Cafe Bags in 210 ballistic

[lizziejean3]

ooohhh...love that Utility Tote color combo!

[moriond]

ooohhh...love that Utility Tote color combo!

That was Kelly and Navy. They brought back Kelly for a short while not so long ago in the Cafe Bag series — the year of the limited edition Small Cafe Bag releases. It was when they started using Navy Parapack for the Bag interiors. Kelly outside and Navy on the inside worked very well for those Medium Cafe bags. They also had Kelly and Steel, if I recall correctly.

ETA: Kelly Cordura was reintroduced as a Cafe Bag option in April 2014. See New colors: Kelly, French Blue, and Steel in the Cafe Bag

[pammy]

It's possible Maybe it's these uncertain times but we're finding ourselves feeling quite nostalgic. Reissues of some retired or vintage bags could happen this year.

It really is a cute size. We have one left and it's in the conference room (doesn't that sound all fancy big pants business? Really, picture this: there's an IKEA table, folding chairs, and TONS of prototypes and sample fabrics everywhere!) at the factory. I have wanted to.... adopt it for years but the rational part of me knows it's best to leave it there so we have a sew-by sample in case we make more.

We're considering offering a run of 1000d Cordura brights in the Small Cafe Bag and maybe even the Shop Bags.... or, since we're feeling the nostalgia thing, maybe Utility Totes?

A return of the Utility Tote would be awesome. I have toted my crimson one around the world. It’s been so handy. I’m weirdly careful with my halcyon shop bags, especially in lighter colors like zest, that might show stains and try to avoid scraping them against something that might cause a hole in the fabric. But with these cordura UTs, I do not worry about them at all. They are tough as nails and true workhorses.

[G42]

I bought a Cocoa/Olive UT on eBay last year in my quest to have All The (shop/tote/utility) Bags for evaluation... I've ended up using it to haul things back and forth from apt to office a lot - it's a neat bag. I don't think I've use the outside & inside pockets simultaneously, but it's cool that they're all there and available, depending on what I carry.








@pammy - did your crimson UT have a second color w/it? pic please!

[moriond]

I bought a Cocoa/Olive UT on eBay last year in my quest to have All The (shop/tote/utility) Bags for evaluation... I've ended up using it to haul things back and forth from apt to office a lot - it's a neat bag. I don't think I've use the outside & inside pockets simultaneously, but it's cool that they're all there and available, depending on what I carry.







@pammy - did your crimson UT have a second color w/it? pic please!

I’m guessing Crimson/Steel, since that was one of the color combinations.

[moriond]

Maybe we could get Audrey (@falconea) to post pictures of her Utility Totes

I see that this is down to only one colour. Is it to die a quiet death, or will it be made again or redesigned?

The Utility Tote is a great bag, and I own at least 8 of them. But I will admit that the Large Shop Bag is an excellent replacement for it if it's no longer to be made.

The only features I will miss are the zippered pocket, and the many colours, which allow me to colour-code my shopping bags. Black/Black for chemicals and soaps - things I don't want to mix with food. Crimson/Navy for meat. Olive/Cocoa for earthy vegetables. Kelly/Navy for green vegetables. Sapphire/Steel for fruit. Storm/Sapphire, Steel/something, Plum/Olive for other groceries. And there's another one or two in the back of the car, as well as the Kelly/Navy that I keep in my office for lunchtime shopping expeditions!

If it's not going to be back, perhaps we need a Conifer sort of shade for Dyneema, so that there are 4 colours of Shop Bag.

Audrey

What I also remember is her enthusiasm for Kelly, which was one of Darcy’s favorite colors. When the Synapse 19 debuted they made a few (less than a handful) in Kelly, and a few in Crimson, and I know she wanted Kelly. Also, see her post in the How many TB Bags? thread. (You have to be logged on to read it).

[pammy]

@pammy - did your crimson UT have a second color w/it? pic please!

Forgive my bad photography skills. They actually look better in person. But here are my two Utility Totes.

As always our amazing TB historian @moriond is correct; it is indeed Crimson/Steel. I think the other one is Storm.

[G42]

Forgive my bad photography skills. They actually look better in person. But here are my two Utility Totes.

As always our amazing TB historian @moriond is correct; it is indeed Crimson/Steel. I think the other one is Storm.

Is the bottom of the Crimson a different colour,,,?

On my Cocoa/Olive, the Olive wraps to form the bottom panel... and it only has the small rectangular TB tag on the mesh, not the Portable Culture or other large tag - though I since I bought mine used, maybe someone removed it

[pammy]

Is the bottom of the Crimson a different colour,,,?

On my Cocoa/Olive, the Olive wraps to form the bottom panel... and it only has the small rectangular TB tag on the mesh, not the Portable Culture or other large tag - though I since I bought mine used, maybe someone removed it

Same with mine, the pocket fabric continues underneath the tote to form the base. I think my UTs are the older version just based on the old style label with the phone number and "Port Angeles."

Edit: Also, my Utility Totes do not have a dyneema pocket like yours. There are no inner pockets. I think the zippered pocket would be very useful, so that's a nice addition to the original design.

Here is a pic of the backside of my UTs:

[moriond]

@G42 , They redesigned the Utility Tote in 2007 (that’s why there was a blog post with that date), so the variations depend on when you got your utility tote, just as the older Swifts don’t have the supporting rand at the bottom of the Bag and were all two colors. The labels on @pammy ’s Bag show that they are older — could be 2004.

[pammy]

@G42 , They redesigned the Utility Tote in 2007 (that’s why there was a blog post with that date), so the variations depend on when you got your utility tote, just as the older Swifts don’t have the supporting rand at the bottom of the Bag and were all two colors. The labels on @pammy ’s Bag show that they are older — could be 2004.

@moriond , you're right. My very first TB purchase was a secondhand Plum/Olive Swift, and it does not have the black band. Being cordura and not having the band makes it a little floppier than my ballistic ones with the band.

Exciting to think new Utility Totes may be on the horizon. I am hoping for a return of Azalea or Pink.