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What Others are Saying

Gsry D.

Verified Purchase

Great quality, quality hand stitching, property tanned leather and great paper. What more could you want? Keep these journals out of the rain and they will last a lifetime!

Julie L. B.

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I got the large size in hopes my MacBook would fit inside with a couple pens, a file folder and my daily planner. It works and I am so pleased!

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Escapist Backpack

167 Reviews

| 3 answered questions

$497.00

Description
Options
Product Video
Our Materials
Personalization

The Escapist Backpack is made from 2.2mm full grain Italian Leather and comes in 2 sizes with contoured shoulder straps for comfort and a a daisy chain-ish outside construction, similar to a military MOLLE style, for added functionality and a modular carry.
It is probably the coolest, most comfortable , functional and stylish backpack you will ever carry.

For a complete and detailed description watch the product video.
We are now making these 5 inches deep and tapering to 3.5 inches on the top.
Full grain Italian leather lashing straps use a very simple and unique slide construction for infinite adjustability. This is an upgrade from the photos and video.

This soft full grain Italian Leather Backpack is Perfect for your small around town carry but can be expanded for a light weekend trip to a metro or mountain location. Guaranteed for Life, even if your dog, a rodent, coyote or some forest creature eats it. Check out our Guarantee HERE. This is a lifetime/generational investment and we want to keep it that way.

The Escapist Backpack comes in 2 sizes to fit either a 13 or 15 inch laptop.
It includes 2 daisy-ish chains on the front with 4 -1 inch wide leather lashing straps from 21 to 24 inches long.
The adjustable leather shoulder strap is 13 inches long with 8.5 inches of adjustment in 1/2 inch increments.

COMFORT in your carry:
.When carrying your load, max comfort is key.
With our soft leather, 2" wide contoured and thick shoulder strap, you will not find a more comfortable leather backpack on the web. But you will find many at double the price of ours will less features, comfort and quality.

Our 2 inch wide shoulder straps are made of soft chrome tanned leather which will mould to the contour of your shoulders.
2 pieces of soft leather laminated together about 5mm thick and contoured to give you the perfect fit and feel around your neck and shoulder.
We have not found any leather backpacks anywhere that offer a contoured leather shoulder strap and yet this IS KEY to a comfortable carry.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:
-Your choice of size for 13 or 15 inch laptop
   for 13" - 10.5w X 14.5h X 5d
   for 15" - 11.5w X 16.5h X 5d (additional cost)

- 2 - 24 inch long X 1 inch wide Straps for holding larger pouches and things.
- 2 - 21 inch long X 1 inch wide Straps

Optional with this Bag:

- Large Vintage Tool Rollup 14" wide normally $100, more info HERE
- Fat Leather Pouch size depending on which size you order:
       -Fat Leather Pouch with 13" Laptop size - 7 X 9 X 2-3/4, normally $50
          OR
       -Fat Leather Pouch with 15 inch Laptop size - 9 X 11 X 3, normally $62

You can get the optional wider FAT Leather Pouch and the Large size Vintage Tool Rollup at a 25% Discount when purchased with this bag.

The RUSTIC CUT (shown in the product images)
Did you know that we make each item individually from a 55+ square foot cowhide?
Most of the 55+ sq ft hide is smooth but the small area around the neck is filled with yummy wrinkles, scratches and character as shown in the product photos above.
The Rustic Cut is where we individually select a hide just for you and then the best place to cut it (usually the center part of the neck) for a beautiful one-of-a-kind rustic look.
There is only one of these cuts per entire 55sf hide and sometimes we will go thru 4 or 5 hides just to pick the right hide.
It takes us extra time and there is additional waste when selectively cutting on a hide. We literally take 5 minutes or more just figuring out the perfect placement of the template on the hide before cutting it and... that's after we unroll and inspect several hides before selecting the best one. It's a truly custom process.

NOW, for a little extra, you can insure you get The Rustic Cut of leather for your item. If you would like us to do that then choose the Rustic Cut option when ordering.

REMEMBER to watch the product video for a more complete and detailed description of this backpack, what it will hold, how it looks when worn and what possibilities it has for your daily or weekend carry.
See the Options tab above for more details.
When ordering you can choose:

SIZE: for 13 or 15 inch Laptop

FREE during Intro Special:
LG Vintage Tool Rollup
FAT Leather Pouch: either 7x9 or 9x11 depending on Pack size ordered

RUSTIC Cut:
Individually selected hide for a prime selective rustic cut for the flap and front parts of your bag.
This Rustic part is on the neck of the hide and there is only enough of it for one bag per hide.

see the Our Materials link above for more info on our leather and hardware
Shipping:
Our items are shipped with $9.95 flat rate shipping via USPS 1st class or Priority mail. Transit times are usually 2-3 days, counting Saturday but not Sunday.

Returns:
All of our items come with a 30-day hassle-free return policy.

Read our full policy here.

*Personalized and Custom items are not refundable.

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE, EVEN IF YOUR DOG EATS IT

Read more about our guarantee here.
While we are your Makers and you know exactly where your leather goods come from, it’s also important to know the source of the materials we use in making them for you. If you would like more info about our products and sources then let’s connect to discuss.

Italian Leather: Our Primary Ingredient

We are soft leather experts and have developed proprietary techniques for working with softer Chrome tanned Italian leathers.

Unlike the stiffer, belt like, Vegetable tanned leathers, our leathers are soft right out of the box. Like the blue jeans you wear that only get softer and more comfortable with age, our leathers will immediately conform to your lifestyle and develop a great patina over time, making your life’s adventures more memorable and meaningful.

Unbranded English Cow –Chrome/Oil tanned - Full Grain – Struck thru (dyed all the way thru the hide) Tanned in Italy – Unavailable anywhere else in the world.We worked with a 6th Generation tannery in Italy for 2 years to develop our proprietary leather.
View our Processes and Proprietary soft leather-working techniques

Hand-torn European Fine Art & Writing papers

We offer you a choice of 3 European, hand-torn papers: Arches Text Wove, Frankfurt White, and Frankfurt Creme.

Whether you write, draw or do both... using anything from a fountain pen to watercolor brushes, you will have the perfect paper.

Our Standard paper is Arches Text Wove. The Frankfurt papers are our premium papers and while made more for fountain pens, work very well for water coloring too.

Our papers are all 120gsm in weight which give them the body you will love.
They will not feather or bleed with a fountain pen and are acid free. You can also watercolor on our papers. They take light and heavy washes well and will dry completely flat.

And because you can write on both sides with any pen or pencil, it's like having twice the amount of usable pages you would have in a book with thinner paper.

We also hand tear all of our papers from larger parent sheets to give you the rough, authentic and artisanal look and feel.

Solid Brass Hardware

Our hardware is all low lead solid brass

Low Lead means harder and stronger hardware.

Unlike much less expensive Zinc, Solid brass is not only strong and patinas well but the low lead content complies with California safety standards.

We have 2 finishes, Antique Brass and Nickel Matte and because we believe in building things the way you want them, we offer you the choice of hardware finish on all of our products. If you don’t see that choice then just ask us.

We want your tools in life to match your individuality without compromise and inspire your life’s adventures.

Threads and Cords

All kinds and all colors

Waxed Linen, Polyester and Nylon thread and cords are used to hand-sew our permanently bound journals and for creating the Solomon’s Knot on our Modular Journals.

We have all kinds of proprietary techniques for making our journals and you can learn them all with our DIY kits.

Ancient and Hand-carved Beads

The beads we use are anything but common.

Some of our beads are over 300 years old. Others are individually hand carved. Some are and rustic and tribal in nature while others are more elegant.

We use ancient African trade beads, Jade, Lapis, unpolished Tiger Eye, Jasper, Opal, solid bronze and Sterling Silver and are always adding to and changing out line.

See our Machine Demos
Personalize Any Item

If there’s one thing that really gets us off it’s making your item look totally cool and unique.

And, when it comes to Personalizing your item, nothing gets more personal and unique.
That’s why we offer so much more than just initials, a name or a short line of text.

While it’s impossible to list all the creative and different ways we can personalize your book, bag or cover, we tried grouping them into the categories below. Any and all of these can be combined so if you need something special then contact us.

Also, keep in mind that while we usually have standard placement for personalization, we can put it just about anywhere on your item at your request. There is no additional charge for that but you do need to tell us.

See our Personalization Gallery for Ideas

3 Initial, Full or Multi-line Personalization

included in the ordering options for most journals and covers

3 Initial Personalization... the simplest and most popular choice.

If you get a cover or a journal with 3 Initial Personalization, at our discretion we will usually include a matching leather bookmark and will personalize it with the same 3 initials.

Full or Multi-line Personalization includes up to 15 spaces, counting the spaces in between the words or name.

But just in case you are really close, we let you fudge 20% more by letting you add up to 18 spaces. When entering your desired pesonalization please remember that what you enter is CaSE sEnseTIve.

We can put more letters on a single line but if it goes over the space limit then it will need to be entered as an additional line and will be charged accordingly.

Symbols

We have a Unique & Growing collection of Symbols which we can put on your item.

To see the full collection just click on the BUTTON below.
When ordering a Symbol we give you the choice of adding up to 3 initials directly below it.

Symbols can also be combined with a Patch but must be ordered separately.

See Symbols Collection

Patches

Leather Patches are one of the most Unique forms of personalization we know of and nobody that we know of does it.

This is where we create a leather patch, put whatever you want on it… a Symbol, up to 3 full lines of type…. basically, whatever you would like, and sew the patch onto your item. Because setup on these can take a long time, we typically make at least 2 just in case we make a mistake. But we usually don’t so in that case we will either just give you the second one or sew it onto your bookmark (if it's included) and if it fits.

Combinations & Variations:
We can combine patches, Symbols, Single or Multi-line Personalization in whatever way/s you would like.

There are near unlimited variations and we do our best to make your patch look as cool as possible.
But if you have certain placement needs or desires then you can just let us know.

See our Personalization Gallery for Ideas

Custom Logos and Graphics

If you have a logo or graphic you would like debossed into your item or on a patch then we can do that too.
The max size is 5x2 inches. We send out to have a special metal die made which can be used over and over again.

Custom Metal Casting

beads, logos, findings and more...

We have partnered with G&S Jewelry Mfg. in Albuquerque to vacuum cast your wildest dreams in just about any metal you would like.

We can make just 1 or many pieces for you.
This is great if you want to create a journal and use your own custom bead design for your own Unique series of modular journals.
It can be a corporate logo or a family crest, a meaningful symbol between you and your loved one... almost anything you would like.

Creativity is your only limit.
So let your imagination run wild and contact us with your idea.
You can watch our on location video to learn more and give you an introduction to the process. Just click the button below.
Watch our Custom Casting Video

Shipping Details

Our products are individually hand-crafted to order and shipped directly to you.
There’s never unsold inventory, no middlemen and no high markups.
All of these savings are passed on to you so you get
the best in style, materials and craftsmanship
at a fraction of traditional retail prices. Win-win.