Note: this bag was provided for review by Bleu de Chauffe.
Bleu de Chauffe is a relatively new brand, having started 2009, but they are doing something rather unique. They are hand making heritage-level bags in France with a focus on sustainability and quality. They sent over their ‘Business Woody’ bag for me to check out, and I’ve fallen in love this bag. It’s unlike anything else I’ve used before, and yet it fills so many roles — I’m shocked this isn’t a more common layout.
You’re going to want this.
Materials and Capacity
Quick math on the listed dimensions, pegs this at about 24L, but that’s taking into account a lot of extra materials because this does have a roll top and thus 24L is a theoretical, not practical capacity for this. So the stated 15.7” x 14.96” x 6.29” is correct, but not a direct translation to capacity. This bag is somewhere around the 16-19L size range, trending towards the smaller end.
I tossed my tape measure on the area most people are likely to utilize for the bag and came out with a storage area of 16” x 11” x 6”, for about 17.3L in capacity. That feels about right to me from using this bag. Roll top bags like this are great because they are expandable, but a little hard to peg on capacity. Bleu de Chauffe does state this will hold the 16” MacBook Pro, which should give you a good idea of footprint sizing.
The materials are next level. The bag is made from 18oz wax serge canvas from British Millerain which is 590 g/m² canvas. It’s a very stout material, and the wax has been applied in such a way you wouldn’t know it is there. The leather details are vegetable-tanned leather and there’s a single V-Buckle Fidlock closure to secure the roll top. Inside, there’s a removable cotton pocket which is dated and signed by the artisan who made the bag (a great touch), and snaps to add another pouch such as a laptop sleeve (sold separately).
In general, the quality and craftmanship of this bag is the best I have seen of any bag I have owned, reviewed, or tested. For instance, the bag I received didn’t have a single lose thread, missed stitch, or even an end of a thread sticking out somewhere. Those types of issues are common, and generally do not impact the durability of a bag, but they can look visually off. That was not the case with this bag, none of that was visible to me.
The materials are excellent all around. The leather is stout, and feels like it is made to last a lifetime. The canvas is very similar to (if not the exact same as) Filson’s Rugged Twill which has proven to be an insanely durable fabric in every bag I’ve owned and it feels as that will be the case on this bag also (Rugged Twill is one of the best bag fabrics out there, so I am pumped that seems to be what this bag is made from). I have no complaints about anything with the sizing, materials, or construction of this bag — they are all excellent.
In Use
I’ve been using this bag both for carrying office load outs to and from offices and coffee shops, as well as using this as a dad/camera bag as we wander around town. I could make you wait to the end, but instead I can tell you that this is a near perfect bag for my around town use, and staggeringly good for office use.
The sizing is effectively perfect. It’s not too large to feel like a burden to tote around, and it’s not too small to feel constrained when you need to load it up. The roll top means you have a little flexibility on the sizing when you are out and about, which is a nice peace of mind.
Speaking of the roll top, let’s talk about that. This is a feature I generally loathe on a backpack, and I’ve never encountered it on a shoulder bag. I was worried it would be tedious and cumbersome to use. In practice, it is fantastic to use. The reasons are simple:
- Roll top allows for expanded room if needed.
- It’s a single Fidlock buckle to unsecure the roll top.
- The material is quiet, soft, and easy to roll or unroll. Making access relatively easy. It’s also silent.
- You can roll the top closed, but not secure it, and still have reasonable security with the items inside, while making it a touch quicker to get in and out of the bag.
- Typically you have two options with a shoulder bag: zips shut and items are fully secured in the bag but a pain to get in and out of the bag; top flap which snaps/secures shut, where there is a chance stuff can finagle their way out the sides of the flap, but which is easier to get in and out of. The roll top effectively is the best of both worlds, as it is easy to get in and out of, and more or less fully secures. With two rolls, I don’t see anything working its way out of the bag.
I like the roll top on this.
The bag can be carried three ways, but I only tested two of them. There’s two carry handles, a cotton canvas shoulder strap, and hardware to attach a backpack strap. I didn’t have the backpack strap, as that’s an add on. However I did test the carry for shoulder and the handles. Both are excellent.
The handles are a stacked leather, and offer a good amount of rigidity, without being uncomfortable in your hand. They protrude quite a bit above the bag, so you can still carry it with the handles when the roll top is sticking up more. They are easy to grab as well, the stacked leather helps to keep their shape and positioning. There’s a single leather strap which snaps the handles together, and I found that snap easy to undo, but a little cumbersome to fasten. However, it’s loosening with use, and I suspect it will continue to get easier over time, but I do think it could have a touch more material length and perhaps an overhang of leather to make it better out of the box.
The shoulder strap attaches to the back side of the bag only, but because of how the Fidlock and strap secure across the top from front to back, the bag isn’t prone to leaning away from your body. The strap is comfortable, and secures to the bag with a rather interesting leather attachment. It won’t be quickly removed, but it’s easy enough to do. The benefit of this system is there’s no jingle-jangles from brass hardware, even with a lighter load in the bag. Visually, it looks excellent, and custom.
The bag is simple when loading it up. There’s and open top pocket on the front and back sides of the bag, so you can quickly stash things in these spots. Though neither will easily hold a sheet of paper, or a water bottle. Inside the bag is a singular bucket to hold things. There’s snap hardware on the front and back of the bag which allow you to snap in different pockets the company sells. As mentioned, the bag comes with a small canvas snap in pocket, which has a single zipper and makes it easy to secure small items.
I was also sent the wool felt pocket for storing my device in, which offers a ton of padding for the device, while being able to be used as a stand alone case. The device sleeve is nicely done, with a nice leather snap closure and a spot for a business card. It’s nice enough to take with you without a bag, but not so bulky it is in the way when snapped into the bag. I like the way these accessories are done for this bag, as the bag excels because of the lack of built in organziation. But it is nice to be able to add some when needed.
What makes this bag great when you carry it, is how simple and capable it is. It looks fancy, but not pretentious. It walks a line where it’s sharp enough to be taken into any office I have ever been into, while casual enough to blend in with the hiking themed style of Boulder, CO as I walk around the Pearl Street Mall.
I can easily stuff the bag full of gear for the day, or goodies we bought while out and about. I can get in and out of the bag without issue, and not worry about anything going wrong. The roll top gives me a lot of confidence that what is in the bag, will stay in the bag.
The bag is shaped in such a way that with just a few items inside the bag to weigh down the bottom, and the bag will easily stand up on its own when sitting on the ground. I’ve gotten loads of compliments on this bag, including from my wife who’s seen so many bags come through this office, that this is a noteworthy thing.
I love using this bag, it’s simple and easy to use. That simplicity means that I can drop a tech pouch in the bag with my iPad Pro and be off to work. Or I can drop some snacks and my Leica in the bag, and head out to explore the town. It will excel at travel, at everyday carry, and even in the office.
Overall
This is a bag made to be of heirloom quality, and feels like heirloom quality. It’s a bag I want to use every time we leave the house, to the detriment of other bags I have in the closet waiting.
It’s a roll top shoulder bag, which is shaped like a briefcase, and looks at home in an office, a coffee shop, or out in the field.
After using this bag and testing it, I can already tell that it’s going to get a lot of use. And it only makes me want to try more bags from Bleu de Chuaffe. In fact, if I could only have one shoulder bag, this is the one I would choose right now.
Oh, and the price, while not inexpensive — for the quality and handmade-in-France nature of this bag, it’s a stellar deal.
Very highly recommended. Buy here, $389.