Whether privately or professionally, it can often happen that you only have to settle for one night or take everything with you as a precaution. Then the laptop bag is too small, the on-board suitcase or the travel bag is already too big. Allistair Croot has also made this experience. In the fortunate position of being able to design and manufacture bags in his own company, he was able to remedy the situation himself and manufactured this weekender from strong, 1.5 mm thick leather in the style of the laptop bag. Construction and partitioning are almost identical, but the Weekender is significantly deeper at 17 cm. Thus, in addition to documents and laptop still fit fresh laundry and a small toiletry bag.

From the outside quite businesstauglich and serious, the bag shines inside with its bold red lining of heavy cotton fabric. It is fully padded to protect laptop or tablet. The spacious main compartment has three slip pockets on the side for chargers and cables. A large document compartment closes with a snap fastener, and two attached leather pockets can be used to store a phone, calculator or writing utensils. Two zippered compartments on the outside offer further storage space. The carrying handles made of 4 mm thick saddle leather are worked all around, so that they additionally stabilize the bag on the ground.

The British label Croots is among the leather goods manufacturers that have, in a short time, virtually earned the reputation of a traditional company. So it doesn’t always take centuries of experience—what matters most is, first and foremost, an understanding of one’s craft and the use of the right materials. John and Margaret Smith embodied this philosophy when, in 1978, they began producing their first bags and cases for hunting and fishing under the “Field Sports Products” label: crafted in the traditional manner and made from sturdy materials such as strong saddle leather and durable cotton canvas. Later, they added travel bags and small leather goods to their lineup. When their daughter Jackie and son-in-law Allistair Croot took over the business in 2004, they kept everything the same—except for the name. Since then, “Croots” has become a global byword for British craftsmanship and sturdy bags; even the royal family owns a few Croots bags.

The bags are designed and manufactured at the company’s facility in Malton, North Yorkshire. The materials also come from the UK: The fabric is woven in Keighley, West Yorkshire; Croots sources its waxed cotton canvas from the traditional Scottish manufacturer Halley Stevensons; and the hardware comes from foundries in Walsall, West Midlands, or Sheffield. Only the zippers are sourced from Riri in Switzerland. Finally, with a few exceptions, the leather is vegetable-tanned and processed in the classic saddlery style. Most of it is so-called English bridle leather, which is primarily used for saddles, bridles, and belts because, thanks to a special tanning process, it hardly stretches at all.