Great looking bag. Will have to pick up a knockoff when I get to Korea next month.

Sergeant JoKer

Very classic. I like.

schmere

I@FightingChance: Backpacks make you hunch forward when you walk, they're almost always way bigger than they need to be, and if you're doing any commuting, it sucks to have to take it on and off every time you sit down on the subway, or worse, hit people with it when you turn in confined spaces. You can also access a messenger bag without taking it off. Backpacks are great for hiking and carrying lots of stuff you don't need to get to while traveling. For commuting and frequent access, messenger bags are the way to go.

*TEH MOAR U NO!!!!!1*

aldenf82

@Geisrud:
Same thing all the people who buy bags from numerous other brands. 'Il Bisonte' has some lustworthy examples...

laiten

Nice bag, but pricey. However, I do put all my business in J. Crew boxers.

Uhh, I mean J. Crew gets all my boxer business.

scarbrtj

Great looking classic bag, but I will wait for the identical knock off, sans JCrew label, that will sell for 90% less.

Curves

beautiful bag. I wish i had the money to spend on this kind of stuff...

kevman90

Its a thing of beauty, and if I didn't already have a similar one, I would be all over it.

@strider_mt2k: Sometimes, taking care of, or not taking care of, an item like this is just exactly how you grow attached to it, make it your own, and if all goes well, allows you to hand it down to the next generation.

zenpoet

Can someone relate to me the advantages of a messenger bag versus a backpack? I'm not trying to dismiss them but often it just seems like hipster accessorizing to go with a side slung bag like that, though I will concede that backpacks aren't exactly fashionable.

FightingChance

What type of herb is nutbastard smoking that they think I would pay $800 for a leather bag?

Geisrud

Greeeat, you get to take care of like a saddle.
Every gorram day.

Have fun with that.

strider_mt2k

Ah, they're a day late a hundreds of dollars short. Mulholland Brothers has been making one for ages. They're cheaper too boot. AND you get to choose among several finishes. J Crew leather is crap compared to Mulholland Brothers.

[shopmulholland.com]

Noobs-R-Us

Ok, so the original was desiged as a utility bag, functional, not flashy, probably not very expensive to produce, and then some rich freaking quailtard comes along and reproduces it, no creativity involved at all, and wants to charge me 800 buckazoids for the privelige. Pull the other one, I say.

wil9000

I prefer things that aren't made out of animal corpses.

liveinvt

@zenpoet:
I agree wholeheartedly, but keeping a bag nice because your job as a messenger required it and keeping an 800-dollar utility bag nice and maintained on the off chance that your child or grandchild will complete it's wearing out process is sheer sentimentality.

Not that it isn't a gorgeous bag, because it is.
It's just that it seems those requirements are misplaced in an item of this type in these times.

strider_mt2k

Sweet. I wouldn't pay $800 for any bag, but there's a beauty in having something that will last years and only look better with age.

Putting all value into function without any regard for form is a pretty empty way to conduct yourself.

Gloria

@Curves: Knockoffs are always missing something. Quality of leather and lining, polishing of the straps and so on. That said, it's ironic that a replica of something quite so budget would cost so much.

@laiten: Word. The ladies have more of an excuse to spurge on bags, but I've always thought high sty;e in men is under appreciated, especially with the whole man bag stigma.

Ypoknons

I'll stick to my Jack Bauer messenger bag!
[www.amazon.com]

nXt

I have a $30 messanger bag that i've been using for the past ... forever, really. it's out of the way, holds what i need it to hold, and it's durable. paying $795 for a bag is on some lady shit.

DeCerbo

@liveinvt: friggin hippies.

firesign

@liveinvt: you forgot to add "NSFW" (not that i care or anything)

B1663R

@liveinvt: We differ on that. I'm a carnivorous, animal pelt wearing, top of the food chain human being...the way people rightfully should be.

Vegans are breaking natures law and are horrible people.

Back on topic. The bag is gorgeous and I would be willing to buy it for maybe $100 because it is leather, but not $800 just because it has a designer's label on it.

GOKOR

@MadColombian: Some asshat put their name on it, or some other asinine social construct... of course!

liveinvt

I have a bag that looks... just like that.

Got it for 50 bucks... 3 years ago...

Why 800?

MadColombian

Best laptop bag I've used was my Pinder bag
[www.pinderbags.com]

And as a nice side note, google image search of pinder is fun:
[images.google.com]

liveinvt

$800 + tax for a leather messenger bag?

This is why their retail stores are disappearing. When you walk into the store, and actually see the stuff in person, you think to yourself "no way this is worth it." It looks better in the catalog than in person, and that's what they're hope for.

Samifumi

@GOKOR: The hilarious part is that your definition of "nature's law" is the destruction of nature.

It's like a constitution that says "Article 1: Shred me!"

I wonder how the SCOTUS would rule on that one. We already know how the POTUS would. 0:)

liveinvt

@B1663R: That's true, my bad. Sorry. It should be in my signature or something...

liveinvt

@strider_mt2k: Keith Richards cannot be killed by conventional methods.

GOKOR

It's weird in here, isn't it.

:D

iMike

@iMike: Damn get out of my head iMike. ;-)

Rand

J Peterman sells their counterfeit mail bag for $295.
[jpeterman.com]

Or go to Mexico and get the same thing for $30.

Rand

J Peterman has been marketing a similar bag for +20 years.

[jpeterman.com]

iMike

@OMG! Ponies!:
Yeah but to keep it looking that way you have to go to Sweden or Switzerland or something and have the fluid content completely replaced.

Allegedly.

strider_mt2k

How about an endorsement by leather-bag spokesmodel and Rolling Stones lead guitarist, Keith Richards.

He's the reason I only buy Louis Vuitton leather bags - because if you want to know quality leather, ask a man who looks to be made from quality leather.

OMG! Ponies!

For $800.00, this thing better come with a year's supply of blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the bag.

Seriously though, I think I'll stick to my Chrome bag. The strap on that thing looks like a recipe for nerve damage in your shoulder if you tried to carry more than a few pounds in it regularly.

Bolero

@liveinvt: We are at the top of the food chain. That means, according to nature and the animal kingdom (which, yes, we are a part of), we can eat whatever we think is tasty and won't hurt us.

Our place atop the food chain has nothing to do with our poor management skills regarding killing every animal we want to eat or don't want near us, it just affirms our right to do so.

Vegetarians I have no problem with, it's just their choice not to eat meat (although if you eat fish, you're a hypocrite). Vegans on the other hand, should never have a say in any matter of what human beings should and should not be allowed to do because their views on things are skewed into the absurd.

GOKOR

for 800 bucks they could at least show a pic of the inside. timbuk2 padded corduroy laptop slip-slot thingy is hard to beat.

Denver_80203

800 is so excessive!

MrBlahBlah

I would choose this if I delivered for Wells Fargo on horseback, however, the real OMG! Ponies! set would probably turn their muzzles up at the non-brass rivets and buckles.
For this price they should throw in a laptop.
I used a Freitag bag for 8 years in all kinds of weather biking with laptops and more and then recently shifted over to a Timbuk2 to hold more stuff. I could buy 4 of those for this, or I could scout out an original leather postal bag and have a real Collector's Item"
[www.freitag.ch]
[www.timbuk2.com]

ANoel

@Geisrud: +50 for the great Simpsons reference.

GOKOR

@aldenf82: Messenger bags can also give way to spinal damage, to be honest.

Backpacks are much worse, you're right, but these bags can also cause damage.

The bag I currently use is one of those shoulder slung backpacks with one strap the wraps across your body. It's much easier to carry than a backpack or a messenger bag...for me at least.

GOKOR

@liveinvt: @GOKOR: Don't forget about the Level 5 Vegan:

[www.urbandictionary.com]

I'm of the, "Save grass, eat a cow" persuasion.

Geisrud

It's not the bag, it's what it contains.

If you saw Stephen King pull a manuscript out of this, you might think 'really cool bag'.

If you saw a hipster pull out a J Crew catalog out of this while sitting at Star Bucks you would likely think, 'complete tool'.

DeadWriter

while J. Peterman was perhaps my favorite character on Seinfeld, I wish someone over there would spring for a fucking camera.

infitsofprint

Don't they friggin' know there is a recession going on?

startoestudio

$800? No thanks. I'm very certain that I can find very good quality leather bags for much less than this in more discrete (while still legit) setups. That said, I'm a messenger bag fan myself. I use a Swiss Army bag for traveling, and it's been a good durable stuff holder for a while now. I'd love to get a leather bag, but I've grown fond of the padded laptop pocket and expandability for those times I'm carrying just a bit more clothing on long trips.

As for Veganism, it's a terrible, evil religion that makes you hate the things you love to eat, makes you give up an important part of the human diet, and reduces you to hypocritical meat-flavored vegetable matter and leather-like upholstery so that you can be a guiltless poser. Nay I say suckas. Nay!

Kaiser-Machead

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode about gambling where Newman or Kramer has to give one up?

jibbly

I'm not paying 800 bucks for a Man purse.

lonewolf333

@Samifumi: The government doesn't know how to do anything other than lie to you.

GOKOR

I'd recommend the Oakley Computer Bags, great padding and it goes for about $165. Banana Republic has some nice leather messenger bags as well.

MBPro

@startoestudio: The government says otherwise.

Samifumi

@startoestudio: Well it'll be a good time to dress like Kevin Costner from The Postman if our nation breaks down then, won't it?

Kaiser-Machead

Ikea $10 Messenger bag. Comes with two detachable pockets. Sure, in true IKEA fashion, you have to supply your own padding (a foam block thingy from a box of pears worked nicely). And it's cloth. But hey, it's $10.

Damage

Okay, I love the way this bag looks but, gimme a break. $795?!?!?! Couldn't you just go on ebay and find one that is used and broken in for a hell of a lot less?

maven2k

Is anyone making a bag with ACS-10 padding yet?

wingbatwu

@strider_mt2k: I agree, but would postulate that something that costs $800 is not likely actually meant for messengers. I use my bag like this to go to the courthouse, or to shuttle documents between home and office. I actually do hope that one day I can pass it on, but I suppose I should actually start working on having kids before I start worrying about what I am going to let them inherit.

I actually have the briefcase my grandfather used, and love it to death. I break it out for special occasions, so its not an everyday piece.

zenpoet

You'd think for $800 they could at least show you a picture of the interior and pockets.

Elliuotatar

Not bad looking, but a better quality bags are the ones hand-made by Saddleback Leather Co. - [www.saddlebackleather.com]
(it also turns into a backpack just like their briefcases). It's made by and for serious travelers and looks like a bargain next to this J. Crew piece.

Rusdude

@jibbly:
Yes. Kramer had a gambling problem and was gambling with a Texan at an airport on which flights would be delayed. Kramer was losing and needed something to cover his bets to win back his money so he had Newman bring a mail bag that was once owned by David Berkowitz (Son of Sam).

Rabid Penguin

Hmmm.. I have a great idea to help reduce the price, but keep that beautiful, "old-style," leather look..

Get rid of the bag and just use the strap. Fasten the strap into a loop and then close the lid of the laptop around the strap and voila.

Rabid Penguin

@FightingChance: I have something similar to a messenger bag, I like it cause I can just grab stuff out of it without taking it off. It doesn't hold as much as most backpacks out there today, but I only really need to carry my laptop, maybe a few books and some papers.

Eschguy

@liveinvt: If we were meant to be strict vegetarians, we wouldn't have canine teeth, enzyme to digest meat, or the inability to break down cellulose.

We gave up tree living for savannah living, not vice verse.

OMG! Ponies!

@Eschguy: Who honestly needs a backpack once they get out of high school? Even in high school, everyone just goes to their lockers.

Once you're an adult, like you said, you're typically carrying a few papers/folders, maybe a book, maybe a laptop. A bag like this is what that sort of carrying is designed for.

GOKOR

Uhm, can't you just go on ebay and buy an original postal messenger bag for much less than $800?

Xavoc

There are leather bags in this world worth $800, but they'll never be sold at J. Crew and the craftsmanship that goes into them is readily evident. The craftsmanship evidenced in this photo is nothing to write home about.

Claystil

@Knight: Those are cool, I have a couple Chrome bags, and like the one that is actually dual strap like a traditional backpack. It is much better ergonomically on my back and shoulders.

liveinvt

20 bucks, Old Navy!

riqgeez

I've had a Timbuk2 messenger bag for 4 years now, and it's the best bag I've ever owned. This bag looks ok, but doesn't look like it could take the abuse I dish out on my messenger bag.

Knight

@GOKOR: Well of course the stitching holds up. Those Costa Rican kids really know how to sew. And their little fingers are good at keeping the stitches small and tight.

God bless NAFTA.

OMG! Ponies!

@riqgeez: I got my bag at Old Navy. I've had it for 7 years now and it only cost me $7 on clearance. Not a single stitch out of place.

GOKOR

I'm a J. Crew slut, and I love bags, so I probably would buy this, but not for $800. Maybe $200. I have a nylon Timbuk2 messenger bag that I've had for years, and I couldn't live without it. I use it daily for my commute, take it to the gym, grocery shopping, weekend trips, etc. Durable and can hold a decent amount of stuff. This bag looks nice, but I wonder how much it'll hold and how nice it will age over time...

anti-hello-kitty

@Geisrud: the herb that buys this is the one that bought that rusty macbook pro (from the article a few pages ago).

CGrant

For $170 get an absolute hand made leather classic from these folks, made in Arizona and to your custom specs.

[www.customhide.com]

I've had mine for 8 years now and it just keeps looking better every year.

Tedinasia

Or you could just buy some leather and a sewing awl and make your own, like I did. Best damn bag I've ever owned, and taking good care of it is a pleasure, not a chore.

Seriously, stop by your local Tandy or whatever you've got and get to work. It's a fair amount of effort, but it's not that difficult. Totally worthwhile.

Improbable

@Gloria: True. Substance without style is just an undifferentiated, odorless, translucent-grey paste.

However, I'm not sure this is a good example. The leather looks nice, but for $800, it had better be made from an unfrozen mastodon's actual scrotum.

ChromiumSwitch