Archival Update: Canvas Duck Rucksacks

We're releasing our Canvas Duck Rucksack in new colors including black, navy and olive.

Archival family of bags

Black

Navy

Olive

While we do love our waxed cotton twill, we introduced an unwaxed version of our Archival Rucksack as a more affordable alternative. These rucksacks are made of a sturdy #8 cotton duck (18 ounce). Aside from the change in fabric, these are identical to our classic Waxed Twill Rucksacks made in our Springfield, Oregon workshop.

Shopping from 1939: Abercrombie and Fitch

Here are excerpts from my favorite vintage Abercrombie and Fitch catalog from 1939. During this era, Abercromie & Fitch field jackets and outdoor clothing showed a tailored, British influence. Many of the garments came in dress fabrics like high count cotton poplin or wool gabardine. The catalog contains sections for both men and women. While identified as a high end outdoor clothier, A & F offered practical, stylish clothing that could be worn at camp or for home chores. Many of the garments, especially the denim outfits, could easily be adapted for modern wear.

Should you wish to make a purchase, I've reprinted the original order form which should be mailed to the Madison Avenue address post dated 1939.

Ephemera Friday

Shopping from the past: Kletterwerks

I've been a rabid Dana Designs fan since I started climbing in the early 1990s. I have a late 1980s Bomb Pack for which I traded a beloved Lowe Contour Mtn. 40 (another all-time favorite pack), and I also have a Hoodoo Spire which has seen serious use as a day hiker.

I was lucky enough to pick up a nearly mint condition Kletterwerks pack at a recent estate sale. It's the clear precursor to my Dana Bomb pack - a tall and narrow toploader, with a trim profile and excellent load cinching abilities.

Also, it was designed by the same person - Dana Gleason founded Kletterwerks in 1975, Dana Designs in 1985, and is now at the helm of Mystery Ranch.

I'm excited to use the Kletterwerks pack. It's super lightweight, being completely frameless in the vein of a Jensen/Rivendell. I'll be sliding a piece of closed-cell foam in the back panel pocket and hitting the trail this weekend. Since you might not be able to come along, here are a few more Kletterwerks packs I've skimmed off of the internet.

Shopping from the Past: Poirier Pack Sacks

The auction for an original Poirier pack sack from 1882 continues on ebay. The buy it now price has been reduced from six figures to a reasonable $44,000. If that price seems steep, consider ordering a 1918 edition of the same basic bag directly from the Poirier Tent & Awning Co. "For motor or hike, it's equally serviceable, commodious and dependable." If you send away for Pack Sack literature, inquire about the fur-lined sleeping bags. I would love to see photographs and reprint a reader's field review.

Archival Update: Black Rucksacks in Stock

Terry, our local sewer, just delivered a stunning, ebony batch of Archival Clothing rucksacks. For this round of waxed twill bags, we sourced elegant, black Horween aniline chromexcel leather for a modern, monochrome look.* We also modified the strap adjustment system to accommodate a wider size range of users. Since Tom is now operating out of Brooklyn, Sara has taken over the work of stamping each individual rucksack strap keeper. Look for her handiwork as well on our future production run of field bags.

Rucksacks in ranger tan, olive and gray can be purchased from our web shop or via our retailers.

Send email inquiries about our product offerings to info@archivalclothing.com

*Our signature red bar tacking remains.

Archival Update: A.C. Ruckack in Olive Twill

Archival Clothing Rucksack in 22 oz waxed olive twill

We now offer our Archival Clothing Rucksack in a nice, deep shade of olive. The waxed filter twill fabric used for all of our rucksacks is woven, dyed and finished by Fairfield Textiles in Bridgeton, New Jersey. In case you missed the original product announcement, here is a summary of the rucksack's features. Gray, tan and olive rucksacks are now in stock. Black rucksacks will be available at the end of September.

Archival Clothing Rucksack in 22 oz waxed olive twill

If you wish to inspect our rucksacks in person, visit one of the following stockists:

Winn Perry (Portland, Oregon)

Best Made Company (New York)

Benson Outiftters (U.K.)

On Y Va (Switzerland)

Social Outcast (Japan)


You may also order directly from the Archival Clothing web shop.

Archival Update

Archival Rucksack in gray waxed twill

Driveway delivery

Archival Clothing has been busy with projects this summer. Here are a few updates.

On Saturday, we picked up our second production run of rucksacks from our terrific sewing contractor, Terry Shuck. While neighbors were setting off daylight fireworks, we were indoors packing bags and filling out customs forms for our many international orders.

Tom prepping bags for wrapping and boxing

Hall o' rucksacks

In addition to rucksacks, we will have a new shipment of flap musettes in our standard colors--plus black and gray--available in two weeks. We will also be bringing out an all black version of our tote bag.

We have a new Archival bag style--an updated field bag--in the works. Terry is currently prototyping Tom's design and we should have our first production run available sometime in August. More on this project in a future post.


While not preparing for his move to New York, Tom has been working out of the Archival bonus room. He's managing our expanding supply line of waxed cotton fabric, leather, webbing, thread and hardware. We've reordered new hides from Horween, and have started the process of having cotton webbing custom woven for us at a Pennsylvania narrow fabrics mill. In addition to designing our bags, Tom is contributing many of the finishing details on our bags--hand cutting all of the leather straps for the rucksacks and individually numbering the leather strap retainers (rucksacks) and leather tabs (flap musettes).


We're committed to sourcing as many of our material supplies--and third party products--from US manufacturers. There are a few challenges to this approach. Many vendors have very high minimums, difficult for small manufacturers who aren't making 10,000 bags at a time. Other vendors list products for sale when they're in fact back ordered through the winter.

Of course, our own bags are made here in Springfield, Oregon. It's terrific to be able to talk with Terry whenever there's a question about production. If we were making our bags overseas, we're sure that we'd have 100 bags with a tragic, unsaleable flaw.

New Horween samples

A few other projects are in the works. We'll be placing our order for Archival Clothing shawl collared cardigans from Centralia Knitting Mills - expect to see them for sale in October. We're also making progress on our bandanna project, though finding appropriate fabric that's made in the USA is proving to be a challenge. Our friends at Lumina Clothing are giving us a hand, and we hope to make some leaps on the project this month. We've gotten some press recently, as well, from Selectism to, believe it or not, Lucky Magazine! We were also delighted to see Archival buddy Peter Buchanan-Smith's profile in the Times (and thankful that he mentioned us).

Finally, our web shop, at long last, will open for business this week. We'll be carrying our own bags, of course, as well as some of our favorite items from other producers, such as Saint James tops and scarves, Chester Wallace bags, and cuffs from BillyKirk.

Saint James cotton scarf

Archival Update: Rucksacks Available

We're happy to present our latest bag model: the Rucksack. Made in Springfield, Oregon, USA, from 22-ounce Waxwear waxed cotton twill, brass hardware, military-spec cotton webbing, and Horween Chromexcel leather. Practical and free of complications, we're confident that our Rucksack will equal or exceed any other rucksack available in function, durability, comfort, and long-term value.


1 - Lightly padded back panel provides overall structure and protection from awkward cargo. Pack rides closely and load does not sag.
2 - Shoulder straps attach into side seam, curving straps around body for comfort.
3 - Twin outer bellows pockets are easy to access and are nicely sized for smaller personal items.
4 - Single Horween Chromexcel leather strap is light, durable, and convenient.
5 - Dimension is taller and narrower. Loads carry best in this configuration.
6 - Drawstring around top opening keeps load secure and further prevents bag flopping.
7 - Two inch wide webbing shoulder straps are perfectly comfortable for loads up to 25 or 30 pounds.
8 - Convenient locker loop.
9 - Double-layered bottom ensures a long life.
10 - Fully finished inside and out. Seams fully bound in our own waxed canvas bias tape. Stress points are bar-tacked or riveted. Snaps and rivets are reinforced with leather washers.

A limited number of our Rucksacks, in Ranger Tan or Black, are available immediately. The cost is $240 + $16 shipping (in the lower 48). Act quickly, as there are few bags remaining. Please email info@archivalclothing.com to reserve your bag, or to inquire about international shipping.