Magnificent Bastard

Tuesday, March 19, 2024



j.fold

Ask the MB: A Stand-In for the J. Fold Trooper Weekend Bag

Scout Series Navy Duffle via Wheelman & Co., $159.00
Scout Series Navy Duffle via Wheelman & Co.. $159.00.

Q: I am looking for a cool weekender bag with good organization. I found the perfect one in the J. Fold Trooper bag, but unfortunately it appears to have been discontinued as I can't find it anywhere. Do you know of anything comparable I should consider?
—Eric

A: We are sad to hear the Trooper bag no longer appears to be in production — we continue to use ours often and four years down the line it is holding up well.

The Trooper had a fairly distinct profile that was based on standard-issue Soviet military bags from the 1960s and 1970s. Alas, in a quick survey of our favorite bag manufacturers, we were unable to find any offerings that closely approximate the Trooper's doctor's bag-like shape in weekender-style dimensions and materials.

Of what we did see, we were most intrigued by this Scout Series Navy Duffle from Wheelmen & Co., which strikes us as a nice combination of durability and modestly understated style. The overall shape is more conventional than the Trooper, but the volume is essentially the same and we suspect the Scout is easy to pack. Silver hardware is always our first choice over the far more ubiquitous brass, and while there are no photos of the bag's interior, we like the sound of it. Multiple pockets (including one zippered) and orange lining (presumably bright) to make it easier to ID small loose items in dim conditions.

So until Putin annexes the U.S. and commands J. Fold to start making Troopers again, we encourage you to consider the Scout. And if you do go ahead and purchase it, let us know what you think.

Deadline Alert

Deadline Alert
A reminder to readers that it's the last day to enter the J. Fold "Trooper" Bag giveaway. Just follow @magbas to enter. On Monday we'll give twitRand(); a whirl to pick the winner. Direct message to that lucky contestant: you're gonna love this bag.

Also, before we're back on the air on Monday, the auction will have ended for a Season 5 Mad Men walk-on role, where the bid currently stands at $16,300. If that's a little rich, this blue Betty Draper dress is bid at $1,805. (FYI, January Jones is a size 2.)

MB Giveaway: J. Fold 'Trooper' Bag

MB Giveaway: J. Fold 'Trooper' Bag
Earlier this year we searched high and low for the fine-looking J. Fold Weekend Bag, but they were so hard to find we dubbed it the Lost J. Fold Weekend Bag. The explanation from the folks at J. Fold was they retired the bag because it usually weighed more than its contents, and convinced us to give the "Trooper" a try instead. Their new weekend model is made from leather and (lighter) coated cotton canvas, with a design based on standard-issue Soviet military bags from the '60s and '70s. While it's certainly not as masculine or elegant as, say, the standard-issue Soviet assault rifle, it's built as solidly as one, and has quickly become our favorite 48-hour road/plane-trip bag.

Why are we telling you all this? Because we've gotten our hands on another J. Fold Trooper Bag and we'd like one comrade to share our experience. No drink recipe or poem required to win this time. All you have to do to enter is follow MB on something called Twitter. Entry deadline is Friday, August 20 and we'll randomly pick a winner on Monday, August 23. (Sorry world, ya gotta live in the United States to claim this prize.)

Bag retail price: $219.00

Big bag pictures:

Side
Interior
Top

The Lost J. Fold Weekend Bag

The Lost J. Fold Weekend Bag
About a year ago, we posted about a J. Fold Weekend Bag (top) that was on closeout at Urban Outfitters. When we finally got around to getting one for ourselves, we were disappointed to discover that they were sold out, and we've been regretting our laziness ever since. Especially since we get constant reminders about this bag in the form of Google search queries -- every time the intern checks the stats he reports news of other forlorn souls looking for what we have come to think of as the Lost J. Fold Weekend Bag.

As it turns out, if you look hard enough, there are a few still out there. At Moris Fashions, a menswear store in St. Louis, you can get a Weekend Bag in brown. Via Amazon, you can apparently get one from J. Fold itself in Army Suede. (But act fast, there are only two left.)

We wanted the "Storm Grey" version, however, so we asked J. Fold if there are any for sale anywhere or if the company has plans to produce more. Unfortunately, the answers were no and no.

The good news, however, is that J. Fold has recently released a new bag, The Trooper (bottom), and we'll be reviewing it soon.

Ask the MB -- Wallets

J.Fold Supersonic II Wallet via Tobi, $53.00
J.Fold Supersonic II Wallet via Tobi. $53.00.
Q: My wallet of over 8 years was recently lost so I'm looking for an MB-approved wallet or alternative to carrying money and necessary cards. Something slim, to be sure.
—Pedro


A: We can hardly overstate how much we like J.Fold wallets, but let's try: There's a model for every MB, whether you're just starting out, or are in the corner office. They're high quality, affordable, and get loads of comments when exposed in public. End of story. Find the style that fits you at Tobi, ebags.com, or amazon.

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