Brütting Cross-Country Running Shoes

These shoes from Brütting are a perfect combination of old world German craftsmanship and old world technology. They have been in production since the sixties and are to this day still preferred by many athletes. At first glance they don't look like a pair of athletic shoes compared to many of the very technical shoes that we see today, but don't let the looks fool you.

Other than that I've experienced that people either love or hate the looks of these shoes, as the case is with many iconic designs. Personally I fall into the latter category because I like the vintage-feel. But I'm also very biased, as I want all of my clothing to be produced outside of Asia, and these sneakers are made in Germany, so it's hard not to like them.

The solid leather construction incorporates both suede and a greasy/waxy leather, which makes it very easy to maintain. Even the inner sole is made of leather.

The construction of the rubber sole and the tread gives a secure grip on wet and irregular surfaces.

They're made on a rather slim last, which is good for those of you who have narrow feet.

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Wanting - Birkenstock Zurich

With summer right around the corner I find myself looking for a new pair of Birkenstock. Some may not like them, but I'm so hopelessly infatuated by the Japanese aesthetics, that I wear them on all occasions (I'm of course exaggerating). But they go with everything and I'll even go as far as saying, that you can wear these with socks. The quality is good and of course, they are made in Germany and comfy as hell.

I normally go for the Boston model, but this time I'll be buying the Zurich. The "double monkstrap" of sandals.

Unfortunately, I can't get my hands on this Japanese edition.

Or even these customised ones by HTC Company - again, out of Japan. But I could of course have a go at it myself. But I won't.

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Seil Marschall - Canoe Pack

I figured after writing about the Topo Design Klettersack, that I should probably write just a bit more on backpacks. Probably because I have been thinking about investing in one merely for practical purposes. But it must be the right one. I don't want to own two backpacks, as I'll probably not be using both. So if you are also looking, I figured you needed to make the right decision based on some good alternatives, which is why I'll be writing about some of the backpacks, that I like and personally is thinking about purchasing. So make up you own mind and do some comparing.

Seil Marschall has been getting a lot of attention lately, but the family business have been around for a long time. I first discovered them some years ago through Manufactum. Luckily the distribution has become more accessible for every season since then.

Now this post shouldn't be about Topo Designs, and it won't, but I read a small interview with one of the founders of Topo, while doing some final research for the post about the Klettersack. In the interview he talked about competing with bigger companies and he said that he found it especially hard because big companies would have their hardware custom made, but they, Topo Designs, would have to make the best out of the ready made options, which meant they needed to do a lot of research on the subject. Why am I writing this, you have probably started to wonder? And I'll tell you. 

When I saw the Seil Marschall packs, I couldn't help but notice that all the hardware, trim, fabric and leather used were all things that I could have found myself and put together myself. All the things used in their packs are almost things that you can find without much effort and I kind of like that idea, as it gives the packs a slightly home made or rather handmande feel.

I quite like the look of the original canoe pack, but most of their packs look and feel good.

Pics were found here

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