A successful prototype tote with two veg tan leathers. The evolution has been beautiful.

It has been my primary daily driver bag since October. It has been used daily to carry things to and from work - leading to several lunch related stains. I take it to the gym. It has carried my kiddo's treasures. I have used it while hiking. It did everything I needed it to do, comfortably and with no issues. I ended up not using the Field Note cover much, but it ended up helping to show the evolution of the leather over time.

At first, it is divisive. It is very pale. And stiff. And kind of squeaky. If anyone does notice, they respond skeptically. But, it is a blank canvas and you have to lean in and use it to love it. The initial evolution was pretty fast, after the first weekend on a hike I could see a noticeable tan line on the pocket where the latch strap shaded it. As time went on, the exposed leather has steadily became more supple and gained a golden/copper tone. The end of the latch strap on the back of the bag has gained some beautiful burnishing and the flesh side of the straps has picked up some fun wear from jackets/etc. The leather pocket on the inside has also become more supple, but without the dramatic color change from exposure to the elements. I can't wait to see the color on the front pocket and straps deepen and soften as the leather steadily becomes more broken in over time.

I originally had this entered as Conceria Walpier Natural Mud Rustic Vacetta due to a mistake on my part. The primary leather is Badalassi Carlo Cognac Pueblo veg tan. The leather started out feeling raw and dry with a little bit of a fuzzy nap. A very rustic and rough feel. Very quickly the high wear areas started smoothing out, darkening, and developing a light glow. Over time, the leather steadily evolved, with the higher wear areas burnishing faster and developing an amazing texture, feel, and look. The cognac name is apt, the burnished areas have a smooth, dark, and lustrous cognac color. It was a somewhat surprising but very welcome change. It was my first experience with Pueblo leather and definitely will not be my last, the evolution over time is great.

There will always be room for improvement, but it is a good pattern and the finishing is solid. The rivets look great, the stitching has settled in very well, and everything has aged gracefully. My biggest change would be the holes on the latch strap, to meet the initial picture deadline, I hand cut them because the teardrop punch had not yet arrived - and it shows. If I were to do it again, I would have taken the pictures without the holes and cut them out when the punch arrived. Aside from that, the design, construction, and finishing are great. It was built as a classic daily tote and does that very well.

I love the evolution of veg tan leather. It is initially divisive, but the end result is more than worth it. This bag has evolved into a pliable, yet richly colored and textured carry all and has treated me even better than I expected. I tend to gravitate more to crossbody bags, but the tote is great and will undoubtedly be a faithful companion becoming even more handsome over the years.