Review: Gusti Leder Paul

I made the decision to replace my vinyl weekender bag with a genuine leather one. Basically, I spilled a bottle of greasy insect repellant in the bottom of my historic bag on our last trip to Costa Rica, and the liquid ate through the synthetic lining. Needless to say, it was time for an upgrade. I first found the Gusti Leder Luca, and fell completely in love. Before this weekender was delivered I ordered Paul for work.

Both bags arrived quickly and came with leather oil (think Kiwi) so that I could DIY. To date, I have not yet used Luca, but have carried Paul on my bike all around town. 

Paul and me at the office, on a webcam, in the morning.

PAUL is Swell

This bag is an oversized messenger with enough room to carry my laptop, a document portfolio, and a couple yogurts and a change of clothes (for work). It’s lined with green canvas, and has actual buckle closures (AWESOME!). It’s pretty near perfect.

And the price is right, both bags are under a hundred bucks, each!

However, the shoulder strap is long, like 1970s punk band bass player long. I had to whip out my leather punch and add a few more holes to decrease the extended drop of my new favorite professional bag. I'm 5'6.5", slightly taller than average height.

One last thing to do is replace the loop that secures the long leather belt with some reflective material—anything I can do to increase visibility when biking is necessary for me.


Luca makes a maiden trip to the beach in seven days!
Find them online: Gusti site | Amazon