between these bags are, that would be wonderful and it help tremendously with my purchase decision. Thanks! Edited to add: I probably won't be using any sleeve that comes with a Jack Spade bag. In all likelyhood, I plan on going with either a WaterField SleeveCase, Tucano Second Skin, or Colca Sac. I'm still trying to decide. I mention this, because I know at least one or two of the Jack Spade bags above contain a sleeve.

Buy a Filson 257.

Thanks for the suggestion. I've not heard of them before. From the looks, though, I really like that style. The 258 also looks attractive since it adds a padding, but I might not need that since I'll have a laptop sleeve with some padding. Either way, I'm adding it to my list.

Originally Posted by b-ill

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Buy a Filson 257.

i agree i would get a filson, those bags are made in god knows where now. jack doesn't even do much design for it anymore as he sold most of the company. a filson is just plain rugged and works great.

see also the thread here for something different: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=126035 i've had a few JS bags and i really prefer the ernest alexander one. edit: looks like you already did. oh well.

i have a drill nylon and a waxed cotton bag
both are very good quality

my waxed cotton messenger is aging well, over 2 years old at the moment and use it daily

The Jack Spade bags are just OK. They look fine but they really aren't quality construction. They always seem to be a hair "off" here and there. The Paul Smith bags are also the same way, sadly.

There are many other companies with better quality for the same pricing. Filson is a good example. Tumi just released some good looking bags, loaded with features that don't seem like their standard issue middle management cases.

Great questions, and you're right, the Jack Spade website just ain't helpful with product descriptions. I am right about to list a Jack Spade Nylon Canvas Computer File Case on eBay (just took the pictures for it about 2 hours before I read your post) in the chocolate color (with orange nylon ripstop lining). It's padded and retailed for $225. They have it listed on the website for a really low price but it's not available there anymore; try to put it in your shopping cart and it says it's not available. I bought it from the Jack Spade site in January and paid considerably more.

I like it and personally have had a great experience with it. Although, I only take it to work and put it behind my desk all day so I haven't exactly taken it on mountain expeditions. It's in like-new condition so if you're interested, let me know. I kept the original tags and booklet that come with it.

Like others on this thread, I'm intrigued by the Filson stuff and know that they have a rock-solid reputation, so I'm sure you can't go wrong there either. I have another Jack Spade messenger bag in Cordura nylon that's lined with heavy tarpaulin and I love it--very sturdy. So all in all, good stuff.

I disagree about quality, my jack spade bag is fantastic, the zips are tough and the velcro closure is reliable if you pack the bag rationally, the seat belt style strap is pretty comfortable too. Not sure if this is particular to Jack Spade but you can also turn the lining inside out to clean it if you ever get some spillage (which I did once), which was very convenient and eased the frustration of cleaning.

The filson circle jerk may be warranted, but I can't help but feel we must live in a pretty boring world where a forum devoted to style and fashion has the majority of its members buying a single brand of bag.

+1 on filson. I love my 256.

Also, do you really need a bag with padding if you already have a sleeve? I mean, unless you're clumsy and drop things all the time, I don't really see the point.

Originally Posted by XenoX101

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I disagree about quality, my jack spade bag is fantastic, the zips are tough and the velcro closure is reliable if you pack the bag rationally, the seat belt style strap is pretty comfortable too. Not sure if this is particular to Jack Spade but you can also turn the lining inside out to clean it if you ever get some spillage (which I did once), which was very convenient and eased the frustration of cleaning.

The filson circle jerk may be warranted, but I can't help but feel we must live in a pretty boring world where a forum devoted to style and fashion has the majority of its members buying a single brand of bag.

agreed... the zippers are very thick on the jack spade bag, the material is thick, well stitched, etc

I have a waxed cotton Jack Spade satchel and a couple Filson bags.

The Filson bags are just way nicer than the JS bag.
It's not that the JS bag is bad, the Filson ones are just an order of magnitude nicer.
The zippers are heavier duty, the cloth is thicker as is the leather.

I still use the JS bag. It's a nice enough bag but if there's an equivalent style Filson get that instead.

Ordered and received a Filson 257 last week. Really great bag (and now I'm looking to sell my Jack Spade Nylon Canvas Computer Case) and looking forward to using it for years.

filsons are nice but the bags are heavy

Drill nylon: I have a Jack Spade drill nylon bombadier brief. The fabric is extremely rugged (probably the most rugged they use); very resistant to scratches and dirt (mine is basically scratch-free after 6 months of use).

Filson: SF group wank. Yeah, it's OK but I prefer JS infinitely.