waxed canvas for TB bags?

[rabergnc]

I have noticed that over the last year or two, a number of bag makers have either moved to or incorporated waxed canvas as the bag material of their choice. Personally I do like waxed canvas as a material for a bag having had one in the past. Is this something TB might consider for a line? Or has it been done and I missed it - always a possibility!

[Go Navy]

I have noticed that over the last year or two, a number of bag makers have either moved to or incorporated waxed canvas as the bag material of their choice. Personally I do like waxed canvas as a material for a bag having had one in the past. Is this something TB might consider for a line? Or has it been done and I missed it - always a possibility!

Although I like the look of waxed canvas, as one who is weight conscious when either traveling or moving around locally, I find that the material has an empty weight which is generally measurably greater than the synthetics.

[Darcy]

We choose to use nylon fabric over cotton fabric for various reasons, most notably:

Even heavy cotton canvas is likely to be less than half as abrasion resistant than lighter weight nylons. The packs we have from the 1960's/70's made out of nylon still look and work just fine for the most part; packs made out of cotton from that era are hard to come across because, unless they've been carefully preserved, they seem to have mostly disintegrated by now.

Cotton is hydrophilic, which is why it can be so comfortable to wear in the summer: it absorbs sweat and allows it to evaporate on the outer surface of your clothes, keeping you both cool and dry. For bags and backpacks, it’s a different story: even when coated with wax, cotton can suck moisture right out of the air and leave the contents of your bag damp.

It's a good question and has inspired us to write an FAQ of sorts about fabrics and why we choose the fabrics that we do; if anyone has questions they would like us to include in that FAQ, email them to editorial@tombihn.com

[rabergnc]

I appreciate the explanation for using nylon Darcy. I did not consider abrasion resistance in my thinking about waxed canvas but it does make sense. There is a line of thinking that comments that the scuffs picked up adds to the character of a bag but I can see that it would shorten its usable life. I also was unaware that waxed canvas can leave its contents damp. I have not experienced that but I have only used waxed items such as hats, jackets and so so; no bags as yet. All that said and acknowledged, I do like the aesthetics of waxed canvas bags. Whether I ever invest in one......another story for another time!