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Porter

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Porter Wacko Maria Backpack

Another fine bag from Porter which will only improve with age. This backpack is made from thin cotton canvas with oiled leather accents. The Wacho Maria has a shoe compartment at the bottom making this an ideal gym or beach bag. I'd love to take this on long excursions but due to the inevitable wet weather it might not be practical. Could it be made weather proof? More information here and more pictures after the jump.

I wish that Yoshida Kaban would make their products more widely available to an international market. It's hard as hell to buy Porter bags.

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Porter Grocery Tote

Porter introduces it's replacement for the increasingly less ubiquitous plastic shopping bag. This must be the category of bag with the highest growth as I keep coming across all types of beautiful designs. I like Porters homage to the brown bags of old. Their concept follows:

The new tote bag named “grocery tote” has such minimal design which reminds us of paper bag of market.

The special cotton fabric called “typewriter cloth”, which is used for the printing ribbon of type writer, is selected for the material of this bag. This dense fabric is also used for down-jacket which keeps fine down. By gluing poplin lining together, the firm texture like paper is produced.

Moreover, the “EVA sheet (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer)”, the interlining which functions as glue, is a ecologic material which doesn't belch dioxin when it's burnt. It is gathering attention from various industries as a vinyl-alternative material.

Minimizing the use of thread, parts, and sewing process such as stitch and seam, you can enjoy the realistic “paper bag texture” realized by only pressing on this “grocery tote”.
Let's start something for our future.

Available here.

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Porter Space Invader Bags and Wallets

A new line from Porter to premier next year. I dig the hip bag.

Tokyo based Yoshida & Co. are no stranger to collaborations with video game properties. Yoshida's Porter line has had a long standing relationship with Sony, resulting in a long line of PS Pictogram cases in which PlayStation Portables can be crammed. The pricey Porter line is going to be further extended in 2008 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of Taito's Space Invaders. [kotaku]

See the new line here. Thanks to Jean Snow who also shares my enthusiasm for Porter.

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Porter Kids Messenger Bag

Now my daughter can share my love of Porter products. Hard to find Porter bags outside Japan but it is listed here.

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Porter Day Pack

For the young and/or style conscious or for those who don't want to get lost in a crowd comes this very bright bag from Porter. The "Lesson Solid" day pack simple design features the basics - front pocket and modest interior compartment. Both zippered. More here.

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Porter Carry-on Bag

I love this carry-on from Porter's travel series of bags. Carry-on might be a bit of a misnomer as it's large with a "45 liter" internal capacity (they have a smaller one). It's been designed with long stays in mind. You should be aware of the difficulties in carrying on luggage this large, you may or may not have luck using this on domestic flights in Canada and the US. Thoughtful design of side pockets allowing you to carry your pleura of guidebooks and magazines.

You can order these online for shipping to the US or elsewhere. Cost is about $525.00US plus shipping.

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Porter Labour Bags

I saw this wonderful carryall while wasting time near a decrepit zoo in the hightech heartland of Taiwan Hsinchu. It's amazing how you can find these little gems in out of the way places and yet you can't get a decent cup of coffee.

This Carryall comes from Porters newish Labour collection - I call this the carry all as the store owner had no idea what the exact name was and I can't read Japanese. It has a large main pocket with enough inside spaces to carry all your mobile gadgets and necessary gear. All pockets close with very secure velcro and the strap is quite good; if you are carrying heavy loads you might wish it had padding on the strap as this bag has none. If you are carrying really heavy loads perhaps you should read My Bag Is Killing Me from the NYT. The top of the bag is interesting as you can choose to leave the top slightly open, like a ladies or small shopping bag, or close it shut which forces you to lose one carrying handle. In this fashion it looks more like a deep messenger. Materials are good and it looks great (you are 'required' to try on bags in Taiwan). Certainly a keeper.

Hard to find this bag elsewhere but it is available online here.

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Porter Bags

I'm in Taipei looking to gear up for an excursion to a few different cities through out the region. I don't buy anything in the way of 3c gadgets these days - nothing that has appeared really presents much an improvement over what I already have. What I still have a weakness for is good bags to carry about my old gadgets. Here in the Xinyi district Eslite store they have a small of collection Porter bags - I briefly mentioned this before - and I have my eye on the Porter Labor collection. Pictured above is a book for lovers of Porter bags, book might be a stretch as it's more of a catalogue. You can purchase via Amazon.jp but they may not ship to where you live. Thank you again jean snow.

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Porter Bags and Wallets

While browsing in Taipei's new Eslite store in the Xinyi district yesterday I came across the Japanese brand Porter at their large store area there. Judging by my limited "window shopping" in Taipei I would say that the bag accessory market is larger than ever. Many different brands and wonderful choices - some of which are only available here in Asia (you don't know what you are missing). I really liked the Porter bags and though they come in a variety of styles and colours I liked the styling of the Jet Black collection the best. Good quality and attention to detail. The one bad point is that they suffer from the same mistake many make - they have black interiors which make finding anything in dim light pretty hard. Unfortunately I hear they are not readily available overseas but you might try your luck at the Japanese online store Coolcat - who have a large collection of Porter. The Galleria online store has a large collection also.

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