The worst thing about being interested in men’s style is that you can easily begin to obsess over details that don’t matter. Last year sometime, I got it into my head that my Filson 256 wasn’t right for wear with waxed cotton field jackets. What would be better, I thought, is a fishing bag, the canvas sort with two pockets at the front, a large compartmental space, and a flap over cover. Granted, these two types of bags are incredibly similar, but as Nick Sullivan once said, there’s a “difference between things that look right and things that are right.” With a pair of corduroys, Barbour jacket, and a plaid flannel shirt, a fishing bag felt like the latter.
The best makers in this lot include Brady, Hardy, and Chapman. All three are British manufacturers who have been supplying sportsmen with fishing bags since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 1960s, Brady’s flagship model, the Severn, even caught on a fashionable item among celebrities. The nice thing about these canvas models is that they’re lightweight, uncomplicated, and will acquire a lovely color over time. Because of the nature of the design, the dirtier it gets, the better it looks. If you enjoy the character of a beat-up Barbour or a pair of well-worn leather boots, a canvas bag of this nature is the perfect complement.
There are also a few makers of all leather versions, including Korchmar, JL Powell, and Mulholland. For those undecided between canvas and leather, Mulholland has a canvas and leather hybrid.
I myself picked up Ralph Lauren’s canvas model, which is on sale at the moment. The canvas isn’t as stiff as my Filson’s, and the leather quality seems like a notch below, but the bag still seems decently made. It features a two buckled straps, which unhook easily at the flap for easy access, and five pockets – one large compartmental space inside, a small zip pocket for miscellanea, two small pouches at the front, and a snap button newspaper pouch at the back. And though it lacks the history of a Brady, I admit I like this design a bit better, particularly for city use. A hint of sportiness without actually looking like you’re about to go fishing for trout downtown.
