old mess tent rucksack advice please!

[neilwragg]

Turned our old Scout mess tent and a leather sofa into a rucksack.
It's thick canvas and upholstery leather so it's a very robust beast. The adjustable straps are also in leather and webbing padded with carpet underlay so I've found it very comfortable even with a full load.

It's got plenty of bells and whistles! The leather flap has brass tie down rings and a concealed zip pocket. There's axe/trekking pole loops on one side and elastic cord down the other. On the front are two canvas bellows pockets and one adjustable mesh pocket for wet gear etc.
The base is a couple of layers of leather and canvas for durability with more webbing loops for tying kit to the underneath and there's a webbing carry loop on top.
Inside the lining is canvas rip-stop style fabric, again taken from the mess tent with a leather pocket and big zip pocket inside.
I made it for me and I'm off to Tromso, Norway next week so I'll take it there to field test it (the airport baggage handlers will probably provide the biggest test!) but I need some advice.....

I've got enquiries coming in asking me to make some more but how much should I charge? It took me two days to make this first one. Help and thanks!

 

[brambles]

There are probably "upmarket" stores that would easily charge hundreds for an item like that. Calculate the total cost/value of your materials, then fix an hourly rate for your time and charge that on top of the materials, and you have your base. As someone who is self employed myself, the best advice I can give you is to not undervalue your own work. No-one else can provide that particular item, so customers have to pay for it.

 

[swotty]

There are probably "upmarket" stores that would easily charge hundreds for an item like that. Calculate the total cost/value of your materials, then fix an hourly rate for your time and charge that on top of the materials, and you have your base. As someone who is self employed myself, the best advice I can give you is to not undervalue your own work. No-one else can provide that particular item, so customers have to pay for it.

Great advice there Brambles, i'm self employed and it's too easy to undervalue your work but when you take into consideration you accrued costs the final price isn't as steep as it appears to yourself!

 

[Shewie]

No idea of value but that's a great bit of upcycling, well done

 

[Tengu]

It looks very professional. I would work out a price and add a bit.

 

[redandshane]

http://ragsto.com/product-category/rucksacks/ So is this you then ? looks like £70 is the price

 

[neilwragg]

Glad the website is getting found, what do you think? I've been making camping bags and sacks for myself, family and friends for a few years but the demand is picking up once others see them so I've started making bags from the old scout tents, leather sofas etc and putting them on a website I've created. http://ragsto.com
The waxed canvas roll top rucksacks

take much less time to make. On this one I've put paracord loops for carrying kit underneath plus elasticated bottle holder and zipped pockets inside. I might do some Christmas Fayre's at the local schools but I've no idea what to price the big rucksack at yet.
The phone cases and purses made out of inner tubes are selling well!

The local bike shop would be throwing them away so this makes them look good by having them turned into something useful.
http://ragsto.com/product-category/accessories/ I made up a slogan for them, "locally cycled-locally recycled", should have been a poet eh?

 

[ozzy1977]

Cracking job