Neil on the Banff for people tired of replacing bags
Neil on the Banff for people tired of replacing bags
You have stopped expecting one bag to handle work, class, and a weekend without excuses. The Banff is built for the day you actually have.
I know the quiet compromise: another bag can look right and still ask for a little juggling. I made the Banff to fit the day you actually have. After 29 years of ready-made bags by hand, I am moving Neil Parker to custom-only work; the farewell-sale price is $199.95, down from $503.95, and this is final stock.
The people who write to me keep telling me that a bag should fit the day they have, not the day a shop imagines. So I kept asking ordinary questions: where does the laptop go, where does the notebook live, and what keeps the opening shut? Those are the six decisions below.
The Banff can go to work, across campus, or out for a day hike. It is the kind of bag I wanted when I started making them by hand: useful first, with the character left in.
1997
Today
A place for the laptop
I asked for a padded laptop sleeve inside the main compartment, not a loose slip of fabric. On a Monday commute, your laptop has its own place while everything else stays around it.
"I stopped balancing my laptop on top of my things. It now slides into the sleeve and stays flat."
Small things kept shut
Inside, I wanted a zipped pocket and two slot pockets, because small things should not vanish into the lining. On a crowded train, you can find a cable or your keys without taking out everything else.
"I stopped keeping my keys in a separate little pouch. They have their own place now, and I can find them without emptying the bag."
Things ready at the front
I put a flap pocket at the front and two more at the sides so the bottle and notebook have somewhere obvious to go. At a weekend market, you can reach what you need without unpacking the main compartment.
"I stopped digging through my main compartment for a notebook at the gate. It lives in the front pocket now."
A pocket out of reach
I wanted a secret zipped pocket against the back, not another pocket facing the crowd. In a line at the airport, your phone or passport can stay out of easy reach.
"I stopped tucking my phone into the front pocket. My colleague noticed the zipped pocket at the back and said, ‘That is where I would keep mine.’"
An opening that stays gathered
I wanted the main opening to draw closed, with zippers and magnetic buckles holding the outside in place. At the school gate before pickup, the top stays gathered instead of gaping open.
"I stopped pulling the top shut with both hands while carrying everything else. The drawstring stays gathered now."
Two ways to carry it
I chose adjustable shoulder straps and a soft handle because the same bag should work with your shoulders or your hand. On a day hike, you can move it from shoulder to hand when the path gets steep.
"I stopped carrying a second tote just in case when I left for the weekend. Everything I needed was already in the Banff."
The Banff, against the hiking backpacks you have been buying
A laptop that slides loose
Small things with nowhere to go
Only exposed pockets for valuables
An opening that needs both hands
A padded laptop sleeve
An interior zip pocket and two slot pockets
Front and side flap pockets plus a secret zipped back pocket
A drawstring opening with magnetic buckle closure
I carry it for work on Monday and for the trail on Saturday. I stopped choosing between the two.
The final ready-made Banffs
These are the last Banffs from the ready-made run. After the sale, my future bags will be made one at a time to order.
The price is $199.95, down from $503.95. It comes with 30-day returns.
I stopped wondering where my keys and cable had gone. The inside pockets gave them places of their own.
I wanted the Banff to earn its place by the front door, not sit waiting for a special occasion. I made it by hand because that is the work I know, and because the people who write to me want a bag for the ordinary day.
Neil Parker holds a 4.9-star rating across 1247 reviews. I am grateful for every one of them.
See if the Banff is still available
- Ask whether a Banff remains in the final ready-made run.
- $199.95, down from $503.95.
- You can send it back within 30 days.
Against the high-street backpack that never earns its keep, $199.95 is a sensible place to stop overspending.
Check availabilityAbout the writer. Neil founded Neil Parker in the United States in 1997. He has handcrafted leather bags there for 29 years.