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Gfeller casemakers - Idaho, USA

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srivats

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Found out about yet another "Made in USA" leather craftsman -- Steve Derricott from Gfeller casemakers. Steve Derricott is a professional geologist and owns Gfeller. Not surprisingly, they seem to make a lot of accesories for geologists but they also make some beautiful covers for moleskine journals. Check out this youtube video.

The prices seem very reasonable. They also make a beautiful briefcase -- it is a little pricey, but the quality seems great. The leather they use is pretty good. Steve says the following about the leather:

it is made using vegetable tanned Skirting Leather from the Hermann Oak Tannery in St. Louis. We are proud to have maintained an account with them for well over 50 years. In our industry, Hermann Oak is the standard to which others aspire….it really is the best leather for our purpose tanned in the USA today. The reddish -orange color results from the particular tree bark used in their tanning process.
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Below is a review of the briefcase from another forum. Notice the use of the thick, single ply leather and the expert stitching. The handle is also done really well. The case seems really nice and Gfeller is pretty open to customizations (at a small upcharge). The vegetable tanned leather will age really beautifully, turning more reddish-brown as it ages. The pictures below also show a moderately used moleskine case (it is made of different leather though). The shoulder strap is very nice, but I can think of some improvements to the way it attaches to the bag itself.

What does the Trad forum think?

univibe88 said:
Many of you may not know about Gfeller Casemakers. I first found out about them on a fountainpen forum when I was looking for a cover for my Moleskine notebook. I have gone on to also buy a very nice leather belt. I have been dreaming about a briefcase and finally pulled the trigger.

This quote from their website sums it up best Originally focusing on the needs of geologists, engineers and field scientists, we developed leather goods that carried tools, protected notes and maps and generally made field work easier and more productive for these adventurous professionals.

It took about 8 weeks from the time I contacted Steve until I received my briefcase. He is very open to customization and will make you anything you want within his abilities. All of Gfellers products are made with heavy sinlge ply leather finished only with neatsfoot oil. The products start a very natural tan color and quickly take on personality. My notebook cover and belt are completely different than the brandnew briefcase. You can see that in the picture of my notebook on top of the briefcase.

The base briefcase is two compartments with a buckle front and padded strap. I had steve add the rear pocket you see below, as well as the internal pockets for my checkbook and Moleskine.

I felt like this is a very high quality product that fits the mold of what many of us like here at the lounge, so I wanted to share it with you.

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Some more photos of Steve's personal case from their flickr album:

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Discussion starter · #3 ·
Cardinals5 said:
I like them. When I was putting together the Made in USA: Trad Clothing and Accoutrements thread (https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...com/community/showthread.php?103082-Made-in-USA-Trad-Clothing-and-Accoutrements) I included them in the briefcase section along with Duluth Pack, Customhide, Filson, Ghurka, Port Canvas, etc.
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Cards, I completely forgot that thread. Thanks for pointing it out.

I think I am going to order a moleskine journal cover from them. I'll report back here.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
maximar said:
Anyone have an idea on custom prices? I want to get a leather envelope/document case that fits legal size documents.

Nice natural leather.
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They already have one called the Idaho professional field folio:

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Price is 265 ... Glaser designs also makes an amazing folio (that is even more expensive) that will last generations.
 
#7 ·
Having used Moleskin journals for, it seems, almost my entire adult life, it never occured to me that the journals in my use should be clad in leather. LOL, now, the seed has been planted (thanks so much for that, srivats!) and I suspect I will soon conclude that I cannot successfully annotate my jounals, absent a Gfeller cover, I suppose I should make it easy on myself and just cave in and place an order? :eek:
 
Discussion starter · #8 · (Edited)
eagle2250 said:
Having used Moleskin journals for, it seems, almost my entire adult life, it never occured to me that the journals in my use should be clad in leather. LOL, now, the seed has been planted (thanks so much for that, srivats!) and I suspect I will soon conclude that I cannot successfully annotate my jounals, absent a Gfeller cover, I suppose I should make it easy on myself and just cave in and place an order? :eek:
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Yes, yes, you need a moleskine cover. I called Steve and placed an order for mine today. I also learned that they are very open to customizations as long as it within their capabilities.

I also asked for a sample of the leather they use for the briefcase in the photos above. The briefcase, while of simple design, is actually really nice and functional.
 
Discussion starter · #9 · (Edited)
Some pictures from a of a well used 6"x9" Gfeller field case when they were still known as 'Roy Gfeller' and based in Montana -- probably from the 70s. Notice the thickness of the leather in the last photo and how well the bag has held up -- this probably belonged to an actual geologist and saw actual field usage. And the best part is, this bag will look like a million dollars with some conditioner and polish.

Gfeller still makes this case: https://gfellercasemakers.com/geoscience/index.html. I really like their no-frills design that is very functional.

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#10 · (Edited)
I have a customized cellphone belt case from Gfeller...the basis of which is their Gadget Belt Case, customized by Steve Derricott for the HTC Smartphone I use. We also used a "lift the dot" clasp, as I find they're perfect for this application. The phone fits in the case as if it were born there; I couldn't be more pleased, and commend Gfeller Casemakers to one and all! Picture of their Gadget Belt Case:
 
#12 ·
I just received my Rhodia pad cover, belt case for compass, pen case, and pop-up card wallet. All great. Don't overlook the pop-up wallet, which is exactly what I wanted to carry cards along with my cash clip. Slim enough for front pocket use.

Yes, it all needs to age, but that the great thing about life: everything does! Maybe it's best not to rush the process.
 
#13 ·
PeterW said:
I just received my Rhodia pad cover, belt case for compass, pen case, and pop-up card wallet. All great. Don't overlook the pop-up wallet, which is exactly what I wanted to carry cards along with my cash clip. Slim enough for front pocket use.

Yes, it all needs to age, but that the great thing about life: everything does! Maybe it's best not to rush the process.
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No pics?
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Glad to know that you guys ordered and more importantly are very happy with the items. My moleskine cover is in the mail and should be here soon (it was XL size, so had to be custom made).

I have decided to get the briefcase pictured above (with some changes) in March. Will update here.
 
#15 ·
Trip English said:
Just received my moleskine cover w/ monogramming & pen loops. It's fantastic. I can't wait for the leather to start aging.
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That natural oak leather from Herman Oak is really nice stuff. I've found that Obenauf's leather oil starts the aging process nicely. I think it's because it contains some bee's wax. It helps keep the aging and darkening process more uniform and the leather from absorbing dirt. I heard it mentioned in another forum so tried it out. It's mellow not a drastic change.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
The website is now www.gfeller.us

Here are some more pics of the diamond creek satchel I found. This bag seems to have some custom hardware than what gfeller normally uses. I like the idea of a D-ring for the front.

I'm talking to them about a couple of modifications I want. Let's see how it goes.

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Discussion starter · #19 ·
Trip English said:
I respect a man that travels with a poncho and a mars bar.
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eagle2250 said:
^^
That's field gear...and henceforth, srivats shall be known as....the Road Warrior! ;)
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That bag is not mine -- found those photos on google :D

I am talking to Steve about making a bag with some um, engineering modifications, to suit my requirements. I'll update y'all as to how this goes.
 
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Charles Saturn
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