Monday, April 26, 2010

Caring for your Laplander bag

Here is the letter we send out to customers who purchase our waxed canvas and leather panniers:




Caring for your Laplander bag
:


Waxed Canvas bags:


The waxed canvas fabric we use is of the highest quality and comes from a family run company established in 1838. Their products still are made in America by the same family. And since 1950, they have eliminated all hazardous solvents from their application process resulting in a non-toxic, odorless product. To keep your waxed canvas bag in tip top shape, we recommend the following:


1. Brush off dirt with a dry cloth or brush.


2. Do not machine launder bags. Do not use detergent on fabric.


3. To remove a stain, try plain water and a brush. If necessarily, use a small amount of mild soap or saddle soap.


4. Use hair dryer lightly on fabric to renew the wax finish and revive water repellency (not for too long or too hot!) You can order a wax refinishing ointment from us if you feel like your bag needs major renewing.


*Although we haven't personally ever had a problem with this, if you live in a very hot climate, or leave the bags in the sun for a very long time, the oils in the bag may heat up. If you are carrying your finest silk garments to work in the bag on a 100 degree day, think about putting them in a plastic bag for safety.


Leather:


The veg-tanned leather we use on our bags has been hand cut and treated for water resistance by us. Treat your leather with a mink oil or leather salve once a year, or as needed, to keep it water resistant and supple.


Thank you for your time and attention.


Love,


Laplander bags

Sunday, April 25, 2010

How our City Panniers attach to your rack



The way our panniers attach to a rear rack is very simple, but effective. We designed these panniers for commuting and shopping in mind. So we wanted them to be very quick and simple to take on and off, without sacrificing stability on the rack.

On the underside of the center panel of the bags are two velcro straps that hook underneath the top plate of the rack:
Here they are attached to my awesome Jandd rack
The purpose of the velcro is mostly for the bags to stay in place when rolled up. The real stability on the rack comes from our hook and cord system.

For this system, we use a rubberized hook that latches to the bottom stay of a standard rack made to hold panniers (some racks are not made for this, and don't have a horizontal stay or curve at the bottom.)There is a webbing guidance system on the backs of the bags to help keep the hook and cord in position.


On the top center panel of the bags is the adjustment point for the cord. It runs up through metal eyelets and cinches down at the top:

Vegan panniers top-view
We use parachute cord, not elastic cording, making the bags very stable and secure on the rack since there is very little give after adjustment.