Hi Guys,
Hope there's someone here who can help.
I recently made a bag.
I do quite a lot of traveling for work and needed a decent stand up to the test of time leather bag which I can dump all my stuff in, chuck in the back of the car and check in at the airport whatever without worrying about terrible bits of plastic breaking etc.
I quite like the look of the Saddleback Side Duffel and have one of the smallest sizes from them which is fine for carry on luggage, however not good for a weeks trip away and there are a few other issues with it too.
I set about making a similar bag with my limited skills and using a slightly thinner leather to keep the weight down.
For the first time it got used, last weekend, on a pretty rugged 3 day trip away and it withstood a lot of abuse however it's highlighted quite a few issues. First of all the straps I've used are far too thin and not strong enough to do the job so they will be getting changed out.
However the main problem I have is the top panel where the handle is attached. When you pick the bag up all it does is distort the top panel and stretch it upwards until the weight of the bag is hanging on it. This leaves it looking very unstable and is terrible aesthetically.
I have a bit of aluminium running across the width of the bag to help the handle support it but the rest of the top just flops about and it's unwieldy to carry.
What is the best way to stiffen up the top panel of a bag to stop it from bowing and looking ugly?
Thanks in advance.
Hope there's someone here who can help.
I recently made a bag.
I do quite a lot of traveling for work and needed a decent stand up to the test of time leather bag which I can dump all my stuff in, chuck in the back of the car and check in at the airport whatever without worrying about terrible bits of plastic breaking etc.
I quite like the look of the Saddleback Side Duffel and have one of the smallest sizes from them which is fine for carry on luggage, however not good for a weeks trip away and there are a few other issues with it too.
I set about making a similar bag with my limited skills and using a slightly thinner leather to keep the weight down.
For the first time it got used, last weekend, on a pretty rugged 3 day trip away and it withstood a lot of abuse however it's highlighted quite a few issues. First of all the straps I've used are far too thin and not strong enough to do the job so they will be getting changed out.
However the main problem I have is the top panel where the handle is attached. When you pick the bag up all it does is distort the top panel and stretch it upwards until the weight of the bag is hanging on it. This leaves it looking very unstable and is terrible aesthetically.
I have a bit of aluminium running across the width of the bag to help the handle support it but the rest of the top just flops about and it's unwieldy to carry.
What is the best way to stiffen up the top panel of a bag to stop it from bowing and looking ugly?
Thanks in advance.