One of Builford’s original designs and still a best seller, the Explorer Rucksack is a bag for students, travelers, adventurers, and much more beyond.
The Explorer Rucksack’s defining design feature is the leather “X” on the front. So what is that X?
X marks the spot, a reminder of a winding treasure hunt – perhaps across exotic shores, or perhaps demanding intelligence and wit to decipher the clues. It describes a journey, but as T.S. Eliot reminds us, the end of all our wandering will be to arrive at the place we started and know it for the first time. The X is that beginning and end.
It is also the X factor, the unknowable thing, the wildcard. It is the thing we cannot predict, something we have to find or puzzle out, a value that could change the whole equation.
An X, at the end of a letter, might be a kiss, an expression of love.
When it comes to the Builford Explorer Rucksack, all of these things might be true. This waxed canvas rucksack is the X to take you on the adventure and lead you back home. It has the X factor, the extra ability to go above and beyond expectations. And it is an expression of love, to travel, to adventure, to finding new pathways.
Here’s how it does that.
The X Factor in Builford’s Explorer Rucksack
It’s more than just the leather detailing that makes this rucksack special. That’s more like the dot on the I, a signature and not the full text.
It starts with 100% original Martexin waxed canvas, which is a highly durable, waterproof, flexible material that is great in all weather.
However, it’s not just a copy of the standard market level Martexin, because Builford doesn’t do copies. We pride ourselves on the craftsman side of the process, and part of that is not just accepting what there is. It’s seeing what there is, and what its potential is to be greater.
Builford collaborated directly with Martexin to create a slightly lighter version of the normal heavy duty fabric. This new material is more flexible and is more suitable for a fashion item – it retains, however, its waterproof and durable qualities.
The Explorer Rucksack is one of the larger backpacks in the Builford collection. It doesn’t have a standard full backpack zipper; instead it closes with a simple flap zipper around the top. This creates an interesting shape, but apart from the fashion advantages, it also gives the backpack much more interior space.
The rucksack also includes a zipped front pocket and two zip side pockets for the small items you need to access easily. It also has a hidden side zipper on the back panel that leads straight into the main compartment. Which, by the way, is lined in a soft material that doesn’t tear easily and protects the bag’s contents. That includes a separate laptop sleeve.
For ease of carrying heavy loads a long way, the rucksack features a padded back panel and extra padding on the shoulder straps.
Taken as individual aspects, the Explorer Rucksack is fairly simple. But add it all together, and the simplicity is beautiful and elegant – and more importantly, a blank slate for whatever adventure you’re on at the moment. And when you’re ready for the next one, this bag is ready for that, too.
The X factor is you: the story you choose to write with this versatile, hard-working waxed canvas rucksack.
Whatever it is, the Builford Explorer Rucksack will be by your side. Available now at www.builford.com.