Tag Archives: swiss army

Vintage Swiss Army Leather Shoulderbag from 1966

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Schweizer Armee Ledertasche Karten Handgenäht Sattler Banga Selzach2Schweizer Armee Ledertasche Karten Handgenäht Sattler Banga Selzach5Schweizer Armee Ledertasche Karten Handgenäht Sattler Banga Selzach1Schweizer Armee Ledertasche Karten Handgenäht Sattler Banga Selzach3Schweizer Armee Ledertasche Karten Handgenäht Sattler Banga Selzach4Swiss Army Leatherbag made by Saddler E. Banga from Selzach Switzerland in 1966

As a leatherworker or a genuine leather goods collector/connoisseur you should have heard about the masterpieces made some decades ago for the swiss army. They are not comparable to nothing when it comes to craft leather goods without any compromise. And this not made by a luxury brand – it was the Swiss Army! Just pay attention to the round sewn leather strap. Or the buckle and the belt keeper. See that leather for the buckle was sewn it to the front. My guess is that it was made avoid friction and make it a bit more sleek in design. Even after years of study I sometimes find little details how the Swiss Saddlers did things the right way. They are study objects but also a statement. If things were made and designed the right way with good materials – they last a lifetime or two – with a bit of care. Just please do me a favour. Please grease and oil the leather well before you use it so the leather won´t break. It will be rewarded by a lifetime companion.

Swiss Army Leather Container from 1981

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Swiss Army Leather Container from 1981 by S. Fluhmann from Kerzers

What a lucky find! Thanks Philip Fust – Das Emporium for supplying me with another rare masterpiece by the Swiss Army Saddlers. This piece was probably never in real use and since I have not seen any similar before it might be “just” a prototype. It is made out of solid 3 mm swiss bridle leather and stitched by hand. Notice the hidden seams to avoid friction on a thread on one side. The handles suggest that it was not made for heavy duty use like ammunition or mortarshells. My guess it was made for maps, however the aluminium reenforced bottom suggest the items carried inside had some weight. Interesting is also the attachment loop with a buckle. Probably it is there to attach the container to a pole (of a Jeep). It will serve me as an inspiration for future leatherworks im designing or even being used to store cut leatherpieces rolled in it and work mobile on my Riese & Müller cargo bike somewhere in summer in the courtryside. The size of the bag is 50 x 32 x 14,5 cm.

Vintage Swiss Army Duffle Bag

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Vintage Swiss Army Duffle Bag from 1974

For my leatherworks some of the biggest inspirations are vintage items which passed the years of use with ease. By studying the wear you can get precious lessons on how to design items with the same goal to craft a lifetimepiece. This vintage swiss army duffle bag have not seem to get any use at all but it is still a masterpiece of a simple, timeless and well crafted bag. Well placed reinforcements, solid rivets and great materials. You see on the type of canvas (no salt and pepper) that it´s of newer origin, I got a toolroll of the same material. Remember to really give those items a good treatment of leatheroil to ensure the dried out leather wont break. Once its broken the damage is done. That what I did immediately. Thanks a lot to Stefan Feichtinger who gave this bag to me at the Boot Root Odershow in Zürich as a present by knowing the bag will be well cared and understood.

 

RLX5513 handmade in Germany bags

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RLX5513 handmade in Germany bags:
Having had a great weekend in Frankfurt, I was really happy to finally meet Peter Gernsberger from RLX5513 and have a look at the handbags he makes. Out of deadstock swiss army canvas and natural tanned leather he has designed and crafted a unique and wide range of bags. Made with a lot of skill and the style to be your next lifetimegear. Photos were taken inside and outside of the Lola Vingage box in Neu Isenburg. Check Peters Facebook site for more images of his bags.

Swiss Army backpack from 1973 – salt and pepper

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First of all thanks a lot for the hint of Chris from Damn Yak, via his website in Canada I discovered this great vintage backpack from the Swiss Army. The toughness and the design is outstanding – I did not find one faulty attachment point or seam. Everything is done in a Swiss “perfectionistic” way. It was really designed for lasting a lifetime. Regarding that this rucksack sells for less than 40 Euros on Ebay I would say there is no backpack with a better value/style factor. The stamp on the pack says “L MAUERHOFER SELLERE GOLLION 73“. I would rate this backpack with a capacity of around 50 Liters and I´m sure without any problems It can handle easy 20 kg of stuff. Due to the canvas belt which acts as a suspender or a distance holder of the lower back it feels quite comfortable.

If you are searching for a daybag, I would go for the smaller version of this backpack.