Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Messenger bags made from sails

A sister of a friend of mine owns a small company called Second Wind Sails (http://secondwindsails.net/?action=contact). She's been been making things out of old sails for at least a few years now, and makes a whole variety of bags. She also makes a messenger bag (http://secondwindsails.net/?action=messenger)! If you know something about sails, then you know it is incredibly durable, water proof, and tough.

When I receive mine, i'll post pics and give a review. I already like the fact they are made of a material that would normally be discarded. From what I understand (which is very little) sails need to retain a certain shape when full of wind, and if this shape isn't right for a certain racer, or a certain crew, another sail is used and the "bad" sail is discarded. This is a very simple explaination, so if you know a sailor they can explain more. She does custom images as well.

Stay tuned if your interested.

Tim

i'll take 50!

Looks like a good start and I like the re-used material, but the strap looks crappy and cheap. No shoulder pad or adjustment system. You can't really be a serious person in this market without those.

Where's the cross-strap?

No shoulder pad or adjustment system.

cancel my order!

Looks like cross (waist) straps are available, at least on the custom bags.

Can't believe there's no whale graphic!

The material (dacron) is strong, but I don't know entirely how well it will stand up to abrasion over time. Sails are tough, but they do wear out, and over time, it will go from feeling like a really stiff strong material to toilet paper... It's a cool idea, but high friction areas would probably need to be reinforced with something else.

If someone made a bag with laminate sails and cordura, I would totally buy it. Light weight top flap and sides, with a strong bottom and strap!

http://www.ullmansailssandiego.com/images/carbon-sails.jpg

Like those. They make sails with carbon, kevlar, and other composite strips embedded in a thin laminate film that are super strong and look awesome.

I received my custom messenger bag from Second Wind Sails (http://secondwindsails.net/) the other day and have ridden about 35-40 miles with it so far. I went with the Coverlight vinyl coated nylon for the inside for durability and waterproofness. The strap is padded at the top and has a tightening/release system similar to BailyWorks Super Pro system. The design on the front was done by me on a piece of graph paper and Jenny at Second Wind Sails enlarged it and turned it into the cool bike graphic you see here. Excellent work! I love the grommet on the front, and the old, oxidized grommet on the organizer pocket. Remnants of on old sail! I love it!

I'm impressed with the bag. The strap system is fantastic, and the shoulder padding keeps me comfortable. The pockets allow me to separate my stuff, and the heavy duty velcro seems like it will last forever. I've always been a backpack kind of guy because messenger bags never seem to stay where I want them. I was a bit concerned with this, but I am a huge advocate of buying local, within my network of friends, and reused material, so I had to take the plunge. The bag stays put. I find the proper place on my back and get the strap tension right, and she's not going anywhere! Obviously, the test of time is something that I'll have to get back to you on. I'll let you know what happens, but this sucker looks and feels durable as heck.

Keep Second Wind Sails in mind if you want reused material and a custom image on your bag. The retail price for a large custom messenger bag (the one I got) is $175.

Enjoy the Ride,
Tim

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3834/sdc10382.jpg

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8625/sdc10383w.jpg

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3645/sdc10384w.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9449/sdc10386h.jpg

it looks good, but it also looks like it would get really dirty and maybe the sail wouldn't be able to hold up to a lot of use. keep us posted on the bag's progress please.

:insert joke about sails and crosswinds:

You're posting pics of the exact same bag on their site. Did they sell you the prototype or something?

PS, tell your friend to put up pictures of the various graphics. Otherwise, it's a bit of a crapshoot.

:insert joke about sails and crosswinds:

I'd be faster if I didn't have this big sail on by back.

anyone perfer seatbelt buckles over regular black plastic buckles?

anyone perfer seatbelt buckles over regular black plastic buckles?

^^^Chromelover

Those buckles look suspiciously similar to the one used by Bailey Works

all the sailcloth i've ever seen was thin, thinner than the PVC liner on that sailbag. besides which, so many of the companies i saw shopping websites had the homemade look at the upscale price, when i see the sail bag it makes me think of those.

i mean really, they sent you the one that is profiled on their website, how pro could it be? a pro messenger uses these?

baileyworks is a pro bag, this looks like a low end copy, they even use the same evil PVC as baileyworks, Coverlight. but it is a great idea, using reclaimed sail materials. all the sails these days are nylon or polyester or kevlar so they all should be used until the disappear into dust if we are going to keep using oil to make cloth.

i'd sooner buy a totebag from that place after reviewing all the messenger bag sites i've seen lately.

people actually throw out brand new sails if they dont fit, that's crazy!

This looked very cool at the beginning... then read some people's criticisms and realized I don't know what I'm talking about lol.

You're posting pics of the exact same bag on their site. Did they sell you the prototype or something?

PS, tell your friend to put up pictures of the various graphics. Otherwise, it's a bit of a crapshoot.

well, yes, it is the first one. The bag on the site IS my bag. This is a new product for SWS. I'm sure you'll see the other graphics shortly. Also, you can look at the other bags on the site with the same graphics.

all the sailcloth i've ever seen was thin, thinner than the PVC liner on that sailbag. besides which, so many of the companies i saw shopping websites had the homemade look at the upscale price, when i see the sail bag it makes me think of those.

i mean really, they sent you the one that is profiled on their website, how pro could it be? a pro messenger uses these?

baileyworks is a pro bag, this looks like a low end copy, they even use the same evil PVC as baileyworks, Coverlight. but it is a great idea, using reclaimed sail materials. all the sails these days are nylon or polyester or kevlar so they all should be used until the disappear into dust if we are going to keep using oil to make cloth.

i'd sooner buy a totebag from that place after reviewing all the messenger bag sites i've seen lately.

It is the one on the site. I don't think anybody claimed it was a "pro" messenger bag, only that it has a similar buckle system as the Baileyworks.

If you think low-end means using high quality materials, made by hand, and completely custom to your needs, then I guess your right. however, I surely would not use the term low-end to describe something like that.

^^^Chromelover

Those buckles look suspiciously similar to the one used by Bailey Works

Its not suspicious. They ARE similar.

It is the one on the site. I don't think anybody claimed it was a "pro" messenger bag, only that it has a similar buckle system as the Baileyworks.

If you think low-end means using high quality materials, made by hand, and completely custom to your needs, then I guess your right. however, I surely would not use the term low-end to describe something like that.


It is the one on the site. I don't think anybody claimed it was a "pro" messenger bag, only that it has a similar buckle system as the Baileyworks.

If you think low-end means using high quality materials, made by hand, and completely custom to your needs, then I guess your right. however, I surely would not use the term low-end to describe something like that.

weird, i flipped to their site earlier and i swear it said Pro Courier Bags above Traditional Messenger Bag to get from products to messenger bags, but now it doesn't, and you have the one on that site

weird

oh well, personally I don't think PVC is high end, plus the fact that you forgot to remove "Pro" from everywhere, particularly the captions of the very bag you "bought" means while i think it's great you are reclaiming material I don't think its cool to try to play me.

<p class="gallery">
<a Title="Medium Pro Courier" href="gallery/bike1.jpg" rel="lightbox[smess]"><img src="gallery/bike1.jpg" /></a>
<a Title="Medium Pro Courier" href="gallery/bike3.jpg" rel="lightbox[smess]"><img src="gallery/bike3.jpg" /></a>

etc

sorry but I don't buy it, i thought anything that said "messenger bag" was a mesenger bag too until I compared with most of these, although some are a little hokey http://www.messengers.org/resources/bags.html
there is definitely differennce

Maybe I'm just too mired in the past, but I've had really good luck with cordura/truck tarp and a nice nylon webbing strap with a good oldschool metal strap adjuster.

see also: if it ain't zo it's faux

Hey Everyone,

This is Jenny, the owner of SWS. Figured I would jump in here to clarify some of the skepticism/ criticism towards this new bag. “Rarebird”- you’re right- it did say pro earlier. I took it down due to all of the sensitivity of the word “pro.” Everyone was getting all worked up about it, so I just thought “whoa, I’ll just take it down.” I do my own coding (as you can probably tell by the elementary design)- so I change the website around all the time. Before I started making my own bags, I used BaileyWorks bags for years so that is why the strapping system/design is similar- my designs are inspired by their work, yet I’ve modified my designs to what works for me. I love working with sailcloth because of it’s durability and it gives the bag great structure; I like bags that are light weight and maintain a bit of shape. Bags that have Cordura as an outer shell tend to be floppy and that bugs me.

Most of us bag companies are sourcing our supplies from the same manufacturers/distributors (there are about 3-5 good ones in the USA) which is why a lot of our strapping/buckle (especially) systems are similar…they are coming from the same suppliers!

As for the strength of the material I use… Dacron, Kevlar, and Mylar are extremely tough. I HAVE to use industrial sewing machines because sailcloth is so thick. So not sure where whoever said that the sailcloth they have encountered has been thin got that idea? Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of! Most of the sails I use are over a hundred pounds and often times 300 square feet coming off boats that are over 50 feet long. They make bulletproof vests out of Kevlar, so I wouldn’t worry about it wearing out! The pieces that I cut out for my messengers are often the thickest- sometimes 10 layers thick!

Oh and yeah it does get dirty after a couple weeks- but it is machine washable. Recycled sails come to me insanely dirty but I just toss them in the wash and they comes out gleaming.

Anyway, thanks for the input and taking the time to check my site out….Tim’s bag was not the prototype- mine is, and I just put pictures of his bag up so far because coding takes time away from sewing and biking. More pictures of other styles to come though…and sorry for pissing people off about calling it “pro.” I’ll let the pros be the judge of that!

Cheers,
Jenny Doane

...Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of!...
Cheers,
Jenny Doane

Wait, what? Shower curtains made out of sails? I want one of those, now if I could only convince my wife that it would look good....

Someone mentioned the tote bags earlier in the post. I have a large tote from Second Wind Sails and it's fantastic. It's clear that most of you have no clue what this sail material is really like. It's very thick and very durable, but still lightweight. I chose a Kevlar/Dacron mix and I can't imagine this thing ever wearing down, especially with the Kevlar sail on the bottom. Great craftsmanship. Great product.

haha...women love the shower curtains...normally it's the guys who need convincing!

Hey Everyone,

This is Jenny, the owner of SWS. Figured I would jump in here to clarify some of the skepticism/ criticism towards this new bag. “Rarebird”- you’re right- it did say pro earlier. I took it down due to all of the sensitivity of the word “pro.” Everyone was getting all worked up about it, so I just thought “whoa, I’ll just take it down.” I do my own coding (as you can probably tell by the elementary design)- so I change the website around all the time. Before I started making my own bags, I used BaileyWorks bags for years so that is why the strapping system/design is similar- my designs are inspired by their work, yet I’ve modified my designs to what works for me. I love working with sailcloth because of it’s durability and it gives the bag great structure; I like bags that are light weight and maintain a bit of shape. Bags that have Cordura as an outer shell tend to be floppy and that bugs me.

Most of us bag companies are sourcing our supplies from the same manufacturers/distributors (there are about 3-5 good ones in the USA) which is why a lot of our strapping/buckle (especially) systems are similar…they are coming from the same suppliers!

As for the strength of the material I use… Dacron, Kevlar, and Mylar are extremely tough. I HAVE to use industrial sewing machines because sailcloth is so thick. So not sure where whoever said that the sailcloth they have encountered has been thin got that idea? Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of! Most of the sails I use are over a hundred pounds and often times 300 square feet coming off boats that are over 50 feet long. They make bulletproof vests out of Kevlar, so I wouldn’t worry about it wearing out! The pieces that I cut out for my messengers are often the thickest- sometimes 10 layers thick!

Oh and yeah it does get dirty after a couple weeks- but it is machine washable. Recycled sails come to me insanely dirty but I just toss them in the wash and they comes out gleaming.

Anyway, thanks for the input and taking the time to check my site out….Tim’s bag was not the prototype- mine is, and I just put pictures of his bag up so far because coding takes time away from sewing and biking. More pictures of other styles to come though…and sorry for pissing people off about calling it “pro.” I’ll let the pros be the judge of that!

Cheers,
Jenny Doane

That's a stand up reply, good enough for me, and that means it wasn't you trying to play me which is fine.

one of the reason i ordered from under the weather in canada is that their bags have solidity to them and keep their structure according to reviews. Tehy use cordura and you can see from the pictures that it is taut with few wrinkles. Maybe it's because they don't use PVC and the material they do use id a bit heavier. I'll know in a week or so I guess.

but isn't it the PVC giving your bag structure too? because it seems heavyer, 18 ounces versus 6-11 ounces for sailcloth. I'm not sure actually how heavy that PVC is, Baileyworks uses it too. They do have a PVC free backpack though.

with recycles sailcloth and something besides PVC I'd get something from you, your shower curtains are great btw

Hey Everyone,

This is Jenny, the owner of SWS. Figured I would jump in here to clarify some of the skepticism/ criticism towards this new bag. “Rarebird”- you’re right- it did say pro earlier. I took it down due to all of the sensitivity of the word “pro.” Everyone was getting all worked up about it, so I just thought “whoa, I’ll just take it down.” I do my own coding (as you can probably tell by the elementary design)- so I change the website around all the time. Before I started making my own bags, I used BaileyWorks bags for years so that is why the strapping system/design is similar- my designs are inspired by their work, yet I’ve modified my designs to what works for me. I love working with sailcloth because of it’s durability and it gives the bag great structure; I like bags that are light weight and maintain a bit of shape. Bags that have Cordura as an outer shell tend to be floppy and that bugs me.

Most of us bag companies are sourcing our supplies from the same manufacturers/distributors (there are about 3-5 good ones in the USA) which is why a lot of our strapping/buckle (especially) systems are similar…they are coming from the same suppliers!

As for the strength of the material I use… Dacron, Kevlar, and Mylar are extremely tough. I HAVE to use industrial sewing machines because sailcloth is so thick. So not sure where whoever said that the sailcloth they have encountered has been thin got that idea? Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of! Most of the sails I use are over a hundred pounds and often times 300 square feet coming off boats that are over 50 feet long. They make bulletproof vests out of Kevlar, so I wouldn’t worry about it wearing out! The pieces that I cut out for my messengers are often the thickest- sometimes 10 layers thick!

Oh and yeah it does get dirty after a couple weeks- but it is machine washable. Recycled sails come to me insanely dirty but I just toss them in the wash and they comes out gleaming.

Anyway, thanks for the input and taking the time to check my site out….Tim’s bag was not the prototype- mine is, and I just put pictures of his bag up so far because coding takes time away from sewing and biking. More pictures of other styles to come though…and sorry for pissing people off about calling it “pro.” I’ll let the pros be the judge of that!

Cheers,
Jenny Doane

That's a stand up reply, good enough for me, and that means it wasn't you trying to play me which is fine.

one of the reason i ordered from under the weather in canada is that their bags have solidity to them and keep their structure according to reviews. Tehy use cordura and you can see from the pictures that it is taut with few wrinkles. Maybe it's because they don't use PVC and the material they do use id a bit heavier. I'll know in a week or so I guess.

but isn't it the PVC giving your bag structure too? because it seems heavyer, 18 ounces versus 6-11 ounces for sailcloth. I'm not sure actually how heavy that PVC is, Baileyworks uses it too. They do have a PVC free backpack though.

with recycles sailcloth and something besides PVC I'd get something from you, your shower curtains are great btw

Hey Everyone,

This is Jenny, the owner of SWS. Figured I would jump in here to clarify some of the skepticism/ criticism towards this new bag. “Rarebird”- you’re right- it did say pro earlier. I took it down due to all of the sensitivity of the word “pro.” Everyone was getting all worked up about it, so I just thought “whoa, I’ll just take it down.” I do my own coding (as you can probably tell by the elementary design)- so I change the website around all the time. Before I started making my own bags, I used BaileyWorks bags for years so that is why the strapping system/design is similar- my designs are inspired by their work, yet I’ve modified my designs to what works for me. I love working with sailcloth because of it’s durability and it gives the bag great structure; I like bags that are light weight and maintain a bit of shape. Bags that have Cordura as an outer shell tend to be floppy and that bugs me.

Most of us bag companies are sourcing our supplies from the same manufacturers/distributors (there are about 3-5 good ones in the USA) which is why a lot of our strapping/buckle (especially) systems are similar…they are coming from the same suppliers!

As for the strength of the material I use… Dacron, Kevlar, and Mylar are extremely tough. I HAVE to use industrial sewing machines because sailcloth is so thick. So not sure where whoever said that the sailcloth they have encountered has been thin got that idea? Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of! Most of the sails I use are over a hundred pounds and often times 300 square feet coming off boats that are over 50 feet long. They make bulletproof vests out of Kevlar, so I wouldn’t worry about it wearing out! The pieces that I cut out for my messengers are often the thickest- sometimes 10 layers thick!

Oh and yeah it does get dirty after a couple weeks- but it is machine washable. Recycled sails come to me insanely dirty but I just toss them in the wash and they comes out gleaming.

Anyway, thanks for the input and taking the time to check my site out….Tim’s bag was not the prototype- mine is, and I just put pictures of his bag up so far because coding takes time away from sewing and biking. More pictures of other styles to come though…and sorry for pissing people off about calling it “pro.” I’ll let the pros be the judge of that!

Cheers,
Jenny Doane

That's a stand up reply, good enough for me, and that means it wasn't you trying to play me which is fine.

one of the reason i ordered from under the weather in canada is that their bags have solidity to them and keep their structure according to reviews. Tehy use cordura and you can see from the pictures that it is taut with few wrinkles. Maybe it's because they don't use PVC and the material they do use id a bit heavier. I'll know in a week or so I guess.

but isn't it the PVC giving your bag structure too? because it seems heavyer, 18 ounces versus 6-11 ounces for sailcloth. I'm not sure actually how heavy that PVC is, Baileyworks uses it too. They do have a PVC free backpack though.

with recycles sailcloth and something besides PVC I'd get something from you, your shower curtains are great btw

Hey Everyone,

This is Jenny, the owner of SWS. Figured I would jump in here to clarify some of the skepticism/ criticism towards this new bag. “Rarebird”- you’re right- it did say pro earlier. I took it down due to all of the sensitivity of the word “pro.” Everyone was getting all worked up about it, so I just thought “whoa, I’ll just take it down.” I do my own coding (as you can probably tell by the elementary design)- so I change the website around all the time. Before I started making my own bags, I used BaileyWorks bags for years so that is why the strapping system/design is similar- my designs are inspired by their work, yet I’ve modified my designs to what works for me. I love working with sailcloth because of it’s durability and it gives the bag great structure; I like bags that are light weight and maintain a bit of shape. Bags that have Cordura as an outer shell tend to be floppy and that bugs me.

Most of us bag companies are sourcing our supplies from the same manufacturers/distributors (there are about 3-5 good ones in the USA) which is why a lot of our strapping/buckle (especially) systems are similar…they are coming from the same suppliers!

As for the strength of the material I use… Dacron, Kevlar, and Mylar are extremely tough. I HAVE to use industrial sewing machines because sailcloth is so thick. So not sure where whoever said that the sailcloth they have encountered has been thin got that idea? Maybe they grew up sailing little 420’s or something- yeah that stuff is super thin, and that is what I make my shower curtains out of! Most of the sails I use are over a hundred pounds and often times 300 square feet coming off boats that are over 50 feet long. They make bulletproof vests out of Kevlar, so I wouldn’t worry about it wearing out! The pieces that I cut out for my messengers are often the thickest- sometimes 10 layers thick!

Oh and yeah it does get dirty after a couple weeks- but it is machine washable. Recycled sails come to me insanely dirty but I just toss them in the wash and they comes out gleaming.

Anyway, thanks for the input and taking the time to check my site out….Tim’s bag was not the prototype- mine is, and I just put pictures of his bag up so far because coding takes time away from sewing and biking. More pictures of other styles to come though…and sorry for pissing people off about calling it “pro.” I’ll let the pros be the judge of that!

Cheers,
Jenny Doane

That's a stand up reply, good enough for me, and that means it wasn't you trying to play me which is fine.

one of the reason i ordered from under the weather in canada is that their bags have solidity to them and keep their structure according to reviews. Tehy use cordura and you can see from the pictures that it is taut with few wrinkles. Maybe it's because they don't use PVC and the material they do use id a bit heavier. I'll know in a week or so I guess.

but isn't it the PVC giving your bag structure too? because it seems heavyer, 18 ounces versus 6-11 ounces for sailcloth. I'm not sure actually how heavy that PVC is, Baileyworks uses it too. They do have a PVC free backpack though.

with recycles sailcloth and something besides PVC I'd get something from you, your shower curtains are great btw