Antigua Leather Bags

[bvaghela]

anyone place an order for the Antigua bags on Kickstarter mentioned a couple weeks ago? it seems to be a really good deal for a leather bag. i was looking at getting the darker brown as that might be more timeless. thoughts?


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...-tech?ref=live

[LosRockets]

Wow. I think I might go for a dark brown 13". $129 w/ free shipping seems like a really good price. I need a bag...doesn't look like I can find one cheaper of good quality.

[guiltybystander]

I contributed. I recommended it in another thread since it was affordable leather!

[LosRockets]

Now the question is, I have a 12-13" laptop. Should I get the 13" bag or the 15"? I feel like the 13" bag will be a snugger, safer fit (lenovo x230) but I'm worried about space for other things (charger, notebook, etc.)

[guiltybystander]

I have a 12 inch laptop as well, but I opted for the 15" one for the reasons you listed.

[kinojay33]

Sooooo....this has been interesting, huh?

[savoyspecial]

Yup... I paid for my bag back in early August and I still have no idea when it is going to ship.. every week the update email only consist on one more additional reason why the bags aren't shipped and also that they have no clue when they are going to ship? Here is the list of reasons so far : adding a new feature to the bag, too much rain, labor dispute, export regulations of the country too strict, ... etc . What concerns me if they are having all these problems with production, what is the final product going to be? Will it be junk? I'm starting to regret getting involved with this.

[bvaghela]

couldn't agree more. i'm not one to take risks with my money but originally, this seemed like a deal that was too good to pass up. i guess it's how the saying goes; if something is too good to be true it probably is... at this point i'm just hoping that they don't run with the money and that i actually get something.

[kinojay33]

I'm a bit concerned/frustrated as well, but one important thing to keep in mind is that supporting a Kickstarter is supposed to be acting as a patron of the arts of sorts. It's not like buying a product from Amazon, you're working with a start-up company, with folks who have probably never done business like this before. So patience and low expectations are a must.


$129 for a leather messenger bag is almost ridiculously cheap, so I was expecting delays and imperfections. But I am mostly disappointed by the lack of an attempt to establish any kind of a deadline for production runs and shipping. I understand that they're probably wary about doing so, as they've already missed the first, overly ambitious and completely unrealistic shipping deadline they initially sent. But they need to do something more to easy the worries of those who are freaking out, thinking it's just a big scam.

[tuba74]

Im curious what you guys receive vs the images from the video and picts. Will the quality be still the same? Please post picts when you get the bags. thanks

[krzys]

I'm not worried just yet - expected this to come along because of two factors: low price and high ambition.


But I wonder what the Kickstarter policy on any refunds is...for once I didn't even look at that!

[savoyspecial]

I feel if the Antigua cannot give us any idea of when these bags will ship, we should have a right to cancel. It's not like they have already made the bags (obviously). That said, I don't know if you can once the project is funded. But what happens if the project fails? That said, I hope it does work out because the bags do look nice... fingers crossed here!

[krzys]

I was very happy to make my first first-world micro-loan.

[Jim A.]

Apologies for the thread necro, but since orders have mostly been fulfilled at this point, I figured adding my two cents would be ok. Here are the comments I posted on Antigua's website:

I've been using my 15" dark brown bag for about a week now and am very pleased with it.

Storage-wise, it's exactly the size I needed. Between the main compartment and the 3 other pouches, the bag holds my 15" Lenovo Thinkpad, Nexus 7 tablet, 1" binder, power cords, wireless mouse, pens/pencils, earbuds pouch, lotion tin, and a giant Snickers bar. I can even fit my travel size umbrella across the top if I loosen the flap straps a notch.

At first, I was a bit unsure about the look of the untanned underside of the straps, but I came to see that the contrast is very nice. (To those of you who feel it is too stark a contrast, consider that the untanned side will darken over time.) I really dig the "rougher" look of the bag. I suggest, however, that the attachment of the top carry handle be reinforced perhaps with a rivet in addition to the stitching. Also, regarding the carry handle, the leather edges are a bit hard, which dig into my hand uncomfortably. That may ease up as the leather softens, so we'll see. Perhaps if the handle were given a top layer wrap, it would alleviate this. Regarding the new buckles, I have no aversion to them at all. I think they fit well with the overall aesthetic.

I've given the bag a thorough once-over with Leather Honey, which loosened it up a bit. I'll probably hit it again this weekend. Once it's nice and broken-in, I think it'll be a real pleasure to carry every day. I've gotten lots of complements and I'm pretty sure one guy in my office is now stalking the AL website waiting for the store to officially open.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking to sell theirs, let me know; I may have a buyer for you.