illiterateabc
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- Jun 25, 2012
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Just thought I’d share my initial thoughts on my growing briefcase collection. Just for context, I wear smart casual street clothes to my office-based job.
First of all, please pardon my phone picture. I did not apply any filters or anything, my dumbphone just shot the image that way.
In the middle is my navy Filson 256 that I’ve been carrying to work since January. It’s been serving me quite well. I usually carry a fairly bulky load, mainly from packing sizeable lunches to work every day; however, I started getting annoyed at certain things, which is why I started exploring other options.
I simultaneously purchased the Property Of...Alfred Work Bag in Dark Tan, and the Billykirk Schoolboy Satchel in Golden Brown, and they both came in yesterday. I probably should have spaced these purchases out, but I saw great opportunities for these and I took them. Anyway, I loaded each of the new bags up with my daily loadout, and tested them by the carry handles. I was not able to try shoulder carry yet.
Property Of...Alfred
Pros: The Alfred bag is very handsome and feels very substantial out of the box actually. The leather and waxed canvas, while stiff, do have nice texture. I love the simple lines, pocket layout, and organization of this bag. The buckle closure of this bag does not bother me, and the strap itself feels quite nice to handle. I like that the overall bag height is kind of a goldilocks in between the Filson and the Billykirk. For times when I need quick access to something, there’s a zippable slip pocket on the backside.
Cons: After putting in my usual load from the 256 into the Alfred, I can tell that the Alfred is not as big as the Filson; first of all, the bottom of the bag is narrower and is kept tapered by the leather bottom, unlike the more uniformly boxy and expandable depth of the 256. Second, once I put my tupperwares into the Alfred, the bag bows out and cannot stand up on its own. Third, when fully loaded and having to buckle the closing strap on the last setting, the handle positioning can make the bag hang a bit lopsidedly. The carry handle feels stiff out of the box, but I imagine it would soften with use.
Billykirk Satchel
Pros: Being a full leather bag, I would also say that while this bag may or may not be the most stylish of the three (as that would depend on your own personal style), I think it is the most eye-catching. This bag is also quite stiff out of the box. You can tell that it’s much smaller than the other two briefcases, and because of its dual gusset, stands up straight much more stably than the other bags. The smaller size is nice for me, as I’m average height and thinly-framed. A nice thing about the shoulder strap mechanism is that there is no metal to metal contact like there is for the other bags. The leather shoulder strap attaches to the D rings in the back with Sam Browne studs. This makes things a bit quieter.
Cons: Much smaller than the other two bags. My main challenge was depth, as the dual gussets prevented my larger tupperwares from even fitting in the bag. The new, stiff leather also made it not as easy to get wider items into the bag, like my laptop, but I imagine that would change with use. A major con is that there’s no pocketing to speak of, and especially no external slip pocket. Also, because there’s only one way and one setting to close the hasp closure, this bag is the least able to handle a lot of excess load. I also have not mastered this mechanism, and so it’s slower for me, and it can be slower when there’s not a lot in the bag, as matching up the hole to the metal loop is then an exercise in moving targets. Finally, because I’m in such a casual office already, an all-leather bag might come off as trying way too hard (I might already do that).
Filson 256
Pros: This has the largest capacity of the three, and with my daily load, is probably the only bag out of the three that I could stop by the grocery store on my way home to pick up a few small items to throw into it. The navy color is super nice, and is already starting to show some signs of wear at abrasion points. The leather handles are really solid, as they are just now starting to break in to feeling a bit more supple (though they’re still fairly stiff). Also, while I was somewhat unsatisfied with how the internal pockets were laid out at first, I’ve gotten used to them. I would say that it probably fits in the most in a more conservative office due to the darker color.
Cons: I don’t always need this much space, and when this bag is fairly lightly loaded, the external pockets balloon out in a way that makes me nervous about prying eyes and hands. The opening process can be somewhat of a chore (especially for a neurotic person like me who really HAS to zip everything up and snap it closed every time). Two handles means that you have to fish for both of them when picking the bag up off the floor. The sharp zippers have already scratched my laptop.
Key selling points:
Property Of...: Organization/Goldilocks medium of size and casualness
Billykirk: Smaller size/minimalism
Filson: Capacity/versatility
There you have it, my initial impressions of three very different briefcases. I can honestly say that durability for all three of these bags seem to be very promising, as the craftsmanship seems to be excellent. I am trying to choose only one to keep, and I haven’t made up my mind yet. The choice is going to be very, very difficult.
First of all, please pardon my phone picture. I did not apply any filters or anything, my dumbphone just shot the image that way.
In the middle is my navy Filson 256 that I’ve been carrying to work since January. It’s been serving me quite well. I usually carry a fairly bulky load, mainly from packing sizeable lunches to work every day; however, I started getting annoyed at certain things, which is why I started exploring other options.
I simultaneously purchased the Property Of...Alfred Work Bag in Dark Tan, and the Billykirk Schoolboy Satchel in Golden Brown, and they both came in yesterday. I probably should have spaced these purchases out, but I saw great opportunities for these and I took them. Anyway, I loaded each of the new bags up with my daily loadout, and tested them by the carry handles. I was not able to try shoulder carry yet.
Property Of...Alfred
Pros: The Alfred bag is very handsome and feels very substantial out of the box actually. The leather and waxed canvas, while stiff, do have nice texture. I love the simple lines, pocket layout, and organization of this bag. The buckle closure of this bag does not bother me, and the strap itself feels quite nice to handle. I like that the overall bag height is kind of a goldilocks in between the Filson and the Billykirk. For times when I need quick access to something, there’s a zippable slip pocket on the backside.
Cons: After putting in my usual load from the 256 into the Alfred, I can tell that the Alfred is not as big as the Filson; first of all, the bottom of the bag is narrower and is kept tapered by the leather bottom, unlike the more uniformly boxy and expandable depth of the 256. Second, once I put my tupperwares into the Alfred, the bag bows out and cannot stand up on its own. Third, when fully loaded and having to buckle the closing strap on the last setting, the handle positioning can make the bag hang a bit lopsidedly. The carry handle feels stiff out of the box, but I imagine it would soften with use.
Billykirk Satchel
Pros: Being a full leather bag, I would also say that while this bag may or may not be the most stylish of the three (as that would depend on your own personal style), I think it is the most eye-catching. This bag is also quite stiff out of the box. You can tell that it’s much smaller than the other two briefcases, and because of its dual gusset, stands up straight much more stably than the other bags. The smaller size is nice for me, as I’m average height and thinly-framed. A nice thing about the shoulder strap mechanism is that there is no metal to metal contact like there is for the other bags. The leather shoulder strap attaches to the D rings in the back with Sam Browne studs. This makes things a bit quieter.
Cons: Much smaller than the other two bags. My main challenge was depth, as the dual gussets prevented my larger tupperwares from even fitting in the bag. The new, stiff leather also made it not as easy to get wider items into the bag, like my laptop, but I imagine that would change with use. A major con is that there’s no pocketing to speak of, and especially no external slip pocket. Also, because there’s only one way and one setting to close the hasp closure, this bag is the least able to handle a lot of excess load. I also have not mastered this mechanism, and so it’s slower for me, and it can be slower when there’s not a lot in the bag, as matching up the hole to the metal loop is then an exercise in moving targets. Finally, because I’m in such a casual office already, an all-leather bag might come off as trying way too hard (I might already do that).
Filson 256
Pros: This has the largest capacity of the three, and with my daily load, is probably the only bag out of the three that I could stop by the grocery store on my way home to pick up a few small items to throw into it. The navy color is super nice, and is already starting to show some signs of wear at abrasion points. The leather handles are really solid, as they are just now starting to break in to feeling a bit more supple (though they’re still fairly stiff). Also, while I was somewhat unsatisfied with how the internal pockets were laid out at first, I’ve gotten used to them. I would say that it probably fits in the most in a more conservative office due to the darker color.
Cons: I don’t always need this much space, and when this bag is fairly lightly loaded, the external pockets balloon out in a way that makes me nervous about prying eyes and hands. The opening process can be somewhat of a chore (especially for a neurotic person like me who really HAS to zip everything up and snap it closed every time). Two handles means that you have to fish for both of them when picking the bag up off the floor. The sharp zippers have already scratched my laptop.
Key selling points:
Property Of...: Organization/Goldilocks medium of size and casualness
Billykirk: Smaller size/minimalism
Filson: Capacity/versatility
There you have it, my initial impressions of three very different briefcases. I can honestly say that durability for all three of these bags seem to be very promising, as the craftsmanship seems to be excellent. I am trying to choose only one to keep, and I haven’t made up my mind yet. The choice is going to be very, very difficult.
![icon_gu_b_slayer[1].gif](http://files.styleforum.net/images/smilies/icon_gu_b_slayer[1].gif){kind=icon}
