Tag Archives: old school

Dehen 1920 Signature Varsity Jacket

Dehen 1920 Signature Varsity Jacket:

What a nice collaboration between my family and one of my friends Uwe from Amtraq. For my anniversary I had the joy to unwrap this great jacket which was on my wishlist since seing the first time.

What a bomb proof construction with some of the best materials around. My favorite is the structure/surface of the american bison leather. Its like a bigger scotch grain but not as much as ostrich leather. Best of all, it looks great from the beginning, no big break in time.

Here are the facts:

Pendleton 24 ounce melton wool body
American Bison leather sleeves and pocket welts
Chenille and embroidered decoration
100% worsted wool trim
Quilted lining
Snap front closure

For orders check the Amtraq distributed stockists.

Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe

5 Replies

Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob pipe:

Grabbed this pipe on a recent trip to Italy. Not knowing that it is actually the famous Popeye pipe. But not only Popeye was one of it´s famous users, Norman Rockwell (Saturday Evening Post), Mark Twain and Frosty the Snowman and now me.

I was a bit puzzled when I read the “Meerschaum” reference on the bottom of the pipe but it is part of the name. The pipe (head) is made of a corn cob and wood.

Grown in Missouri soil and handcrafted for over 143 years in the same Washington, Missouri, building, Genuine Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipes are an American Legend – making Missouri Meerschaum the world’s oldest, largest, and leading manufacturer of corn cob pipes. Since 1869, six generations of Missouri Meerschaum skilled craftsmen have believed there is no substitute for quality and excellence.

swiss army backpack salt and pepper small vs. big

18 Replies

Swiss army backpack salt and pepper small vs. big or light vs. heavy:

As promised I took some images of the smaller or lighter Swiss army salt and pepper backpack from 1963 made by A. Mosimann. As you can see it lacks the stronger and reinforced carrying system and the closing flap with the leather buckles. This makes it about 2 kg lighter and a lot slimmer when not filled. The materials have the same strength and the reinforcements of the stitches are pretty much the same. Absolute superb craftsmanship I have to say, not one single weakness I could find on the construction of the backpack. All buckles or leather parts have got reinforcements on the other side of the canvas. The canvas itself is very strong but does not tend to break. I guess if you treat it with some wax it will be waterproof like a barbour jacket.

Speaking of the comfort I have to admit the bigger and heavier rucksack feels a bit more comfortable esp. when you plan to carry a lot of weight. But at the same also quite heavy and bulky even when empty. The closing method of the lighter one is quite strange at the beginning but quick to access and if you fold it it should be keep most rain away. So I would say a quite clever design. So if you need a stylish vintage backpack with rugged leather I would say there is no better one on this planet for around 30 Euro / 40 USD. Grab one as long as they are available.

For an earlier review of the bigger and heavier backpack have a look here:

Swiss Army backpack from 1973 – salt and pepper camoflage