Field Pack Class at District Leather Supply - June 2023

Field Pack Class at District Leather Supply - June 2023

Posted by Michael Stricklin on

 

Back in Spring 2023, I was talking with my budyy Bill at District Leather Supply about getting down to Atlanta and spending some time in his shop teaching a class.  I wanted the class to be something students would really learn a ton from, and elevate not only their skills, but the way they think about design in general. As far as I've seen, most classes don't go in depth into doing leather work with machines or bags.  We decided to create a class for the adventurous leather worker and teach a small group of students how to make the most ambitious bag I've designed: The Field Pack.

 

I've personally made several hundred of these bags, and even with all the proper machines, my own studio, and the familiarity of my own shop, it takes me roughly .8-12 hours to make one Field Pack.

 

There are several dozen pieces to this bag, including a full leather exterior, a fully lined interior, 3 different types of foam for comfort and structure, and not a single raw edge anywhere except the grab handle on buckle end of the shoulder straps. Every single edge gets folded, burnished, or stitched.  If it takes me 1-1.5 days to make one bag, then we had our work ahead of us taking 4 students on at one time, plus working in an unfamiliar and busy-in-its-own-right shop.

 

The classes ended up comprised of:

 

Chase from Saltwater Leather Co. in California

 

Odin Clack from Odin Leather Goods

 

Odin's 13 year old son (who at this point hadn't spent much time sewing on a machine. he crushed it!)

 

and

 

Barry Tuggle of Claude and Company

 

This class did take longer than it should have due to a few machine issues, but in the end, all students went home with a beautiful bag that they were extremely proud of. 

 

I ended up not taking any photos during the process, but enjoy the finished products:

 

Barry Tuggle of Claude and Co. Barry's experience mostly revolved around wallets and small accessories, with only a tiny bit of machine experience. He really absorbed every detail and his bag looked amazing. Barry was a huge personality in the class and approached every step with determination, care, and with a jovial attitude.

 

Chase of Saltwater Leather Co. Chase had a good bit of bag experience, but it mostly revolved around tote bags and fuddle bags. This was his first backpack. There were a few small set backs on his bag as the leather ended up a bit too thick and tough to work with, but Chase was determined to push through and make it work. In the end, he had a beautiful backpack, and --like a true craftsman-- any "mistake" made is unnoticeable. It isn't lack of mistakes that makes a great craftsman, but how you handle them. He gifted the backpack to his dad upon his return to California.

Odin Clack of Odin Leather Goods. Odin is a peer who I've been following since he was working in his garage and building an incredible business on the side since what must be 2016 or so, while being a devoted husband and father and working corporate. When he had the opportunity to go full-time on his leather business, he has done nothing but flourish into an incredible business in Lewistown, TX. We speak business often and I am so impressed with what he is built and often go to him for advice as well on the business side of things.  Odin's bag turned out great, as expected. He took the class to not only learn new techniques, but to have a great bonding experience with his son. It's always great to catch up with Odin, and to spend a week working alongside a craftsman i've known for years online was a real treat.
Edward Clack. Edward is Odin's son and was around 13 years old at the time. Although he has been years in the leather shop, it was mostly just hanging out at Dad's shop. A few weeks before the class, Edward got a bit of time on the machine to get the basics. He got to make his own Field Pack alongside his dad and he did an exceptional job. Edward made most of the bag himself, and Odin or I only stepped in when he was worn out from a long day, or on a particularly tough part. Edward made 90% of the bag himself.
Special thanks to Bill Wuyek at District Leather Supply for hosting us for the week and providing all the leather, machines, and tools necessary to make this class away from my own shop possible.
If you're interested in taking a Field Pack class, or learning to make one of our other proucts, please send me an email
-Michael Stricklin
Founder / Loyal Stricklin

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