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Unsatisfied with the design of both traditional wallets (too bulky and expensive) and compact wallets (not good at carrying cash), the folks from Capsule wallets turned to Kickstarter. Once the clientele was found, they turned to Dwell on Design to show off their creation. The Capsule Minimalist has been something of a hit—the blue edition is currently sold out.  

Before you turn up your nose, consider that the handmade, full-grain leather wallet features the CashStrap—a simple way to store and get your bills out. The front slot holds one to two frequently used cards and the top sleeve another two to four cards. Narrow down the contents to what you really need and the Minimalist is your friend, your enforcer of a new no-more-than-you-need mantra, and suddenly that annoying pocket bulge has been downsized.

The Minimalist starts at $50 ($65 for uncoated Brazilian leather gray version) at capsulewallets.com.

 

 

If you've been wondering why designers have taken to cork so heartily in recent years, the Kickstarter page for the Subrr wallet sumarizes its benefits well. "Cork is as durable as leather but water resistant, and harmless. Cork oak intakes 5x more CO2 when regenerating harvested bark." California's Subrr has a Kickstarter campaign going for the wallet, available in two versions and two types of cork. The designs themselves, each hold up to 10 cards and one version has three compartments, also encourage simplicity—basically you can't carry more than you need. They've also got a cork iPhone back—available through the same campaign.

Support the Subrr wallet now on Kickstarter.

 

 

Famed Japanese stationery brand Midori and American menswear titan Nigel Cabourn have come together to release a special Traveler’s Notebook edition. A Midori staple for over 50 years, the Traveler’s Notebook is a leather-bound journal that can hold notebooks or a range of different inserts. Its design is simple, yet unmistakably effective, and is loved by many for its character and worn-in aesthetic.

The collaboration version is passport-sized with a Broad Arrow emblem embossed on the front, a symbol famously used by the British Army and thus also Nigel Cabourn. The package also includes a bullet-shaped, military matte green brass pencil, complete with branded pencil holder.

The Midori x Nigel Cabourn Army Edition Traveler’s Notebook is available at Miscellaneous for €89.90.

Remember when school used to come back in session after Labor Day? Every year it seems like the powers at be move the start date earlier into summer. But no matter—with a new school year comes a good reason to update your everyday gear, and going back to the grind often requires we pick up a new trusty backpack.

You may not be enrolled this fall, but that's no reason to deny yourself an essential. Whether you’re transporting books or beer, here are ten backpacks that’ll get the job done in style.

Everlane Snap Backpack, $65


Parrot Canvas Woodland Camo Uwharrie Day Pack, $65

Poler Stuff Roll Top Bag, $70

Jansport x Benny Gold x Pendleton, $99

LayerxLayer Brimfield Bag, $189

Topo Designs Mountain Briefcase, $149

 
Cote&Ciel Isar Rucksack, $238

Makr Daypack, $245

Archival Clothing Rucksack, $260

Goruck GR1, $295

Check the journal often for more NoMa suggested fall essentials.

Sportsman's Bag

Loyal readers know we are big fans of American outdoors brand Filson here at Nothing Major. Our recent tour of the new HQ and factory only fed our obsession. So we're especially jazzed about the fall collection that just hit. In it, Filson expands its offerings in luggage (more styles and fabrics) while adding some clothing with modern cuts and materials, all built to last a lifetime. We've selected seven items from the new collection we're jazzed about. As for you heritage buffs, you'll be sated too, when Filson drops an archival collection later this month.
 

1. Short Lined Cruiser Jacket, $295: The Soy Wax construction makes it water resistant and lends it a nice crackled look. The modern trimmer fit is shorter, too. It comes in tan w/ black and red Alaskan plaid lining or in black with dark green flannel lining. Possibly your new second skin?


2. Quilted Vest, $260: Feel free to move around with this water resistant outer shell. It comes in Navy and Orange, both with that great tan contrast pocket detail.


3. Original Sportsman Bag, $360: Filson's best-selling hunting jackets and vest inspired this practical bag. The large main compartment features snap out panels so you can organize it your way. Constructed from 22 oz. Rugged Twill and 12.5 oz Oil Finish Tin Cloth, it comes in Tan/Dark Tan and Tan/Otter Green. 


4. Guide Pants (Shelter Cloth, $240 & Soy Wax, $265): These rugged pants are ready for almost anything nature has to offer. Available in the new soy wax, they feature front cargo pockets with one-hand snaps.


5. Tote Briefcase, $360, and Game Bag Messenger, $285: Just what we needed: traditional construction but ready for the city. Both bags use Filson traditional 22 oz Rugged Twill and 12.5 oz. Oil Finish Tin Cloth plus heavy duty brass zippers and pulls and genuine bridle leather. 


6. Rugged Twill Log Carrier, $80. You'll never gripe about hauling firewood again with this handsome number at arm's reach.


7. Leather Belt, $58: Don't consider this entry-level Filson. It's constructed in Seattle of genuine saddle leather, the type of belt you pass down to the next gen.

See the complete catalog online at Filson.com

Two NoMa favorites, Colorado-based makers of excellent bags Winter Session and all-natural fragrance-makers Juniper Ridge, have teamed up for two limited-edition Dopp Kits. Juniper Ridge creates incredible fragrances and trail soaps from botanical ingredients largely collected in wild regions of the western United States. Winter Session handcrafts very fine rustic bags, aprons, and wallets from leather and waxed canvas. Good match, we say.

The Desert Collection kit includes full-size bottles of JR's Caruthers Canyon Backpackers Cologne (highly recommended by us) and Inyo Trail Crew Soap in a rust-colored waxed canvas bag.

While the Forest Collection comes with full-size bottles of JR's Siskiyou Backpackers Cologne and Siskiyou Trail Crew Soap in an olive-colored waxed canvas bag.

Each bag is handcrafted from 20 oz. waxed canvas and vegetable-tanned leather. Each is available online from Winter Session for $200.

 

We recently heard of a new line of bags under the name Sons of Trade that sounded a little bit different from what we've seen before. The SOT line has some tech-friendly features, comes in large sizes to accomodate those with active, multi-faceted lifestyles, and in short, they're the kind of rugged bags built for guys who get out there and do stuff, not just post on street corners. We caught up with Sons founder Braden Jones by email to find out more.

Sons of Trade is a very new brand, where did it come from?
We started by creating something for ourselves—for the way we live here in California. We might sometimes have unruly beards, and we aren’t the type to wear suits to the office, but we still appreciate looking sharp. That means carrying gear with a good design aesthetic. So we tried to build a line of products that would be flexible enough for our own lifestyle, which is sometimes living out of a van for a week, surfing up the coast and sometimes boarding a flight for a meeting on the other side of the globe. We are not the only guys who need gear to accommodate everyday life, no matter what that may consist of.

Braden Jones

Who is Braden Jones?
I’m a 5th generation Californian; that’s something I’m pretty proud of. What else? A traveler, a businessman, a father, a husband. A fan of good Scotch. I like making art and being in the water or out on the open road. I still don’t really think of myself as defined, but I know that someday I will be—as we all will be—so I try to be aware of what kind of legacy I’m going to leave behind. But right now I guess I’m living this life I’ve been given, trying to keep it real in the digital age.

Where does the name Sons of Trade come from?
We’re paying tribute to those who came before us: the workers, writers, thinkers, innovators, and tradesmen. And to the time when a man was a man—when creating and innovating was an art form instead of a formula. We are the sons of those men, and we’re exploring what it means to live a life of adventure and hard work. A life that’s anything but dull.

 

You're making bags, what makes SOT bags different from the rest?
The best bags that I have used, bought, or seen in passing have all come from past generations. The Military, the U.S. Postal Service, old backpacking, and sportsman gear. They’re durable, purposeful, and built to last.  We can’t go back, but we can build bags and accessories for today’s man that will stand the same test of time, built with old world character and materials yet featuring modern tech features. My goal is that in decades to come, a Sons of Trade rucksack, tote, or knapsack will be that bag your son will find in your closet, steal, and take with him to college.

You've got some tech friendly accessories. Where did the inspiration for those come from?
We designed the line to work easily with gadgets because they’re so much a part of life. So it just made sense to build tech gear into the collection so that if you’re on your bike wearing a Satellite Sling, or if you throw an Index Sleeve into your bag, you’re not thinking about your headphone wires getting tangled or your iPad getting scratched. You’re just living.
 

The Tactical Tote is a big bag—who do you see using that and for what?
It’s actually my daily bag. I’m looking at it right now and it’s holding a couple big notebooks, a camera, my iPad and some smaller stuff like pens, wallet, shades, phone, and keys. And there’s still room for a random roadside find when I wander out. I also use it all the time as my carry on for quick trips to Seattle and New York.

Since it’s pretty roomy and made from coated canvas that you don’t care about getting wet, a lot of guys around here are also using it as a surf bag.

Was it a challenge designing for surfers, travelers, and urbanites alike?
We tend to think that could be three different guys or three parts of one guy. I’m not alone in being a bit of each: I travel a lot, I surf and I find myself in cities all over the world—each time needing a way to carry my stuff. So we designed the collection for guys who want a versatile bag that works to fit their lifestyle. It’s a bag that’s made to be used; it’s the real deal. 

See the complete line at Sonsoftrade.com

Stalk desktop speakers are actually designed to stand next to a crowded desk, rather than take up valuable desktop real estate. The two models (taller or shorter) are built with colored steel legs and a 3D-printed dome, both meant to be chosen by the owner to personalize the set. The designer, New Zealand-based Ella Bates-Hermans, developed the cone patterns by experimenting with 3D printing textures, and drew inspiration for the speaker's form by studying the shape of speaker drivers. [via NOTCOT]

Check out the Stalk speakers on Behance.







An exciting collaboration between two L.A. favorites makes its debut this weekend. Jennifer Parry Dodge of Ermie and Mitzi Guidry of Los Angeles Leathercraft team up on a small collection of tie-dyed leather bags. We have already fallen hard for Ermie's collection of hippie-ish patterned caftans, maxi dresses, and leggings, and now we can add these totes and wallets onto our list of must-haves. 

The handpainted and handsewn goods will be available for the first time for lucky Angeleno's at the Echo Park Craft Fair, everyone else will be able find them on the Ermie shop in the coming weeks.

 




If you're somehow still on the hunt for an iPhone case after our round-up in January, and you happen to have Fool's Gold Records on your radar, their new wallet/iPhone collaboration with HEX might be a contender. The case comes in two colors, a more conservative black leather, and a very Watch the Throne gold edition, and each model can hold two cards. Not exactly George Costanza storage, but having a license and credit card handy is better than nothing. 

Both colors are available from the Fool's Gold online store, and select HEX outlets.