Rambling Review – Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase

Rambling Review – Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase

Why:

I recently made the move from education to the steel business. I work as an estimator for a local steel company and couldn’t be happier with the move. I’d been looking for a briefcase/bag to carry to and from the office. It had to be able to fit a laptop, thermos of coffee, lunch, and a few files.  There are many options out there, but I settled on the Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase.

First impressions:

The look – There are plenty of pretentious looking leather briefcases out there on the market, and maybe someday I’ll get there, but the Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase fits the kind of lifestyle that I live.

The layout – The Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase is extremely functional with plenty of pockets for organization. The main pocket is plenty big enough for the laptop, coffee and lunch and the plethora of other pockets leave room for the other odds and ends.

The materials – The Bootstrapper Briefcase is constructed from Duluth Trading Co.’s Fire Hose 100% cotton canvas (apparently they used to wrap heavy duty fire hose with this fabric). The bottom of the bag has full grain leather for durability and support, and much of the trim of the bag is also leather.  Hefty brass zippers offer closures on most of the pockets, another pocket has a magnetic closure,  while some of the internal pockets utilize velcro.

Field Use:

I’ve been toting the Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase to and from work for several months and couldn’t be happier with it. It does what it’s supposed to do and my wife says I look more professional than carrying a grocery bag like I used to. Overall it is extremely functional and durable for my day to day work life.

On the weekends though, I like to get a bit more use out of it and took it out several times loaded with shells and accessories for the gun range. Because of the it’s stout construction it held multiple boxes of shells, water, and some of the other tools needed for a day of clays.

I like everything about this bag except the velcro. The nice thing is that the velcro is on the inside and doesn’t see a ton of use, but velcro is on of those things that never seems to stand the test of time. What is exceptional though is the Duluth Trading Co.’s “No Bull” guarantee.

“If you’re not 100% satisfied with any item you purchase from Duluth Trading, return it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price. Simple, unconditional, no nonsense, NO BULL.”

Pros:

Heavy duty Canvas Cloth

Leather bottom

Layout/size

Duluth Trading Co. “No Bull” Guarantee

Cons:

Velcro (not a fan)

Prognosis:  I’m very happy with the Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase and look forward to it standing the test of time.

* Disclaimer:

The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review.  The Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Bootstrapper Briefcase was provided for the purpose of this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.