Oberwerth Bags
We are constantly amazed at the people and the brands we get to work with doing what we love. Last year while we were in Seattle Washington shooting a wedding, Kristan bought me a Leica Q2 from the Leica store. During our shopping experience I picked up a bag called the Q Bag from Oberwerth. I must admit that the shock of a bag that cost $500 was initially a lot to take in but after using it for a while, I quickly realized the quality that went into the bag. Each bag is hand crafted with some of the finest materials in a bag that is both minimalistic and feature rich. After a few months, it was clear we wanted more bags from Oberwerth.
We have a trip coming up in January to Cape Town South Africa and I decided to shoot my shot and reach out to Oberwerth to see if they would be willing to send us a bag or two to use on our trip and in exchange we would shoot them some product photos. To my surprise, an amazing human named Moritz reached out from Oberwerth saying they would be willing to take a chance on us and send us a couple bags. After a few exchanges of emails Kristan and I had two new bags on our way. Kristan picked the William Red Dot Edition and I took Moritz’s advice and chose the SL Sling Bag in Large.
As soon as these bags arrived it was clear that they were again made with the highest quality of materials. The bags are lined with a beautiful red material that compliments the Leica colors and the leather is incredibly soft right out of the bag. Both bags are perfect for a camera and a lens or two or two smaller bodies. The William bag holds a little more stuff than the Sling and even fits up to a 15/16 inch laptop. Both bags are well made and will last a lifetime.
We already began filming material for Oberwerth and cannot wait to use these on our trip to Cape Town.
Should you purchase a Oberwerth bag?
First you need to understand, these bags are not cheap. You will spend between $500-$1500 depending the type of bag you are looking for. When you consider the investment a Leica camera the bag is reasonably priced. If you are looking to put a $300 point and shoot camera in this bag it may be hard to drop more money on a bag than a camera is worth. Cost is subjective. We would happily pay more for a bag that will last us a lifetime and protect our gear vs. buying a cheap bag off Amazon and then having to buy a few of them because they don’t hold up.
An Oberwerth bag is more than a bag in my opinion. It is a heirloom piece of gear. It is something you will be proud to own or to gift to someone. It is something that has incredible thought behind it and not something that most people will have seen before. These are not mass produced products. They are hand crafted one by one and the quality speaks to this.
So should you buy an Oberwerth bag? I can’t tell you to do so, but if you want the highest quality of leather bags to protect your camera gear, carry your essentials, or if you enjoy heritage products that will last a lifetime and age beautifully over time, you cannot go wrong with Oberwerth. They are a company that believes in photography, in stories and in generational enjoyment. If this sounds like something you can buy into, definitely give them a consideration for your next bag!
Check out Oberwerth at the link below:
https://us.oberwerth.com
