Neil on the Asheville for people who gave up on lasting bags
Neil on the Asheville for people who gave up on lasting bags
If you quietly stopped expecting one bag to last, the Asheville is the one I made to fit the life you already have.
It is $188.95 rather than $951.95. I am moving my shop to custom-only work after 29 years of ready-made bags, so this is final stock and will not be made again.
The people who write to me often start by apologizing, as if taking up a small part of my day is too much. I do not mind. I have read those messages for years.
What they keep telling me is that they want one bag for the train, the front door, and the weekend away. Not a costume for one part of life. Just something familiar that does its work without taking over.
The Asheville, against the leather backpacks you have been buying, is the one I made with every pocket earning its place. Waxed cotton canvas, crazy horse leather, and the same hands that made the collection by hand.
1997
Today
Materials that belong together
I refused a canvas shell with only a leather label. The Asheville uses waxed cotton canvas and crazy horse leather, and I make it by hand. On a wet Monday commute, it is one dependable piece to carry.
"I stopped replacing my bag just because the straps looked tired. This one has enough canvas and leather that I keep using it."
A laptop with its own place
I gave a 15-inch laptop a quilted sleeve inside the main compartment. On a Monday commute, the laptop has its own place rather than being one more loose thing in the bag.
"I stopped carrying a separate padded sleeve for my laptop. The quilted pocket already gives it a place."
A close you can count on
I kept the drawstring under a buckled leather flap, with zippers on the main opening. At an airport queue, the opening stays closed while your passport and loose things stay in zipped pockets.
"I stopped moving my passport from pocket to pocket every time I reached for something. I knew where it was."
Small things, in order
I gave the interior a zipped pocket and slot pockets. On a weekend away, the charger and other small loose things have a place, so you do not unpack the main compartment to find one.
"I stopped burying my charger under everything else. The interior pocket gives it a proper place when we go away for the weekend."
The pocket against your back
I put the secret zipped pocket flat against your back. On a crowded train, your keys can stay there instead of in a pocket someone else can reach into.
"I stopped moving my keys to the front of my bag on crowded trains. A colleague noticed they stayed in the back pocket."
The front-door pocket
I chose front and side flap pockets for the things you reach for without thinking. At the front door, you can find your keys without emptying the whole bag onto the mat.
"I stopped emptying the entire bag on the mat when my keys disappeared. Now I reach into the front pocket and keep walking."
The Asheville, against the leather backpacks you have been buying
The body and trim do not always match
Small items mixed into the main compartment
An open top to check through
Keys buried under everything
Waxed cotton canvas with crazy horse leather
A zipped interior pocket and slot pockets
A drawstring, buckled flap, and zippers
Front and side flap pockets for quick reach
I did not want a bag that only looked right in a photograph. I wanted it to be there on the train, at the door, and away for the weekend.
The last of the ready-made Asheville
The Asheville is in my last ready-made collection. When the final bags are gone, I will make every future piece one order at a time, so this ready-made backpack will not be made again.
$188.95 against the usual $951.95. If you have decided this is not your bag, you can send it back within 30 days.
It looks old-school, but my laptop has a home and everything else still fits. I keep reaching into the front pocket without thinking.
The Asheville, ready for the front door, the train, and the weekend.
If you have stopped looking for another bag every time the old one becomes inconvenient, I understand the feeling. The Asheville is the answer I made for that ordinary week.
Check what is left and see whether it fits the way you live. If it does, I hope it earns a place by your front door.
See if the Asheville is still here
- Handmade from waxed cotton canvas and crazy horse leather
- Interior laptop sleeve, zipped pockets, and flap pockets
- You can send it back within 30 days
At $188.95 rather than $951.95, this is less than the high-street bag you keep replacing every couple of winters.
Check availabilityAbout the writer. Neil founded Neil Parker in the United States in 1997.