Thinking of buying a MkVII, help on which is best?

[Rusty Orange]

For years and years I've been meaning to get an IJ-style satchel, and I'm finally ready to get one! There are two I'm mainly considering getting- the WPG and the Todd's- but reading up on them there appears to be problems with each. According to reviews on the site the Todd's bag is made of a different but weaker material than previous stock (though how this affects the durability of the bag hasn't been said- do they mean it falls apart easily or something?) and the WPG has issues with the webbing material falling apart, corroded metal parts or odd smells.

Now I plan on using this bag for practical reasons, probably often, to hold small things like notebooks and paperback novels or music players and perhaps carrying a laptop too. Which of these is more fit for daily use, and is there any truth to the flaws I mentioned above?

[California Jones]

WPG also sells original surplus one to

[Mr. Fusion]

Rusty Orange, welcome to the Lounge!

I would recommend Magnoli Clothiers' repro satchel. I have an older model by them. I understand the the material is better on their most recent bags. I also have a repro bag by Todd's Costumes. They are both nice, and I hope to eventually get a real vintage Mk VII for comparison.

Hope this helped a little.

-Josh

[Rusty Orange]

@california Jones: Yeah, I took a glance at the genuine MkVII's too. Most of them must be pretty old by now though; as cool as it would be to own an authentic WWII bag I kind of question whether it would still hold up to daily use.

@mr. Fusion: Thank you, glad to be here! (Nice username, by the way. ) Hm, I hadn't really considered the Magnoli satchel before...the reviews do seem to say the material's good though, and of course there's your recommendation to consider as well. Are there any differences between it and the Todd's bag?

[Mr. Fusion]

Oct 25, 2012 11:43:49 GMT -5 Rusty Orange said:

@mr. Fusion: Thank you, glad to be here! (Nice username, by the way. ) Hm, I hadn't really considered the Magnoli satchel before...the reviews do seem to say the material's good though, and of course there's your recommendation to consider as well. Are there any differences between it and the Todd's bag?

I like the color of Todd's bag better. The metal disk on the side looks more authentic/weathered, but it's a little too small. The material is pretty similar. The Magnoli bag has a cool feature that Todd's doesn't: it has the 1942 Mk VII stamp. I'd probably recommend the Magnoli bag if you are able to spend a little more money. But Todd's is pretty great too.


-Josh

[westy1970]

I have the WPG and it is very sturdy and well made. I believe I have an original WW2 bag and it looks brand new. It smells a little of old militaria but you don't notice it. I wouldn't hesitate to order another from them if something happened to this bag.

[bbl]

me too...wgp has the original bag. love it!

best,

Robert

[madkidjedi]

Nothing beats an original. I got this one here ( www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-Origianl-1942-GAS-MASK-Bag-British-WW2-/200918560633?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=ssU3%252FMPq2rxEtoaUl2jJzRQgMig%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc ) a little over a month ago, and it is simply amazing. It is in amazing shape; the stitches are all tight, not rotted or weak... the fabric of the bag tough as nails... just nothing wrong with it at all. I already got a Todd's strap on it, having used a seam-ripper to un-stitch the original strap (couldn't bring myself to cut it) and it looks great.

I, too, have heard both good and bad things about Todd's repro bag, but for the $45 that WPG charges for their original vintage bags, you needn't look anywhere else. For those that worry about the age of the bag being a detriment to it's strength, functionality or worthiness... you need not worry. This one I got recently is virtually EXACTLY like another vintage one I got a few years ago. It's also in brand new condition like the recently acquired one...I'd carry my fine China in it if I had to. They made sh*t to LAST back then (in the WW2 era) .... not like today's poor, mass-manufactured crap. Get vintage. You will NOT be sorry.

[indybyrd24]

I have a Magnoli reproduction and I love it!! I've seen several orginals and it looks spot on with just a few variations such as snap button texture, but other than that, it's identical, and for only 36.00, not a bad deal!

[madkidjedi]

Aug 29, 2013 0:19:17 GMT -5 indybyrd24 said:

I have a Magnoli reproduction and I love it!! I've seen several orginals and it looks spot on with just a few variations such as snap button texture, but other than that, it's identical, and for only 36.00, not a bad deal!

Not knocking any of the repros, but I'm now the proud owner of multiple vintage bags... THREE new-to-me just in the past couple of weeks!!! They ain't arrived yet, but here's the pix; stolen from the eBay listings I 'won' them from:

Here's a Brit MKVI (Mark 6 - Temple of Doom bridge style)


Here's a Brit MKV7 (Mark 7 - regular style)
,,,,

...and a Aussie MKV7 (Mark 7 - regular style)
,,,


...and my first 3... Think I added one more to the collection since this was taken... obviously not pictured, as such


Not for nothing, a lot of the vintage bags are stock that was 'un-used', and are as SOLID as any brand new repro bags, as they just came out of a box. Some may have a bit of dry-rot, but most are in GREAT shape... thems the ones I bid for. You gotta remember; these were made by the hundreds of thousands by multiple companies back in WWII. And even though England is a smallish nation (read: little storage space), these things are still being found all over the place...

[madkidjedi]

Two of the three new-to-me bags have arrived... last one is awaiting pick-up at the Post Office.
Anyway... here's my collection of "in reserve" Mk7s.