Pad & Quill Field Bag review

Pad & Quill have been creating handmade tech-accessories with old-world craftsmanship for many years now. Kari and Brian (Mr. and Mrs. PQ) pride themselves on not creating “cheap, mass produced crap” but incredibly well constructed items they would be proud to give their “discriminating” friends and family…and thankfully the rest of us as well. Recently, they introduced a line of leather bags; The Field, The Messenger, and The Satchel bags meant to carry your tech-gear around with you throughout your world. P&Q have sent me one of their Field Bags to give it a look/try for this review.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

The P&Q Field Bag is made from tanned American cowhide leather, twill woven waxed canvas, parachute-grade nylon stitching and aged nickel hardware. It comes together to create a gorgeous, classic old-world style vertical satchel that you would see Indiana Jones throw over his shoulder before heading off on some epic adventure. The Field Bag has all the classic look and style that Pad & Quill is known for. Both the leather and canvas are thick and somewhat rigid at this point which I am sure will soften with time. The leather makes up the top and bottom with the canvas as main body of the bag.

Standard Features:

• 25 year leather warranty
• Fits up to 15″ MacBook Pro Retina laptop
• Low profile vertical design
• Classic Pad & Quill orange lining (our tribute to World Vision)
• Uber-handy, multi-pocket interior
• Cascading cover flap
• Each bag signed by the person who made it
• Full-grain, American cowhide leather
• Tough 24 oz twill woven waxed canvas
• Parachute-grade nylon stitching
• Rugged aged nickel hardware
• Signature Pad & Quill bookmark accents

The leather closure flap is lined with a very soft (and very bright) orange felt. The flap is held securely fastened by a ball and stud closure system. The front of the bag has two small pockets to keep items like your smartphone, identification, earbuds, etc. The larger being the perfect size for my Galaxy Note 3 and the smaller for my credentials. There is also a larger front pocket for thinner stuff like paperwork or a tablet. My iPad mini fit inside nicely.

My 15″ retina display MacBook Pro fits inside the back slipper pocket perfectly.The back compartment of the Field Bag is intended for holding a notebook computer snuggly and has thicker padding stitched into its walls to provide greater protection. The main compartment has separate pockets for a larger item like the power brick you see here, slots holders for two pens, and a small, thin pocket for business cards.

As you can see, the canvas material, orange felt, dark-rich leather, and rugged aged nickel hardware look pretty sweet together. The connection point for the shoulder strap is triple layered for greater strength. The rugged aged nickel hardware is well designed, definitely strong enough to hold the bag wherever you hang it.

The back of the Field Bag has a large slipper pocket for paperwork, magazines, and quick access to your iPad/tablet.

Every Bag has an inlayed cherry wood panel with the Pad & Quill moniker laser etched in the center and within you will find the signature of its creator. That is the autograph of their “brother or sister in Leon that made the bag your holding in your hands”…thanks Mariana, you without a doubt, created me a very nice bag 😉 .

While not the most padded strap I have ever used, the Field Bag’s shoulder strap is comfortable to wear hanging on your shoulder or opposite shoulder, purse style. The bag itself weighs in at just over 2 lbs and does not feel all that heavy even when I am carrying around my MBPro and iPad with me. I like the vertical design/orientation of the bag; I find it works/feels better to carry.

The Field Bag is available in:

• Charcoal canvas/Whiskey leather
• Charcoal canvas/Dark Chocolate leather
• Navy canvas/Dark Chocolate leather
• Navy canvas/Dark Chocolate leather (blue felt interior)
• Olive canvas/Dark Chocolate leather

Kari and Brian promise that their “…products will excite your senses, carry your dreams and inspire your sense of authenticity”. Which I think is pretty cool. Their About Us page tells it like it is,  I wholeheartedly suggest giving it a read. The Pad & Quill Field Bag lives up to their desire to create great things that will last years upon years of traveling the road less traveled. And as in this case, you truly know you are reviewing a great product when MANY of your friends and family volunteer to take it off your hands when you are done with it…