Field Satchel

If you're a guy, maybe you're wondering the same thing that I was: is this a purse? Am I signing myself up to carry a purse? Let me answer your question with a question: who's your favorite globe-trotting, Nazi-fighting archaeologist? Because he carried one. I mean, not exactly like this. He didn't have a Frost River. That was his loss. I'm a city-dweller and this is the perfect bag for me. I own three of them (one in black). On my daily excursions, it fits a small water bottle, a camera, a bevy of charging cables and adapters, a lighter, an e-reader, some emergency meds, and a handkerchief, with room to spare. So sling your field satchel over your shoulder, and don't give it a second thought. Is it a purse? Who has time for a question like that? You're an adventurer, and there's exploring to do.

I was looking for a bag to carry the necessities for long walks/hikes with a new pup (treats, extra leash, collapsible dish, water, doggy bags, toys, multi tool/knife, binoculars, guidebook, etc.) and one that could also be used for other purposes day-to-day. I looked at a lot of different options and decided on the small field satchel, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The dividers make it easy to easy to keep things organized. The front pockets hold pens, field notes, and a phone. The large interior pocket easily holds a leather leash, a hardback, and a paperback book at the same time. The exterior pocket is wide enough to slip in a 12.9” iPad Pro (although you probably would not want to do that regularly, as it only goes about halfway in). I definitely recommend this product.

Top quality, really well made. Waxed canvas, brass, and leather look great. Even smells good!

High quality bag. I am of an era in which everything we wore said MADE IN AMERICA. It is so good to now that tradition is continuing.

I love the look of this bag, and am very impressed with the durable feel of the fabric and design. I love that it fits all of my day to day knick-knacks as well as my small crochet or nalbinding projects. I mainly use the main big pocket for now. The liner pockets are not super useful unless you have a lot of flat items (like notebooks, tablets or sketchbooks, but one day I will) but it still holds all of my items with ease.
That said, I contemplated a few of the other offerings from Frost River, my other top picks being the Big Saganaga Travel Satchel, and the Small Manitou Bag. And maybe I will buy those one day. I liked the look of the Field Satchel though, and I liked that it had a real closure instead of a simple magnetic one or none at all. I also spend a lot of time hiking and wanted something a little more rugged. It's the perfect size to be my day to day shoulder bag, which is great for me. Now I just need to raise funds to buy an Isle Royale bag! Oh dreams...

Fantastic bag. Live all the pockets and pocket placement, and the look and feel of the canvas is fantastic. Fits everything I want in it and is my go to everyday bag for painting and sketching gear.

On the other hand, strap length is claimed to be 54", mine is 49¼". That almost 5" makes a big difference for me, as it's a bit snug when cross carrying with just a shirt or lightweight jacket, and really snug with a winter coat. Yes, I'll be ordering a strap extender but that just adds $15+ dollars into the price of my $130 bag which I wouldn't need to spend if the strap was the correct length.

I've been looking for this for two years and bought two inferior products not knowing this was our there. I recommend it

I use this bag every. single. day. It is my version of s purse/work bag. It is durable and protects my items from the weather as well. My computer fits inside as well as in the back pocket. Even with daily use for over a year, it only has one tiny hole in the canvas.

I’ve tried multiple bags from other brands, trying to find one that’s perfect for me. I’ve been an admirer of FR for 10 years, I wish I had saved myself time and money and just started with this bag.

It really does seem like years back as they were designing the bag, they thought to themselves “What will Darby need in 2019”. It is absolutely perfect for my daily carry. It’s beautifully constructed and handsome in appearance.

A few small things I would change and I would rebuy the bag in a heartbeat if they added these.
1. I would love a handle.
2. I think this bag would be a great candidate for the Sam Brown stud closure that’s found on the Vintage messenger. But the flap is long and heavy, so I hardly close the bag completely.
3. The FR logo patch is a little big for the bag. I think it would look great with a smaller patch.

But FR are the geniuses behind the design, not me. So I am sure they had their reasons.