Better Than Filson? Bradley Mountain's 20-OZ Canvas Backpack Review 

After you point out about this company being very small, the price tag makes a lot of sense. It's difficult to produce a high quality bag when the company has just 4 people working in there.

I used to work at Bradley Mountain part time, off an on for a couple years. I can 100% attest to the fact that Tyler and his current employees are SUPER good dudes and they work their asses off every day to make sure every cut and stitch is perfect. Thanks for showcasing their work! I actually have the roll top Biographer backpack, and it has a single stud closure like your Wilder. I used it most while I worked at Bradley Mountain going to college, and it worked great as an every day commuter bag. It held my smaller 13" laptop fine, as well as a few books, calculator, and some school supplies.

I just received my Wilder backpack. In the words of the legendary late, great NY Yankee’s player & announcer, Phil Rizzuto …. “Holy cow!!” I’m a very particular person / customer, and I’ll never apologize for that. When I buy something, I always think if I were to make the item myself, how would I make it differently or better? Rarely there are times when I think to myself … this is EXACTLY how I would make it. This is one of those times. The backpack is sweet!! It’s exactly what I would make …. if I could make a backpack. (Hell, even the cloth cotton bag it came in is sweet.) The RU-vidr, Stridewise, was spot on about this pack! Thank you Stridewise & BradleyMountain ! You get what you pay for.

I bought this bag based off of your review and I absolutely love it! The quality is second to none. I’ve have had it for a couple of weeks, using it as a work briefcase and have had a bunch of compliments. I also used it for a hike and it was able to carry a bunch of stuff and was extremely comfortable. Great bag and don’t be turned off by the price. Worth every penny and your supporting a small American company.

Yes I would consider getting it or the film thank you for your review.

Well automatically you just got yourself a new subscriber! Love this type of content and it absolutely means the work to me that you understand to the root (veg tan leather joke) about the quality and ethics of how and where things are made. Also, I would appreciate it immensely if you could point me in the direction of where you got the brown leather jacket you where wearing when showing yourself wearing the backpack? Not the fur collar, I’m talking about the normal collared one! Thank you in advance!

Hey man. Just wanted to say a big thanks for your review on Bradley Mountain's Wilder man. I purchased the 10 Year edition after numerous research, and I have to say, it is worth every penny! Keep up the good work dude!

Great review and cool bag. I have a briefcase from Vermilyea Pelle. It’s made of 17 oz Japanese canvas and horween leather. It’s super nice!

Can of beer, good man, another great review.

Awesome video. Picked up a Filson bag after seeing your video on it after returning a frost River roll top arrowhead bag. I do love these thicker canvas bags and the older world look but I’ll admit I ended up switching to the journeyman because the “one giant pocket” style on the inside just felt less convenient for day to day use. Stuff slides to the bottom, no dividers or zip pockets inside etc. It’s a beautiful bag but I still think the journeyman beats it for versatility as an EDC bag. Keep the videos comin!

One bag I would really like to see you review is the Builford Classic, it uses the Martexin Waxed Canvas and has similar styling to this bag. Even a comparison between the two would be really nice, as there are no videos about the Builford Classic on RU-vid and it's also $100 dollars cheaper. Although, at the time of writing this comment, they seem to be out of stock on their website.

Beautiful pack!! Wow!

I'm eyeing the 10 Year Edition but holy guacamole, IT'S A VERY PRETTY PENNY! Thanks as always for a great review :)

Could you do a video on the smaller canvas bags for us? Please and thank you kindly.

You should try out the GORUCK Heritage GR1 beat waxed canvas bag out there made in USA

Have you looked at Frost River packs or Duluth Pack? My wife bought me the large and medium safari duffles from Duluth Pack about 10 years ago and those are great bags to stuff for a long road trip or relocation move.

Do you have any inside info if they are coming with a version 2 of this bag.

Could u please review Ezra Arthur keystone rucksack

What leather jacket were you wearing in the opening clip in the rain?

Have you looked into Duluth packs yet?

I just ordered the 10 year anniversary version. Im very excited about it.

There are two Color’s on the site which one is this?

Looks about as bulletproof as you can get while STILL being crazy functional.

Please review NBDN denim

its pretty nice and the Filson tote that i have costs 450 dollars anyway and its not nearly as versatile or roomy.

If they made a smaller version of this I'd jump on it. Their Muir bag is probably what I'd get but it misses the mark in a few areas just like their biographer bag does.

Have you heard of Bexar Land Pack backpack? I think it'd make for a great review supporting small company in Texas!

What leather jacket is this? At 7:54

Can you support a Australian company like Rossi boots like Rossi ripple, and legendary mulga boots

Looks like the lid won't keep the rain out.

One of the best bags i saw

Got a similarly styled bag off of Etsy from a maker in Vietnam before I really knew anything about "heritage" bags. I just liked the idea of something more professional than a Jansport. As far as ethics and treatment of workers I honestly couldn't say because I don't know, nor am I inclined toward the nationalist spin "made in America" buzzword that is pretty common in heritage style from what I can tell but I find the style of both the one I got and this one pretty appealing and honestly I'm more than a little jealous that this bag has a water bottle pocket because that's the one thing I really wish mine had. Also the shoulder straps on this one look really good. On the other hand the one I have has a cinch top and a larger top flap that should make it a bit more waterproof it was also priced a lot more approachable-y for someone who really hadn't and probably still can't afford much in the way of middle to high end luxury goods. On the whole I'm probably not likely to buy this bag but aesthetically I'm a big fan and I think it's a nice dressed up casual style bag. Like if you could get away with wearing a polo and jeans to your job I think you could get away with using this as your everyday bag.

Loved your review - I’m thinking of getting the bag but want to make sure it doesn’t look too big on me (I’m 5’-6”). For scale how tall are you?

Well, I've changed my mind about expensive packs, they're about the same price as a intermediate priced guitar like a Epiphone or the like, so I really cant say no, I've started saving for either the Frost River Isle Royale Jr. or the Bradly mountain Wilder, I like the BMW, its the perfect size, a .little bigger than the SOG ninja day pack and the Frost river IR without it being expanded fully at least, but I dont like how short the flap is its like if you wanted to put a blanket under the lid then everything would be exposed. I think if they would make it 6in longer and just fold it under the flap that way if we need it all we would have to do is unfold it to gain a little extra length to cover the opening would be great, but I think oits a deal breaker for me as is. So I'll probably get the FR IR, or the Alder Stream Expedition pack.

Freaking awesome

Surely the weight is a drawback if you are going to use this for day hikes etc

I bought their Muir bag after seeing this review….I got one on sale but when it arrived it had a lot of lint and weird smell…I can’t return the bag because they don’t do returns on sale items. Do u have recommendation for cleaning lint off the bag? Kinda disappointed

Wonder how much it weighs. I really wish there was a cross of modern and old school that’s light, durable, doesn’t scream techy, doesn’t scream frontiersman like the one on the video. Though this pack looks great like you said can’t really take it everywhere as it’ll look out of place. Something more in the lines of the Filson pack just better designed, bigger for a weekend trip, the straps and padding comfortable, breathable. An all rounder. 1 backpack. I’ve owned frost river, Buffalo Jackson, even nut sacs canvas pack and ended up getting rid of them. Not due to quality, just haven’t found the one. Since I travel a lot last year got the aer travel 2 due to hearing, watching multiple rave reviews which is not even canvas but something with that type of aesthetic, waxed canvas somehow figure weight reduction without compromising structure integrity and function would be the shit. F it I’m gonna design, make my own.

This bag is gorgeous...and that heavy waxed canvas alone makes it a temptation. I understand how you would benchmark this bag against the Filson. In terms of price, materials and craftsmanship, both sort of occupy the same space. That said, from a pure practicality/functionality standpoint, I think the Pack Animal Rally Bag that you recently reviewed actually offers better value for the money. Although we still don't know if the Rally Bag can keep up over time in terms of durability, I can't help but feel that for this bag and Filson's, what you're paying for is panache...

I heard the Filson bag is no longer made in the USA.

Bag is amazing , any other American made companies to support ?

It's a short 'o' in Rochdale like rock

You should do a review of that old ass BIFL laptop 😂. Mine is still usable after almost ten years, just need to do a minor repair

I don't see why they couldn't add a drawstring to the opening at the top. That way you could cinch the top closed so that the flap totally covers it for more security and better rainproofing. I have a cheapo canvas backpack that has this and it's super useful. That said, this might be my favorite backpack you've yet reviewed, and it might take a lot for me not to pull the trigger on this one!

That is a sweet Rucksack

Wait, Bradley Mountain is from my hometown?!?!

Why do I have to be a poor person with taste for things like this? My only negative observation outside the cost, is it looks like it could use a bigger flap.

And I thought my bellroy backpack was a pretty penny

Frost River Isle Royal is nicer than both.

The problem with this backpack is that the main pocket could not be secured with a padlock.

I would rather be trapped in the trunk of a Buick having to shave a bobcats butthole with a wooden spoon. Before I spent 600 bucks buying a canvas backpack.

This bag is clearly meant for the rough outdoors. So not having a padded laptop sleeve is not really a negative.

Wait ...it does not close at the top properly at all...Filson for me. No way I’d. Walk thru an airport with the top so accessible

Ok Nick, you flip a two sided coin. On one side is the Bradley Mountain and the other side is Pack Animal, what's your call?

Between the two, I think I’d go with the Journeyman

1:57 that’s what she said

Typo alert. It's Filson not Flison

I don't agree with your choices. Thicker waxed canvas means heavier. That leads to carry fatigue quicker along with pain. So that is a turn off. A light back, is the choice of anyone that actually uses it long term. I can't stand the leather straps. I don't want the hassle of two when I want to get into it. I agree with person below, a drawstring or zipper and one clasp to close flap.

Why in the hell do all of these bags have a laptop sleeve. I’m not in college anymore, and I’m not going to Starbucks to work on my screenplay

Come on bro. Wanna see and Thursday vs a Grant Stone Diesel!! 200 bucks vs say 340. Does the diesel measure up??? And before we go further, I like a specific diesel, looks wise, more than the Thursday. But, 140 is not enough for looks. My favored Diesels are the Crimson and Dark Walnut. And, I love, love, love... your channel. And OK, I am not a city guy. I live in Truckee, CA, a ski resort town in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I am 61, and, like a lot of people, my bikes and skis are worth more than my Subaru!! And when I buy, I buy quality. Patagonia and Arc"Teryx when I can. My best hiking boots ever were Meindl. Cost....Mid 200's. My last two pairs of ski boots were Scarpa and Salomon at 800 each. I have three pairs of custom orthotics, a super high arch, and wear 8.5 E. But, one foot is really a 9. I want a pair of casual, mountain dressy, good traction boots for my ski town. And I want to look good! I wear really nice jackets like Filson, Barbour, and a real navy Pea Coat from 1960, along with wool or linen blazers when I can. For pants it is mostly jeans and chinos, and, cotton dress shirts that I get at thrift shops. And, the color I need would be dark brown. Do the showdown Stridewise, I need your help.

Every time u buy a Filson product 40% of the price is for the Filson name alone....

Beautiful backpack for sure. But that price isn't. Great choices out there for packs under $100. I'd rather make my own hands down, then spend that kind of $$$ on a backpack.

Yeah too expensive for me I wouldn't pay over $200

Lol

OMG mate. You really need to do some work instead of prancing around Brooklyn so your fingers don't get hurt opening and closing your pack :-)

It looks I'm the only one here not to be impressed with this bag. It looks to impractical for a real outdoor use.

Do you really need a big bag yo go to Starbucks ?

TERRIBLE bag - those HUGE metal rivets INSIDE the laptop section will scratch up your laptop after a few minutes of use. Luckily I had a $10 cover on my macbook that got all scratched up instead. Returned the bag after 15 minutes of ownership. this product is poorly designed by people who don't use laptops.