Two New Carry On Bags For Upcoming Flight (Duffel Bag & Messenger Bag)

[Dan28]

I haven't really made anything this year after spending tons of time last year making all my Christmas gifts. Needed a break to catch up with some other stuff.

I'm going to Ireland in July and needed some luggage. I saw that my current daily messenger bag (my first bag) would not meet the carry on requirements for the airline. So I decided to make one that would. I also don't really want to check a bag and risk losing it, so I decided to make a duffel bag that I could carry on with me. I finished the new messenger bag about two weeks ago and have been using it since to break in so to speak. I almost finished the duffel yesterday. I finished the main bag with about two feet of thread left. Had to order some more waxed poly from Maine Thread Co. I just need to stitch the strap and it will be done.

The messenger bag is mostly 8 oz leather, with pig skin lining, brass hardware a few copper rivets, with a clasp and accent dragon that I powder coated with "veined copper" powder. The brass d-rings are 1 inch, the strap buckle and clasps are 1 1/4 inch. The dimensions are roughly 12 inches wide by 9 1/2 inches tall and about 5 inches deep. The dye is mostly Fiebings saddle tan, however I mixed in some denatured alcohol and a bit of Fiebings Ox Blood to get the color it has.

The duffel bag's main body and sides are made from 8 oz leather. The top is made from 6 oz leather. I wet formed the sides of the duffel bag. It used up basically one whole uncut piece of pig skin for the main lining The sides were lined separately. The deminsions are roughly 20 1/2 inches long, 9 1/4 inches tall, and about 10 1/2 wide. I used brass hardware, copper rivets, and some regular rapid rivets that I powder coated in the same veined copper powder as the other bag. While the strap isn't done, it will be using 1 1/2 inch brass hardware, the buckle will be a center bar buckle though. The dye is Fiebings Walnut.

I got my leather, pig skin, dye and clasp from Springfield Leather. I may have gotten that dragon accent piece there too, or maybe from Tandy, I've had it in my hardware bin for a while. The brass hardware came from Buckleguy. All the rivets, copper and rapid came from Tandy. I used waxed poly chord form Maine Thread Co. On the messenger bag, its their .040 size and my stitching holes are 4mm. The duffel bag has .045 waxed poly chord with 5mm stitching holes.

[Dan28]

More pics.

The straps on both bags are 4/5 oz leather laminated together.

[Rohn]

Those are absolutely beautiful. Extremely nice work!

[DoubleC]

I see some things I might have done differently, and things I could nit pick but wouldn't dream of on a project that big and such nice results. Cheryl

[MonicaJacobson]

Dan, those are super cool. I'm jealous - I want my own all leather luggage. Those are not trivial projects, either.

[Dan28]

Thanks guys. There are some issues/mistakes there, Some how one of the side panels had a couple more stitching holes than the other on the duffel. I'm sure they are the exact same length. I cut my pig skin lining a little long near the lid, so there is about a half inch plus cut right at the bend. My middle strap was originally longer I also put the buckle tongue a little high so its kind of a hair hard to buckle. I don't think the leather will stretch to make it easier as it ages, as I sandwiched polyester webbing in that strap to keep it from stretching.

[smirak]

Hey Dan...did you use a pattern for the messenger bag at all, or was it just "all thought up in your head"? Nice looking work!

Kevin

[Erystawi]

Love them!

[Dan28]

Hey Dan...did you use a pattern for the messenger bag at all, or was it just "all thought up in your head"? Nice looking work!

Kevin

Just kind of sketched dimensions on a piece of paper and figured out my measurements there. I did make a pattern for the handle though, as that was the first time I had ever attempted that style of handle. I used that same handle pattern to make the handle for the duffel bag, but I modified it a little so that the pieces that fold around and are stitched together are angled on the ends, though it looked better that way. I also made a pattern for my middle strap on the duffel bag and for the pieces that hold my D-rings. The D-Ring holders started out as a pentagon, that I rounded the ends. The middle strap was some stock crescent moon shape from Photoshop or Paintshop Pro that I printed and modified a little.

Left out that I made a pattern for the pieces that hold down the straps on the duffel bag too, but even with the pattern, they are all kind of unique due to a little variance on my cutting.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Dan28

[flex59]

awesome