Jack on the last ready-made Doolins, and why he would rather see them on the road
Jack on the last ready-made Doolins, and why he would rather see them on the road
After 29 years at the bench I am going custom-only. These finished Doolins were made to be packed, carried and rained on, and I would rather they left with you than waited on my shelf.
Out of the door, into the rain. That is what I made it for.
After 29 years of making ready-made bags, I am going custom-only. The last Doolins on my shelf are £154.95, down from £619.95. Once they are gone, I will not make them again, and I wanted to tell you that plainly.
Every Doolin I have sent out has gone somewhere I never will. People write to me about Friday trains, wet walks back to the car, a week at a sister's house, a first holiday after a hard year. The bag goes with them, and it comes back a little darker every time.
A Friday train. Most of the messages I get start somewhere like this.
That is the whole idea of waxed canvas. It is not meant to stay new. It creases where you grip it, darkens where the rain sits, and after a few years it looks like yours and nobody else's.
I still make these by hand. Full-grain crazy horse leather on the handles and the base, because that is where a bag is dragged, dropped and grabbed. A top zip, pockets inside for the small things, and a quick pocket outside so the keys are never at the bottom.
Packed on a Friday evening, with room to spare.
From now on I will only make bags to order, one bag for one person. It is how I want to spend the years I have left at the bench. But it leaves me with finished Doolins in khaki, black, army green and grey, and no good reason to keep them.
A bag on a shelf is a bag that never went anywhere. I would much rather these went out of the door.
1997
Today
The last ready-made Doolins: khaki, black, army green and grey.
Rain on the outside
I asked for waxed cotton canvas with a naturally water-resistant finish. I wanted the outside to meet a rainy walk without becoming decoration. On the way to work, the material meets the weather at the surface.
"I stopped folding a plastic bag over my things whenever the forecast turned grey."
Leather for daily handling
I chose full-grain crazy horse leather for the body, with leather handles at the points I actually hold. I wanted the main material to meet daily carrying and the wear that comes with it. On a two-day trip, that was the honest answer.
"I stopped treating the first scuff as an instruction to buy another bag."
Canvas allowed to age
I let the waxed canvas earn its marks instead of chasing a permanent showroom finish. Its surface develops a patina as it is used. After a long drive, the marks are part of what the bag carries.
"I stopped moving my clean bag to the front and hiding the one I had actually used."
Places for the little things
I insisted on two zip pockets and two slot pockets, while leaving the main compartment spacious. Small things need places, not hiding places. On a busy weekday journey, there is less need to turn everything out.
"I stopped turning the whole bag out when my phone rang, because it was in a zip pocket rather than at the bottom."
Keys where I can reach them
I put a quick-access pocket outside the main compartment. It gives the keys a fixed place that can be reached without opening the main zip. Before leaving the house, I stopped emptying the whole bag on the mat to find them.
"I stopped emptying the whole bag on the mat. My partner stopped asking where the keys were."
Two ways to carry it
I kept the dual leather handles and the removable, adjustable padded shoulder strap, because I wanted two ways to carry it. You can take the strap off and pick up the handles. In a departure queue, the bag can change position without a scramble.
"I stopped moving the bag from shoulder to hand every few minutes while waiting to board."
The Doolin, against the canvas duffle bags you have been buying
One deep pile of mixed things
One forced carrying style
Keys buried at the bottom
Weather marks seen as a reason to replace it
Two zips, two slots and a roomy main compartment
Carry by padded strap or leather handles
A quick-access pocket keeps keys within reach
Water-resistant canvas that develops a patina
A bag on a shelf is a bag that never went anywhere.
Why the last ones are priced like this
This is my farewell to ready-made bags. I am not closing; I am changing how I work, to pieces made to order for one person at a time. The Doolin will not be made in this form again.
The clearance price is £154.95, against the usual £619.95. That is a serious cut, and it should be. I would rather see them carried than kept, and I have put both figures in front of you.
I used to keep a spare weekend bag in the boot for emergencies. Now I take the Doolin and stop pretending I need another version of the same week.
For wet roads, crowded platforms and weekends that begin at the door.
Parked up for the weekend. The canvas only gets better from here.
If you have been replacing a cheap weekend bag every couple of winters, this is the one I would stop with.
Take your time. Look at the canvas, the leather and the pockets, and check whether one is still in stock. If it is not right for you, you can send it back within 30 days. If it is, I hope it ends up by your door, ready for the next weekend.
See if a Doolin is still on my shelf
- £154.95, against the usual £619.95
- Handmade waxed cotton canvas and full-grain crazy horse leather
- 30-day returns
You have likely overpaid for the high-street bag that lasts two winters. This one is £154.95 against its usual £619.95.
Check availabilityAbout the writer. Jack founded Jack Reid in the United Kingdom in 1997. He continues to make leather bags by hand.