Manhattan Portage
I got a orange-colored 1615 from the Manhattan Portage Token store. The sheer brightness of the color should help me survive as a pedestrian in Seoul’s unruly streets.
The heavy duty construction and vinyl lining was the main draw. While I’ve been considering this purchase for the past couple of weeks I disregarded a possible shortcoming. There is a serious design flaw worth mentioning. The top flap doesn’t entirely cover the bag; there are coverage voids - either side of the flap - which could allow rain into the main compartment. Which theoretically proves moot to the waterproof feature. In the worst case, not only does it fail to keep water out but could create a reservoir effect. The gaps themselves aren’t the Grand Canyon but slight enough for me to turn to the Tumi when inclement weather is forecasted.
Hands down I’ve found my daily bag even with the shortcoming. Its an honest, simple design that focuses on durability.
I wonder why the Korean online store doesn’t carry the true messenger-style bags which often are larger in size than what they’re offering. I can’t say I agree with the justification for the price markups just because they’re ‘imports’. As they’re the sole authorized retailer, they can basically charge whatever floats their boat. Now, if they made available its full product line, then I wouldn’t be fussy about the pricing scheme. The limited product selection basically forced me to go to the source instead.
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