Drive By :: HERZ Custom Leather EDC Pouch

Our friend (and guest contributor) Jonathan Lukacek from Bandanna Almanac just dropped us a line to follow up on his recent article he did for Carryology, the HERZ Shop Visit in Osaka, Japan. Jon ended up ordering a custom leather belt pouch (a very common form of carry in Japan) for his personal use from this legendary leather brand. Upon receiving it, he wanted to share his thoughts and experiences on this handsome product. 

After sharing the last post about the Shop Visit to Herz, I couldn’t resist and had to buy something – I ended up getting the leather belt pouch. It was a custom order (¥18,900 / $187), based on the ????? (“two room storage”) pouch product. Click here to visit the individual product page.

It’s a two-tone amber on black leather and ideally for those who don’t want to carry a bag, but want a bit more storage space than pants pockets. The flap is a more roughly pebbled leather while the base is a more supple smoother leather. The Century denim serves as a nice contrast to the two tones of the leather.

I am a minimalist for carry. Wallet (Barrett Alley Revelation), keys (leather key fob from Me & Arrow), iPhone (wood veneer back from Toast), occasional cigarettes and point-and-shoot camera (Editor’s note: I was shocked to see how similar Jon’s and my everyday carry setups were. Take a look at my nearly identical current EDC. In fact, I purchased this vintage Fast Color bandanna after learning about it from his blog…crazy. I even have the same jeans pictured here, haha.).

I don’t drive, and sometimes ride a bicycle. In summer lugging a bag around is not an option, it is just too hot in Osaka. The belt pouch serves my needs well. It allows easy access to wallet, keys and phone.

 

The pouch design is simple. Two separate rounded pouches are riveted and sewn together. Brass hardware at stress points and tab closures. The hardware will age nicely with the leather.

The accordian-like construction leaves enough room for my everyday: keys, wallet, coin pouch, and iPhone. With enough room to spare for cigs and a point-and-shoot. The design allows the compartments to expand when you need them to, and fall flat when they aren’t in use. Alternatively this could be attached to the handlebars on a bicycle, very convenient.

(Editor’s note:  I’ll be honest, now I want one too.)

If you’re interested in purchasing anything from HERZ and can’t read Japanese, Jonathan will help you make a purchase through them (one of the many services he offers). You can get in touch with him through Bandanna Almanac.