Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

Kickstarter Alert: Antigua Leather

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Antigua Leather:  Handmade Leather Cases

Fifth & Brannan, Flint and Tinder… there’s more than a few kickstarter style success stories.  And now a couple of guys who made some connections in the Guatemalan city of Antigua are trying to be the latest:
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Seems like these could be right in the wheelhouse for those who want something with classic, rugged looks, but just don’t have the cash to shell out $400 for a Saddleback.  An email exchange with Scott, one of the guys behind the project, answered a few questions about the bags.  They’re made from full grain leather by “a local Guatemalan family that have been leather workers for two generations“.  The other founder, Paul, met this family and several other artisans while studying Spanish in Antigua.

Here’s the breakdown of what you can get at different pledge levels:

  • iPhone Sleeve – $19
  • iPad Sleeve – $39
  • 13″ Antigua Leather Messenger Bag – $129
  • 15″ Antigua Leather Messenger Bag – $149

Those are some pretty solid prices if the bags look as good in person as they do online.  And awfully smart of them to offer “early bird” discount pricing for the first 25 pledges that hit the bag levels ($99 and $119), but those have since sold out.  They’re offering bundle packages at a discount, so for $179 and $199 respectively, you’ll get the iPhone Sleeve, iPad Sleeve, and one of the cases.  Also smart.

Messenger bags come in a real light looking almost cognac brown, as well as a dark brown.  The shoulder strap is removable if you prefer to carry it like a standard brief.  The iPhone / iPad cases come in those two colors plus a medium brown that’s in between.  As always with Kickstarter, if they don’t hit their funding goal, you never get charged.

UPDATE:  They hit their goal so congrats to Antigua Leather, but know that they’re still taking orders.  Lots to pick from.  The project is set to be funded on August 5th.

UPDATE II: Good call by Isaac to ask about a warranty (see his comment below).  Looks like they’re not offering one.  If taking a warranty-less flier on one of these bags spooks you, know that Kickstarter does give you an option (see here and here) in case you want to change your mind.

Thoughts on this one?  Full Disclosure:  I don’t know the guys behind this one at all.  Leave your thoughts below…

Comments

  1. Looks really nice and from a price point is a compelling alternative to Saddleback leather. It’d be hard to compare from a quality perspective right now, however.

  2. Man! If quality was solid, for $150 I’d get one of the dark brown ones for sure. As you mentioned, there are a lot of people who dig the Saddleback look but just don’t wanna plop down $400.

  3. Antigua is pretty famous for leather goods (and coffee), so it’s very possible that the quality is high. Some folks have posted very positive reviews on the Threads about Diaz Bags, made by a guy in Antigua. If the quality is similar, this would be a great deal.

  4. Dang, they look really nice! And I lived in Honduras for two years and had a friend that went to language school a couple of times in Guatemala…I’ve also visited there a couple times. But yeah, you can get awesome leather stuff like this made there for pretty cheap.

  5. I’ve been looking for something like this recently. I just pledged for the 15 incher. I can let you know about quality when it gets delivered sometime in august.

  7. Largely preference, though the darker is dressier and more conservative, so more appropriate in a traditional work setting.

  8. I’ve been on the fence about getting a Copper River bag, but these are a bit cheaper and I think I like the design better. Might pledge for one, just need to pick a color…

  9. I’ve got the 13 on the way. Plan on doing a review. Would love to hear feedback from all you guys though if you get one.

  10. Looks good for the price. I’d probably get one if I were in the market for a bag right now.

  12. Can anyone educate me as to what that bright tan leather color is commonly known as? I’ve been looking to get a pair of wingtip or medalion toe balmorals in that color for a while but can’t seem to find what I’m looking for. Thank you!

  13. You don’t have to pick a color when you pledge- they contact you once they’re funded for shipping/color options.

  14. Look good and the price is right, but I’ll wait for some real reviews first. The leather doesn’t seem that thick/durable from the video/pictures plus why is it so shiny?!

    I’m more than happy with my Saddleback briefcase and it is well worth the money. That said, wouldn’t mind something smaller/lighter for the office.

  15. Dang, I would buy one since I’m currently in the market for a $150-200 messenger bag. However, I’m not sure I should throw my entire budget on a bag that I’ve never seen any reviews on or heard anything good about beyond pictures. It would probably be safer to shell out $30-50 more on Copper River or Far Horizon Trader bags simply for the self-assurance that I know the quality for what I’m paying for.

  16. I went as far as typing in my CC info on the Saddelback site last week, but decided not to pull the trigger on the large thin briefcase. So I jumped at this one today. Some risk here, but if I can save $350 and end up getting a product that is even in the ballpark of a Saddelback then I’ll be ecstatic. Only issue is that when placing my order, no where did I see where I was able to select which color I want. Anyone else have this issue?

  17. I haven’t personally checked as I’m at work, but do they say what kind of compensation the actual workers get?

  18. I’m pretty sure it’ll cost more when the Kickstarter campaign is over. If you don’t like it when it arrives, I’m sure you could resell it on ebay for at least as much as you paid.

  23. I live in Antigua and I have seen these bags i person. Definitely nice looking, though a bit thinner leather than the Saddleback. I was just about to buy one too and I saw this blog post in my google reader!

    Antigua has nice leather goods, but the QUALITY leathers stuff is made about 15 minutes from here in Pastores. I’m not sure if these are made there and brought to Antigua to sell or not. I’ll update with a review once I buy one. I’m about to head into town right now to pick one up.

  24. I love the price of this but this looks too busy/bulky for me. Remove the two cell phone size pouches on the ends and I’d probably buy one.

  26. I also ordered the 13″. The bag looks great, can’t wait to see the build quality.

  28. Verrrrry interesting. Seen those Diaz bags before, but didn’t think of them when I saw these. Let me email these guys.

  29. I asked about a warranty, this was their response: “We are confident in our products. Offering a formal warranty is one of the areas we want to explore in the future, but due to the nature of crowd funding and our unique position as a start up working internationally with small groups of artisan workers, we are not currently able to offer a warranty.”

    Consequently, I’m going to pass.

  31. I asked the kickstarter guys about that and they told me there is no divider, padding, or any other sort of organization inside the bag.
    That makes it a no-go for me.
    They also could’ve put a slit pocket along the outside back of the bag for quick access to a magazine, newspaper, airline tickets, and they were apparently not even forward-thinking enough to have included even that simple feature.
    But I have a saddleback, so I don’t really need one of these. Even if I didn’t have a saddleback briefcase, I’d probably just make my own bag…

  32. Sorry posted from the wrong account. Anyways I went into town and asked around and have found a couple of the Artisans making these. I was even able to track down the original two Americans trying to run this business through word of mouth with my family here and the rest of the locals. I plan on going to their store tomorrow to see their specific bags.

    I bought my own at the Artisan Market that make these and picked one I like with 1 buckle on the front instead of the two like all of theirs have. After I talk to them at their shop I’ll update with pictures I took of the ones at the Artisan Market, the one I actually bought and theirs to see if there are any major differences.

    So far I have found about 14 different small stores or markets here in town that offer bags of this style. I doubt theirs are much different, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt. Right now they average in price around 390-600 Q. After the exchange rate I ended paying around $51 for mine and it fits my 13″ Macbook Pro just fine with an extra 2ish inches.

    The quality is nice, ver stiff, but using my bag regularly should soften it up a bit. Leather goods are INSANELY cheap here. I was able to buy 2 pairs of handmade leather shoes, 2 hand made leather belts and a nice leather bag for around $100.

  33. All right, heard back from them. They said that they aren’t affiliated with that seller, and they also said that they (Antigua) are confident that
    the quality and attention to detail on their bags will be second to none.

  35. It’s going to be awhile until they get these shipped out. Their funding window doesn’t close till early August I believe.

  36. I know. I only asked because some one said they were going to see some similar Antigua goods. I guess I can’t really compare apples to oranges so I’m just gonna pull the trigger and get the 15″ dark brown before it goes to over $249. Would choosing this be better than the 256 Filson for ~$200 though?

  38. Patience good sir. The project “funds” on August 5th, and then they’ll go into production then. So, I’ll get a bag when everyone else does.

  41. Anyone know where one could connect with a leatherworker (prefer boots but open to other items!) and be mentored by one for 1-3 months on a part-time basis? My son will be in Guatemala for 1-3 months and would like to try his hand at leatherwork…-..from start to end would be even better (ie tanning, cutting, etc.) Any help would be appreciated. We’re looking at a total of 80 hours over a 1-3 month period.