Buying a soft shell (messenger type) bag for 30/40+ records isn’t as easy as you’d think. Options are limited and it’s the usual suspects, many of which just didn’t feel right for me. Quality and design just didn’t feel right.
I’d not heard of Tucker & Bloom but found them on Instagram and the ‘Cosmo Baker North to South’ was instantly a no-brainer. My only issue, I’m in London and they are in Nashville (I think). Before I pay the bag itself some due respect, I wanted to mention the customer service. ‘Exceptional’ doesn’t quite do it justice as this was above anything I’ve experienced online. With this being an international order and duty and taxes due on its transit to the uk, the cost did ramp up but I would say this was off-set by the outstanding level of contact to a great many questions from me on delivery (I needed it here quickly) and the additional costs with Duty and Taxes. Everything was explained and I never needed to wait long for a reply to any question. All of which were met with helpful and patient responses.
The bag itself is great. Materials and quality are excellent, it held enough for nearly a 2hr set (somewhere between 35/40 records (some gatefolds with just the vinyl and sleeve and not the heavier outer card sleeve). Plus a bunch of 7”s. I’ve seen reviews of 20+ records but it can take a lot more if you are careful in how you pack it.
Once it’s really full it can be difficult to close as the excellent metal latched have a fixed length so no adjustment option. To be fair to T&B, I’d overfilled my bag on first attempt and once I’d removed some heavy sleeves, it was fine.
Carry handle has some padding which does the trick and the handle feels strong enough to last and take some weight.
If I had one comment and I appreciate it wouldn’t technically be a messenger bag with another handle, I’d prefer an additional shorter carry handle to not have it over my shoulder at all times. There is a waist strap which is designed to stop the bag moving around when riding but for me, some sort of short ‘hands-held’ carry handle would be more useful. I’m looking to find criticism here though and this is a 9/10 bag for sure. I can see it getting a lot of use and I’ve already had comments on where it was from.
Thank you Case at T&B for all your help and especially in getting me the bag here in time.
