The Saddlebag Tote is cut and stitched entirely by hand on Dale's bench in Columbia Falls. He tools the beargrass plume into the flap, sets the hardware in solid brass, and saddle-stitches the whole thing with waxed thread so a single broken stitch can never unravel the seam. The leather starts stiff and proud and softens over a season into something that slumps open when you set it down.
I carry mine everywhere, and it has hauled more than I'd care to admit — including that kitten. Leather like this keeps a record of your life: the scuffs from the truck bed, the dark spots where your hand always grabs it, the way it molds to whatever you ask of it. It's a bag you'll hand down, not throw out.