I am not sure how to start with this bag, but perhaps I should start by telling you two things: this is possibly the best shoulder bag I’ve ever used; and it will be exceedingly hard for me to convince you of this if you have not handled a ‘Tanker’ bag before.
There’s a long history with Yoshida & Co’s Porter line of bags, and I was dying to get my hands on some while I was in Japan. I had ideas of buying just something small as a keepsake — I did not think I would run into the store yearning for something better to use for the rest of my trip.
That’s why I bought the Tanker Sling Bag W Zip (XL) (product number:
622-15153) — the largest of their shoulder bags before you move into travel, or briefcase territory.
It is an exceptional bag.
Materials & Specs
Launched in 1983, the Tanker line of bags uses ‘bomber jacket’ material modeled after MA-1 Flight Jackets (but the fabric is much nicer than any bomber I’ve felt), this model is a part of the “New Tanker” line which largely adds more recycled content to the materials, and some ever so slight upgrades to different hardware elements. Otherwise, the lineup is mostly unchanged from the 1980s. (I would say the biggest practical change is a new painting process on the metal hardware, which should reduce scratches and chipping, a common wear spot if you look at older bags.)
This bag officially measures 12.6” x 9.44” x 4.72”, but given the materials and design the shape can flex in either of those directions a bit. Thus I would peg this more like 13” x 10” x 5.5” — just a little larger than the official measurements. Porter doesn’t list the capacity, which is fine given that they seem to be inaccurate when they do list it. I’ve calculated what I think the capacity is compartment by compartment and totaled that. My best guess puts this at a calculated 10L minimum.
This bag is a nylon twill which is 100% plant-based nylon and Porter notes that this uses a polyester cotton bonding process. The lining is nylon taffeta. This is a three layer fabric, with the face being the nylon twill, the middle layer the polyester cotton, and the lining the nylon taffeta. Since it is based on the MA-1 flight jacket, the green is the original color, and the orange lining is a hallmark (meaning all other bags swiped orange linings from this, which in turn swiped it from those iconic flight jackets).
(Porter has more on the changes for the ‘New Tanker’ and linings here.)
Everything on this bag, every detail, stitch, and material is exceptional. There is not a single part of this which feels overlooked.
The bag is divided into several sections. Along the back is wide pocket with a single Velcro fastener in the center. The largest compartment is the back zipper compartment which opens wide and contains a removeable hanging pocket (open top) which when removed can be folded closed for a sealed pouch. In front of this pocket is a smaller zippered pocket with additional org pockets for various items. Across the front are the signature tanker pockets, which have a weather flap over the top, and are secured closed with Velcro and a snap button. Each pocket has dedicated volume.
The bag has a non-removable shoulder strap which is wide and the same material as the body of the bag. It has one adjustment slider. Unique to the XL size of the sling bag, is a single grab handle at the top centered rear of the bag.
In Use
I had been using a bag I loved for two days, but I was growing frustrated with it. It had few pockets which meant I was always digging. The nature of the culture, meant that I was constantly adding and carrying extras. It started to feel messy and unorganized. I wanted a new bag, but wasn’t seeking anything in particular out. As I was browsing Grand Seikos at Wako, I saw a sign advertising the ‘New Tanker’ with a boutique setup a floor below. I headed down.
After inspecting all the bags, I kept coming back to this XL size, as it seemed to offer equivalent space to what I was carrying, but in a slightly more segmented (and thus easier to organize) setup. I was sold, and I picked it up. Since then I’ve carried this bag for hours a day, for many days now, and what I know is that there might not exist a better bag on the market for carrying a larger daily load sans-laptop.
I mentioned at the top that this would be hard to sell you on in writing alone. This is because it’s nearly impossible to explain how nice the material of this bag is. It’s smooth and slick, it has just enough sheen to avoid being shiny, but it’s far from matte. The color is deep, and perfectly muted. The tactile response on this bag bests any material I’ve ever handled on a bag.
There are two further things about this bag which made me fall in love: utility and carry comfort. Let’s start with the overall utility of the bag. One of the core beliefs for the brand is that everything they make should be very practical for carrying ‘goods’. Since this is not a bag for the office, or packing up clothing, the overall setup on this is fairly generic about what it can and should carry. There’s pen slots, but there’s no dedicated laptop sleeves or anything like that.
I found myself using the front two pockets to house things I would often want to take in and out of the bag without thinking. So one side typically held my sunglasses and a sunglasses cleaning cloth. The other side held tissues and hand sanitizer. I used the large front zippered pocket to carry most of the remaining essentials: notebook, battery charger, pens, and other odds and ends. While the largest rear compartment simply held a pouch with medical supplies, my sun hat and sun umbrella, my Leica Q2 when I was not using it, and any water/drinks or garbage I was lugging about with me. If it was the start of the day, there was likely a packable tote bag somewhere stashed in the bag. The back pocket held a handkerchief, and provided a place for me to stash my iPhone when needed, and collect receipts throughout the day.
This setup kept everything in a spot where I could quickly find it without a lot of thought. And because of how the bag rides when carried, it was very easy to open a pocket while standing and quickly get to what I needed. While at the same time, none of the pockets felt lacking in security when riding a train or walking through crowded train stations.
Then there’s the comfort of carrying this bag. The bag itself (when empty) is quite light in weight with Porter stating it is 680g or about 1.5lbs. When worn, the strap glides nicely on your body, such that you can move the bag easily without your clothing bunching up. The slight padding from the lining on the strap helps to keep the strap from digging into your shoulders when the load gets heavier. The padding all around the bag means that awkward shaped items tend to disappear in the bag, instead of digging into your side.
The bag easily wears cross body, or on one shoulder — though the strap offers very little friction, so carrying on one shoulder can be tricky if you are bending over or leaning to get around things. The top grab handle is very comfortable to use, but the bag does not hang vertically when carried this way. It’s less of a way to carry this bag, and more of a convenient way to move, pickup, or position the bag when you are taking it on and off.
The biggest overall concern I have about the bag is with durability. It should prove very durable, in looking at 20 year old Tanker bags on eBay, there’s not many that look scratched and scuffed as I would assume this material would do. We carried two tanker bags for most of our trip and neither shows any wear signs at all. The material is not waterproof, nor does it appear to have a DWR coating on it, as moisture will soak the material when it touches it. Some marks did develop from what we think is sunscreen, but wiped off with a damp rag, leaving nothing behind.
Feeling the material, it feels slightly delicate. But in use that’s not born out as an issue whatsoever. I’ll be interested to see the durability years from now.
After nearly 10 days of carrying this bag for over 8 hours a day, I found that I liked this bag more each time I used it. And each time I move away from it, I want to use it again instead of my other bags.
Overall
This is one of my favorite bags of all time. It carries everything I need for exploring a city, bopping around town, or heading out to do some work in a coffee shop. It’s a fantastic size which holds a bunch, without feeling overly large.
This is one of the best bags I own, and I highly recommend it.