This is a vintage-styled canvas backpack in waxed cotton with full-grain cowhide leather and stainless steel hardware, measuring 44 x 31.5 x 13 cm (17.32 x 12.40 x 5.12 in). The top folds over and is held down by two long leather straps, with the main compartment closing on a zip underneath, and it takes a laptop up to 15.6 inches. Every color pairs a canvas body with leather panels and straps in a contrasting tone.
Key facts
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44 x 31.5 x 13 cm (17.32 x 12.40 x 5.12 in): a tall, slim pack rather than a deep one, which is what keeps it close to the back and out of doorways.
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Waxed cotton canvas with full-grain cowhide leather: the leather is not a trim detail here. It forms the lower panels, the strap runs, the front pocket flap and the anchors.
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Stainless steel hardware: buckles and fittings in steel rather than plated base metal, because plating is the first thing to go on a cheap bag.
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A fold-over top over a zipped main compartment: the straps hold the fold, the zip does the closing. Two closures, not one.
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Laptop up to 15.6 inches: which is a larger machine than most bags this slim will take.
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A flapped front pocket with a leather cover and buckle, plus open side pockets: the front pocket is the one you use standing up.
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Water-repellent, not waterproof: wax in the weave sheds rain. Seams and zips are not sealed.
The measurements, and what fits inside
The exterior is 44 x 31.5 x 13 cm. Multiply those and you get 18.0 L for the main box, before the fold-over top and the outside pockets add anything.
The measurements describe exactly what the photographs show: a tall, flat pack that sits against the back rather than standing off it. A fold-over top does add usable height when it is left extended, and the front and side pockets carry volume that a length-by-width-by-depth calculation never counts, so the volume you can pack is more than the 18.0 L box alone.
What that means for you in practice: this is a bag for a laptop, a notebook, a jacket and a day's things, not for a weekend's clothes. If you are deciding between this and something you already own, measure yours and compare the three dimensions.
The fold-over top, and what it is not
The top of this bag folds down over the opening and is held by two leather straps that run the full height of the front and buckle low, near the front pocket. Underneath the fold, the main compartment closes on a zip that runs around the opening.
That combination is worth understanding before you buy, because it is not the same as the bags it resembles. A true rolled-top pack has no zip: you roll the opening several turns and clip it, and the seal is the roll itself. This one folds once and relies on the zip beneath for closure, which trades a little weather resistance for something you will value more often, which is that you can open it one-handed without unbuckling anything.
The practical consequence: the straps are as much structure as closure. Buckled, they hold the fold flat and keep the silhouette. Loosened, the fold lifts and you get extra height in the main compartment for the day you are carrying more than usual.
Waxed canvas, full-grain leather, and steel
The canvas is cotton with wax worked into the weave rather than sprayed onto it. That is why a new bag has a slight sheen, why it creases into lighter lines where it folds, and why it does not develop the damp smell untreated canvas gets.
The leather is full-grain cowhide, which is the top layer of the hide with its natural grain intact rather than sanded off and re-embossed. It is the strongest part of the skin and the only grade that develops a genuine patina, because there is nothing sitting between the surface and the oils in your hands. It also arrives with the marks the animal collected, and those are the honest signature of the grade. If you want the longer version, we wrote it: what full-grain leather is, and how to recognize it.
Steel hardware finishes it. Buckles and fittings in stainless steel do not flake the way plated base metal does, and on a bag whose whole proposition is aging well, hardware that fails first would undo the point.
Inside the bag, and the pockets on the outside
The main compartment is lined and holds a padded sleeve against the back panel for the laptop, which is the right place for the heaviest flat thing you carry. Everything else shares the single volume, which is what a slim pack should do: compartments eat the depth, and at 13 cm there is not much depth to give away.
On the outside, the flapped front pocket is the one that earns its keep. It is covered by a leather flap on a buckle and sized for the things you want without taking the bag off: a phone, a wallet, keys, a small notebook. The open side pockets take a bottle or a folded umbrella.
There is no organizer panel of elastic loops inside.
Rain, and where the protection stops
The canvas is water-repellent, not waterproof, and the difference matters.
The wax fills the gaps between the cotton fibers, so water beads on the surface and runs off rather than soaking through. A shower on the way to the station, wet ground under the bag, rain between a car and a door: all of that the cloth simply handles, and a dry hand afterwards is the entire response required.
The limits are the seams and the zip. Sewn seams are not taped and the zip is not gasketed, so under sustained heavy rain water eventually tracks along the stitch lines. The fold-over top helps here, because it puts a layer of waxed cloth over the zip rather than leaving it exposed. If you are carrying a laptop through an hour of downpour, put it in a dry bag inside this one.
Is this the right backpack for you
Choose this if: you want a vintage canvas backpack with real full-grain leather rather than a leather-look trim; you carry a laptop up to 15.6 inches; you prefer a slim pack that stays close to the back; and you like hardware and materials that visibly age.
Consider something else if: you are packing for a weekend, because this is a day bag. If you need waterproof carrying, a sealed roll-top in coated fabric is the answer. And if you want to open the bag without touching a zip, this one closes on a zip under the fold.
Caring for waxed canvas and full-grain leather on the same bag
The two materials want opposite things, which is the only complication here. The canvas wants to be left alone; the leather wants occasional attention.
For the canvas: brush dry dirt off with a stiff brush, spot clean with cold water and a cloth, and stop there. No machine washing, no hot water, no detergent, no dryer and no radiator. All of those strip or move the wax, and stripped wax is a patch of cotton that soaks instead of beading. Re-wax when water stops beading and starts darkening the cloth, usually after a year or two of regular carrying.
For the leather: a light conditioner once or twice a year, worked in with a cloth and left to absorb, keeps full-grain supple. Keep it off the canvas, because leather conditioner and wax finish do not improve each other. Full-grain will darken with handling, and the panels you touch most will get there first. Our guidance is here: how to clean and care for leather.
What owners say about this backpack
The theme that recurs most in owner reviews is the materials themselves. Owners call them authentic, genuine and well made, and that is what shows up first in what they write.
The second theme is the vintage look. Owners write about the retro styling and the detailing more than about any single feature of the bag.
The one thing to think through before buying is the closure. A fold and two long straps over a zip is a considered way to open a bag, not a fast one. If you want to get in and out at speed several times an hour, that will grate. If the bag opens twice a day, it will not.
Questions buyers ask
How many liters does it hold? The exterior of 44 x 31.5 x 13 cm describes an 18.0 L box, before the fold-over top and the outside pockets add anything.
What are the dimensions? 44 x 31.5 x 13 cm, which is 17.32 x 12.40 x 5.12 in.
Is it waterproof? No. The waxed cotton is water-repellent and sheds rain; the seams and zip are not sealed.
What size laptop fits? Up to 15.6 inches, in a padded sleeve against the back panel.
Is the top a rolled closure? No. The top folds over once and two leather straps hold it, and the main compartment closes on a zip underneath. A rolled closure has no zip and seals by the roll itself.
Is the leather real? Yes, full-grain cowhide: the outer layer of the hide with its grain intact. It is the grade that develops a patina, and it arrives with natural markings.
What is the hardware? Stainless steel buckles and fittings, not plated base metal.
Can I wash it? No. Brush it, spot clean with cold water, and re-wax when the water stops beading.
Do the colors pair canvas and leather? Yes. Every option sets a canvas body against leather panels and straps in a contrasting tone; the selector above shows the live combinations.