Introduction:
Go ahead and read the intro on the brand Buffalo Jackson in my other review about the Padfolio!
I was fortunate enough to be able to receive two items from the Buffalo Jackson inventory as most brands only have the resource to allocate one item for a review. In addition to the Buffalo Jackson Denver Leather Travel Padfolio, I also received the Denver Leather Toiletry Bag in Sienna Brown & Dark Walnut w/ Green Waxed Canvas. I know, that does sound like a handful of different materials, but I assure you, it’s worth it!
The reason I was interested in the Denver Toiletry Bag was because I thought the design felt really unique. A hanging dopp kit that allowed you to access all the pockets without taking much space in your room. Almost all of the dopp kits I own have a loop that allows you to hang the dopp kit to save surface space. However, the dopp isn’t at all usable when it’s hanging because all the items would fall out. The Denver Toiletry Bag’s design fixes that issue by utilizing a solid door hook while also orienting the pouches to be usable while hanging.
Details:
Denver Leather Toiletry Bag in Sienna Brown & Dark Walnut w/ Green Waxed Canvas
MRSP: $149.95 USD
– Waxed Canvas w/ Sienna Brown and Dark Walnut Leather
– Removable Hook & Clip for Easy Mounting and Hanging
– 4 Compartments for Travel Accessories and Shampoo
– Travel Handle & Straps to Secure
– YKK Zippers, Nickel Plated Tough Hardware
– Stitched with high-grade nylon that won’t fade or fray
– Cowhide Leather
– Made in Old Mexico
-Empty bag including hook weight: 1.02kg
Initial Impressions:
When I unboxed the toiletry kit, the design with the strap reminded me of a heavy duty tool kit for a motorcycle that was built to accomodate several tools and more. The top had a leather handle for easy carring. The Buffalo Jackson logo was stamped on two sides of the kit – the backside including the company’s name and the front side of just a buffalo. The stitching on the outside was very well done in parallel, uniform stitches. The exterior was made mostly of “Sienna Brown” leather and the rest of it, including the straps were made of “Dark Walnut” leather. Both leathers scuffed very easily, but the scuffs were easily rubbed away with your finger.
The straps that cinched the pouch were available in 4 different positions to accomodate the thickness of the items in the dopp. Upon unraveling the case, I liked that each loop holder was riveted twice onto the leather to provide a strong platform. The hardware looked like some kind of brass material, and a lot of the pieces already had some patina/variation to it.
Upon unrolling the dopp kit into its hanging form, there were 4 distinct pockets to store your items. The top two pockets were above one another and were equipped with a zipper and leather pull tab. These pockets had their canvas expanded to hold the bulk of the products. The zippers of both these top two pockets were surrounded by a “Sienna Brown” leather trim for additional structure. The bottom two pockets were adjacent with each other and were covered with a leather flap. An additional detail that I liked was the one finger loop beneath these two flaps which allowed you to button and unbutton the snaps with just one hand! The other recent product that I own that had this characteristic was the Filson Photographer’s Backpack.
At the top while unrolled, the dopp kit had a D ring which attached a provided very heavy duty hook that was included. The shape of the hook was similar to a “J hook” and seemed indended to hang the kit over a door. This was the first dopp kit I’ve owned that allowed you to use the dopp kit while hanging. I haven’t traveled yet since receiving this dopp kit, but I’d imagine I’d hang the kit on the bathroom door facing the interior of the bathroom so that I had full access to the pouches. Because of the thickness of the “J hook” encompassed with rubber, I’m not sure if all bathroom doors in a hotel/motel would allow you to completely close the door while using.
To test out the kit’s capacity, I decided to pack almost as much toiletries/goods as I could into the pockets and to close buckle the straps to see how much the product could hold. I didn’t actually cram the pockets to the absolute most, but I’d close to 75% of each pocket’s capacity. In the pictures shown, the thickness of the kit is compared to a regular tissue box size. The arbitrary other dopp kit that I used was to fit all the items was a Blue Claw Co Dopp Kit in Charcoal.
Concluding Thoughts:
The quality and detail of the Denver Leather Toiletry Bag is absolutely solid. I don’t see any areas where the construction will fail. In addition, I attempted to use wet hands to open/close the pouches (most guys’ hands practically will be wet while using the dopp), and the water didn’t discolor/change the kit at all. There are no breakable parts (like a nylon mesh, in contrast). With the same toiletry items, the kit compared to my Blue Claw dopp kit was actually slightly thinner if you cince the straps as much as possible. The weight will be slightly more, of course. However, with the design, you are able to hang the kit up and save surface space.
I like both thec “Sienna Brown” and “Dark Walnut” leathers because they both have the capability of showing great character. The Green waxed canvas is heavily waxed and seems like it won’t need any conditioning soon. The handle to easily carry the toiletry kit is absolutely a cherry on top! For the hanging hook, it is possible that you won’t need to use it. The hook is so very heavy duty.
For the price of about $150 USD, I think the product is very worth it. It’s a buy once, cry once item that will last a lifetime. While you can purchase a similarly designed dopp kit from Amazon, it will be made of fake leather and will age horribly over the years. Buffalo Jackson’s dopp is much, much more substantial than the cheap nylon dopp kits and holds more than you’d expect. Even considering the thickness/weight of the leather/canvas, I definitely plan on bringing this dopp kit on my next travels!