Shopping from 1977 - Men's Club Magazine

Per Peter Allen - Everything Old is New Again. I've been browsing through the pages of Men's Club magazine from Japan. Who needs a costly Free & Easy subscription when everything about outdoor and inspired cycling garb has already been spelled out in 1977. Here are a few sample views:





I love the mixed view approach of Japanese magazines: model the fashion and then provide a beautifully arranged, spatialized shopping list of essential supplies. Even in 1977, Brooks saddles, lace up leather cycling shoes and French cyclo-tourist bags were the final word.




Makes sense to me - backpacking along the interstate. Don't forget your flask and water filter.

Archival Rucksacks in Tokyo

Love this snap of canvas duck Archival Rucksacks on display at a new Tokyo stockist, Green Angle. I'm starting to envy the travel destinations of our Springfield, Oregon made baggage.

Archival Visit - HUGE magazine

Last weekend we were honored with a visit from the Japanese "hi-style" magazine HUGE. HUGE is doing a feature on Oregon manufacturers and we were pleased that they included Archival in their itinerary. On Sunday, the HUGE team visited our sewing contractor's facility in Springfield to get some live action snaps of Terry at work.

It was a pleasure to watch Nick, a professional photographer, at work. Here he is taking light meter readings before shooting Terry. I love that Nick shoots on film.

Nick and Takuhito, delightful gents

Documenting how Terry sets washers and snaps.

Checking Polaroids of me. I'm posing in front of a Quonset hut.

I endorse Takuhito's twin pack approach to rucksack portage. Nicole, AC Production Manager, dodging the camera in background.

Archival heirlooms: Mamiya 645, Domke canvas camera bag and Kodak 120 Portra film.

Nick's back up rig - an Olympus Stylus point and shoot. I like his Makr carry pouch.

Prepping Rucksacks for their close ups

Archivally Analog

As you'd probably guess, we're devotees of everything analog . Clocks and watches are the most obvious examples, but I'll confess to a serious obsession with analog stove and oven controls (I see no reason why home ovens can't have the same interface as a commercial Blodgett). The latest and most impressive analog inspiration comes from flickr user hawkexpress. His PoIC project is an excellent exercise in self-documentation and brand loyalty, two characteristics that we endorse highly. We're not sure precisely what goes on the cards - it's apparently a "system to organize [hawkexpress'] life," but we heartily complement the methods.

(part of my analog desk system)

Shopping from the past: more Brady bags from Japan

It's deep August so I'm in far swing away from my principal Winter obsession: bag and jacket hunting (from the archives, movies or UK). Instead, I'm organizing my archive of old web shots from Japanese websites featuring US and UK products. Brady Bags (out of the UK) is a long way from offering teddy bears and shot glasses (although the new flashy Brady site does feature images of women in white linen and uses the word "fashion" in the main page copy). Here are a few Brady bags that got away from me two years ago. Several people have offered to help me place orders for items from Japan but I fear that this option would be as finacially devestating as being able to shop from 1930's cinema (friend Tom B. knows that Rules of the Game would bankrupt me over the gamekeeper's garb alone.