Coated canvas and leather trim do not ask for much – but the little they ask for decides whether a bag looks better or merely older at year three. Here is the whole ritual, ten minutes a month.
Minute one to three: the brush
Dry dirt is sandpaper; every day it stays, it grinds the coating at the flex points. A stiff bristle brush along seams, under straps and around the base takes it off in a couple of minutes. Do this more often in mud season.
Minute four to six: the wipe
A damp – not wet – cloth over the whole shell lifts road film and coffee ghosts. Skip soaps unless something truly happened; most cleaners strip coatings faster than the weather does. Air-dry away from radiators, which cook wax and curl leather.
Minute seven to nine: feed the leather
A fingertip of balm worked into handles, straps and trim, left ten minutes, buffed with a soft cloth. Thirsty leather drinks it and darkens slightly; well-kept leather barely changes. Twice a year is plenty for most bags – monthly only for daily-carry handles.
Minute ten: the once-over
Run every zip end to end, tug each strap anchor, glance at the bar-tacks. A loose thread trimmed today is a seam saved next winter – and if anything looks tired, photograph it and send it to us before it fails on a train platform.
