Made by Peto from Groundgear.uk
Just another mini review based more on observation than testing (that will be happening once i get back to somerset
). Everything is simply my opinion, and i am happy to admit it is a laymans opinion at best.
The bag arrived wrapped up in a bin bag inside some foam padding. Once removed, it looked like this:
Some people might be put off, thinking that for the price (£100 if i remember correctly) it should be all fancy with bells and whistles and bows. But i really liked it, very much an army surplus kind of vibe to it. It reminds you that it's been made by hand by "some guy in a shed" and not some mass-production factory. You buy the bag, the bag is what you get
The bag comes with a length of leather cordage, however it is not pre-installed. It really wasn't an issue to do myself, however i did end up snapping a length off while tying the knit as i was not aware of it's breaking point, which in my opinion is pretty low compared to typical 3mm leather lanyard chord. If you're going to be hanging anything of value off it etc, then you may wish to consider something with a bit more strength, just to put your mind at ease. The colour of the cord really compliments the bag though, so i've stuck with that instead of my dark brown stuff.
Now for a bit of perspective regarding it's size and capacity. Bare in mind that i am packing this with a lot of the stuff i would actually be wearing once i get back to somerset (20% of the bag is taken up by my army bear jacket), and a lot of the stuff i've packed would be on belts, or not there at all depending on what i'm doing, such as spoon knives.
So that is what i wanted to take back to somerset.
Jacket
Shirt
Basha
Billy tin
First Aid
Water bucket
Carving Axe
Honey stove
Spare belt
Spiderco sharpmaker
Dry bags
Cordage
Emergency pouch
Tinder box
Bacho saw
3 spoon knives
2 bush knives
3 whittling knives
Basically a bit of everything. It required a little bit of arranging, but it all fit quite happily, and there are certainly air pockets where more could fit if i took the time.
There had been a request for a picture of the inside of the bag in the sales thread, so here you go. It is just a big cylinder with a good size pocket. for a map or whatever you wish to use it for.
Once full, the bag looks like this.
So my overall thoughts?
The good:
-The bag is of a very decent size without feeling cumbersome, in part due to a lack of side pockets, waist straps etc, it really is a great day sack.
-The bag is really comfy, and the shoulder straps are nice and wide and dont bite my shoulders at all which is something i'd been concerned about
-The build quality is absolutely fantastic on the whole
-It is absolutely stunning, and it is also a really unique design. Won't see many of these while on your travels. Id love to learn more from Peter regarding the process, location, sourcing of materials, about the business etc, as i love to be able to tell people all about things when they are hand made products like this. It is afterall what makes them so special.
The not quite so good:
-As mentioned, i am still questioning the durability of the cordage supplied regarding hanging anything heavy off it. Time will tell on that front.
-Because it is a bag without any rigid frame or such, it can at times be a little awkward packing it, as it likes to clop around and collapse while you're shoving something into the bottom.
-Again, because of the lack of a frame across the back, you have to really think about how you pack. You don't want any angular or hard objects across the back of the bag because they will make themselves known to your back while you walk.
The debatable:
-Price. Very simply put, for £100 you can go online and find a LOT of bag for that money, with a lot of features. This is a no frils bag, nothing more nothing less. So it is a debate as to whether you want to pay for more features from a well known international brand, or do you want something simple but hand crafted to a very high quality. Only you can answer that one, but for me, i'm very happy with the purchase. Afterall, where is the fun of having only one bag? A bag for every occasion If i were to go on a big trek then i would take something more versatile, if i want to go on a days walk, this is more than sufficient
If you've any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Many thanks to Peto for this great bag. I'm more than happy with it.
edit: If my maths is correct, this bag has roughly a 45L capacity which is pretty good for a day bag.
Just another mini review based more on observation than testing (that will be happening once i get back to somerset
). Everything is simply my opinion, and i am happy to admit it is a laymans opinion at best.The bag arrived wrapped up in a bin bag inside some foam padding. Once removed, it looked like this:
Some people might be put off, thinking that for the price (£100 if i remember correctly) it should be all fancy with bells and whistles and bows. But i really liked it, very much an army surplus kind of vibe to it. It reminds you that it's been made by hand by "some guy in a shed" and not some mass-production factory. You buy the bag, the bag is what you get
The bag comes with a length of leather cordage, however it is not pre-installed. It really wasn't an issue to do myself, however i did end up snapping a length off while tying the knit as i was not aware of it's breaking point, which in my opinion is pretty low compared to typical 3mm leather lanyard chord. If you're going to be hanging anything of value off it etc, then you may wish to consider something with a bit more strength, just to put your mind at ease. The colour of the cord really compliments the bag though, so i've stuck with that instead of my dark brown stuff.
Now for a bit of perspective regarding it's size and capacity. Bare in mind that i am packing this with a lot of the stuff i would actually be wearing once i get back to somerset (20% of the bag is taken up by my army bear jacket), and a lot of the stuff i've packed would be on belts, or not there at all depending on what i'm doing, such as spoon knives.
So that is what i wanted to take back to somerset.
Jacket
Shirt
Basha
Billy tin
First Aid
Water bucket
Carving Axe
Honey stove
Spare belt
Spiderco sharpmaker
Dry bags
Cordage
Emergency pouch
Tinder box
Bacho saw
3 spoon knives
2 bush knives
3 whittling knives
Basically a bit of everything. It required a little bit of arranging, but it all fit quite happily, and there are certainly air pockets where more could fit if i took the time.
There had been a request for a picture of the inside of the bag in the sales thread, so here you go. It is just a big cylinder with a good size pocket. for a map or whatever you wish to use it for.
Once full, the bag looks like this.
So my overall thoughts?
The good:
-The bag is of a very decent size without feeling cumbersome, in part due to a lack of side pockets, waist straps etc, it really is a great day sack.
-The bag is really comfy, and the shoulder straps are nice and wide and dont bite my shoulders at all which is something i'd been concerned about
-The build quality is absolutely fantastic on the whole
-It is absolutely stunning, and it is also a really unique design. Won't see many of these while on your travels. Id love to learn more from Peter regarding the process, location, sourcing of materials, about the business etc, as i love to be able to tell people all about things when they are hand made products like this. It is afterall what makes them so special.
The not quite so good:
-As mentioned, i am still questioning the durability of the cordage supplied regarding hanging anything heavy off it. Time will tell on that front.
-Because it is a bag without any rigid frame or such, it can at times be a little awkward packing it, as it likes to clop around and collapse while you're shoving something into the bottom.
-Again, because of the lack of a frame across the back, you have to really think about how you pack. You don't want any angular or hard objects across the back of the bag because they will make themselves known to your back while you walk.
The debatable:
-Price. Very simply put, for £100 you can go online and find a LOT of bag for that money, with a lot of features. This is a no frils bag, nothing more nothing less. So it is a debate as to whether you want to pay for more features from a well known international brand, or do you want something simple but hand crafted to a very high quality. Only you can answer that one, but for me, i'm very happy with the purchase. Afterall, where is the fun of having only one bag? A bag for every occasion
If i were to go on a big trek then i would take something more versatile, if i want to go on a days walk, this is more than sufficient If you've any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Many thanks to Peto for this great bag. I'm more than happy with it.
edit: If my maths is correct, this bag has roughly a 45L capacity which is pretty good for a day bag.
Last edited:
, it's a lovely bag...
