Forever! And that’s no exaggeration. These canvas totes are durable! Here’s why…
Let’s start at the top. Genuine leather handles. Riveted and sewn on. These do not come off easily. Trust me, I have had to replace them once, when the wrong color leather was used. I needed not only a seam ripper, but industrial strength metal cutters as well. I had to cut the leather to the rivets before I could cut the rivets off the bag. It was major effort. Do not recommend. The leather is thick, the straps are an inch wide. They are tough. This is what the handles look like after more than 2 years of daily use. Honey toned, and wrinkled in the top center where they are held. That’s it. No creases. Very minimal stretching. Want more proof, let’s move on…
You’d think after 825 days and counting, there would be some sort of pilling, or wear pattern in the fabric. NOPE! Not even a stain. It basically looks brand new. Why? Because of the high quality, heavy-duty canvas they are made with. The industrial machines that are used to make them. The high test weight of the thread used in their construction. There’s no skimping. There’s no cutting corners. I wanted them to last a lifetime, and it’s all about delivering quality.
*Disclaimer: the camo pattern repels dirt better than any of the other options. This is due to the way the printing is done. It gives the exterior a little extra protection, so it can be wiped down easily. Now, if you have or are interested in another color or pattern, the leopard print is excellent at hiding dirt, but because of the natural light color of the background, you might see a stain if you splash something on it, but only in the light spaces. It can be spot treated. The solid black will be great at hiding dirt, but that’s the nature of the dark color. The navy and olive will hide stains too, but watch out for ink or dyes. The solid natural color is the most vulnerable to staining, but again, it can be spot treated for most surface spots. Dyes and ink, those are dangerous, stay away from those. You can use scotch guard on all of the totes. I haven’t. I carry the natural. If you’ve seen me at shows, you know I like to use it as an example of wear and tear. Plus I like the worn look it has earned.
Now let’s talk about that monogram!! Wow. I am even impressed. It looks untouched. I have this same monogram on my personal one, but my cowhide was a little different. This hide was so crisp from the beginning. The color pattern so sharply distinctive. And even after 825 days of daily use, there is no balding, no edges pulling, and the stitching is still perfectly intact. The red contrast stitching still just as noticeable as the day it was mailed. Want to see the inside???
Tah dah! The interior. The owner of this bag told me she uses it everyday (I have proof, see below). Aside from the small amount of lint, I wouldn’t have believed her based on the interior alone. You can see that the shape has relaxed into the beautiful box that I intended. Mine bulges more, but I STUFF it! There is not one visible stain from this bird’s eye view. I know she fits a Yeti in the side pocket, and I’m guessing it’s the pocket without the label, which is new by the way. It bulges just a little more than the other in a cup shape. Dead giveaway.
If you are wondering why her label is new, it’s because she bought one of my originals. Before I had labels at all. First there was no label, then a white label with gold stitching, and now the perfectly matched, branded leather ones. This is one of my original customers. And while I love selling {these totes}, and do have collectors, I am thrilled that these last long enough that it might be years before you need a new one. And I’m thrilled that this tote came back to me for the D-ring strap attachment additions. It was truly a gift to me, because I got to visit with this customer, and share a real “how long does it last” story with you.
See, she said EVERYDAY 😉