Travel in Style
The history of travel and travel accessories has always been closely entwined with that of leathercraft. The harnessing of the power of animals, primarily horses, with leather saddlery and harness allowed those who could afford it to travel by riding, rather than merely walking as the only option. Historically, travel was primarily the domain of the wealthy. Kings and their entourages travelled their kingdoms to exercise their power. Otherwise, people travelled for religious purposes, or for war-making. Early travel accessories were made by the very same saddler who would have produced the saddlery and harnesses for beasts of burden. As case-making techniques developed a new set of skills, tools and traditions developed, too.
Indeed, there were so many items used in these olden days for travelling and everyday life, that you may well sport a surname whose history comes to us from one of these occupations. For instance, Belger, Bolger, Bottell, Purse, Purser, Badger, Baggs, Sachs, Satchell or Pochlers would all have had a distant great-great-great-grandfather who spent his days hand stitching leather bags, purses, water bottles, pouches and pockets.
Traditional cases thrown on the back of carriages and coaches were not often carried, and were large, sturdy and heavy. As sea travel became more popular, steamer trunks kept many of these same characteristics. With the advent of the railways, suitcases became distinctly lighter and easier to manage as they were carried by hand. From these heavy cases designs have become lighter. Today, there are many and varied designs available around in all sorts of forms. From classic duffle bags, kit bags, structured doctors’ styles cases, design options are endless. Lake Leather has a great range of travel bags. Some we make on site, some we design and are exclusively available through our shops and online store, and a range of quality design from other makers such as R. M. Williams, Pierre Cardin, Lambada, Henk Berg and others.
We try to do the leg work for you so you can buy with confidence. We know that when you travel there are a few very important factors - enough space to take everything you will need on your adventures; weight allowances and ease of carrying mean that light nylon zippers will be better than heavy brass options; enough pocketing to keep your small items neatly organised - phone cords, paperwork, a padded section for your computer, toiletries and easy access to your travel documents are all important factors to keep in mind when designing travel accessories.
Travel in style with help from Lake Leather. These best-selling leather travel bags are as well priced as they are stylish. This design is such a winner we have it in three sizes: Tomahawk is the biggest ($367.95), Roland is the little brother ($319.95), with Portland being the baby of the family ($279.95). See our online store for details and to make a purchase, or come in to one of our shops in Evandale or Campbell Town, Tasmania. This picture shows Tomahawk in chestnut calf hide, previous image shows the size range pictured in tan calf.
