About Our Backpacks
Well, the truth is, it is not easy, or maybe even advisable, to make a full-on, all-singing, all-dancing, sport backpack out of natural fiber materials.
Backpack technology has evolved quite a bit in the last 15 years; new synthetic fiber shells and especially inner liners, for strength and utility, and also the notions, snap fasteners, elastic lacing, mesh pockets and pouches, envelopes for portable electronic devices, you name it, it has all gotten better.
So the challenge for Ixchel has been to evolve with these standards that only the latest technology can deliver, and still create a unique work in a handsome, natural, artesanal style.
Well, we have accepted the challenge and here are the results:
We started with corduroy, a duly recognized hippie fashion fabric, then we went to the hand woven mercerized cottons produced in our home country of Guatemala, and then we went to this 15 oz. cotton denim, in olive or café, which is as tough as any 600 denier(tm) but still 100% natural fiber, with the hand and the hue to prove it.
When that worked so well, we started buying heavyweight denim in white; and direct dying it, the way we do our corduroy, for deeper richer hues, and this year we have started crinkle tie dyeing it, in monochrome, so we can combine it with other materials.
We added heavily re-enforced strap anchors (we have seen everything that can break in 25 years, and we have found an answer for it) ergonomic strap geometry that we developed the old school empirical way ( lugging 30 lbs of rocks and sand around in every new backpack for a week will do it) organizer pockets for the kind of items backpack people really carry, tablet/laptop envelopes, and our best concealed pocket ever.
They come in three sizes: the short #33; that's the all corduroy medium styles, the long #33 in the hand woven and the nylon shell bags (Like we say, there are some synthetic materials somewhere; we couldn't make them to last for years without a little help from modern textile science) and the #32 & #31 styles; they are the BIG day packs, in corduroy, hand woven cotton, and denim. The images are all pretty true to what you will receive, if you have any doubts, like we always say, send us an email with the style and color, and we'll send you images of the actual stock items.
Oh, yes, we still DO stand behind them, workmanship and material defects/failures (although they are getting pretty rare!) are guaranteed, always.
We have become the go to brand for Hand Made Hippie Backpacks like the Patchwork Corduroy Backpack with Mushroom Applique, which has a Mushroom appliqued and embroidered on 17" x 10" patchwork corduroy backpack. It has many pockets for Cell Phones and anything else you may have. Or you may prefer the Hand Woven Ikat Backpack, which is perfect for the adventurous lifestyle! This sport backpack is made of tough Nylon-Poly Shell, with zipper-plackets for rain protection and elastic lacing, a large interior organizer and a stash pocket. Ergonomic straps, optional waist strap, media pocket on strap. Or you could go to our newer flagship styles like the Super Daypack in basket weave cotton with Mountain applique .
This year, we have done another Super Daypack upgrade, in two versions.
We love making backpacks, and we will always add new ones every year!
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