Beckel Canvas x Ship John - Possibilities Bag

From the maker

Beckel Canvas has been making Heavy duty Canvas wall tents in Oregon since 1964. Renowned for their long lasting durability, their tents have seen the depths of nature... folks nestled inside with a wood stove and a dry place to lay their heads for a long stay... Then again year after year.

When I first moved to SE Portland in 2006, I lived very close to Beckel's workshop on Clinton street. Learning to sew myself, I would peer into the windows in awe... I even bought some of the first canvas I ever sewed a bag with from them. They were a definite inspiration in the drive to keep on with the sewing path. I've had one of their possibilities bags for over a decade and it's still going strong.

I was happy as a clam when I received an email from Katie, the owner of Beckel, asking if we'd like to collaborate in some way. We met up and went over some ideas on what we could do to bring the two brands together. I didn't think there was much that I'd like to change about the beautiful, utilitarian nature of their bags so I left the ball in their court. A couple of weeks later the ideas of these bags came to fruition..

Here are a couple versions of their classic bags with a little bit of Ship John flavor. The Possibilities here and the Handi Tote bag. They retain their super heavy 20oz canvas and, in true Ship John fashion, use natural vegetable tanned leather where their standard black leather would be.

They came out perfect. We all love them here in the shop and hope you do too!