I haven’t had my Harper for long and due to excess February snowfall have used it only three times. It’s too new and too high a quality and just too . . . dazzling . . . to risk such elements. Not yet.
I used one backpack for 40 long years. It went to the supermarket. It hiked the coast of Cornwall, the Isle of Skye, Paris, Rome, the woods of Oregon and the hills of California.
One day it could not take another step and died in a trash can in Maine. I bought a new one I disliked so much that I never used it but gave it to a friend who works with someone he said would like to have it.
I bought a second backpack and, though I gamely used it for several months, it kept falling off one shoulder. (The straps were wide, and attached right to the top outer edges.) I cast it aside forever.
I bought the Harper, which BTW is a family name come down from Scotland. It is perfect. Its looks are awesome, and I have saddle soap that I use on all leather goods. (I like shiny bags and shiny boots, even on the trail.)
I latched the buckle into the lower hole so the straps don’t hang over the small compartment below them. This means they will be less inclined to curl up at the ends, which all hanging leather straps do after 30 or 40 years of constant use. It helps me to snap them shut, too, which can be awkward when Harper is not bulging with contents. Could be my arthritic fingers, which cause all manner of stupid little probs. (I am 86.) I do walk many miles, usually with walking poles, and, while I no longer drive, I ride an adult trike everywhere I go (yes, in Boston traffic). This makes carrying a backpack essential. Thank you for making such a good one.
