Bucheimer, Bona Alan and Merit Leather

I began researching and searching for mail bags online and found lots of really cool vintage US mail bags on ebay. They are highly sought after and there seems to be three main makers of these bags: Bucheimer, Bona Alan and Merit Leather. They can fetch anything between US $200 -$900 depending on the condition of the bag. Most of these bags date between 1940 and 1970.

I tried bidding for these bags on ebay, bidding was fierce and I decided that it was going a little beyond my budget. The thing was that I wanted to use the bag and not keep it on display. It just does not seem right making every day use of a 50 year old bag that is more a piece of history than a piece of personal luggage.

I decided in the end to have my own one custom made. That way it would be customised to my own needs. It would be my blank leather canvas for the experiences that I would have and the stories it would tell about me and my travels. It would be a Personal Vintage.