Posts Tagged OSPOP
OSPOP One-Day, One-Handle Bag
My colleague Tim reviewed a pair of OSPOP shoes earlier this year and deemed them “rugged, practical and cool.” I’d say just about the same about the OSPOP Migration Series One-Day, One-Handle Bag, with an emphasis on the “rugged” part.
OSPOP products, made in China, pay homage to the country’s labor force and working class (read more about the backstory in Tim’s post or on the OSPOP website). This particular multi-purpose bag is made of stiff, water-resistant canvas that allegedly grows softer with age — though I haven’t used the bag enough to attest to this. I like that the interior is lined with plaid woven plastic taken from the She Pi Dai tote bags found all throughout China. This make the bag super-practical, especially when you’re like me and carry a water bottle everywhere; if I stick it in this bag and it leaks, it won’t ruin the interior. A big, open-topped side pocket is also lined with wipe-off plastic, and an interior pocket zips shut.
The main opening to the One-Day, One-Handle bag is a large zip flap — which thankfully comes with two zippers on either side, so you can open the bag partially at the top and not fear any contents flopping out. The one shoulder handle at the top is novel and takes a little getting used to — I’m accustomed to carrying totes with two shoulder straps. I like that the bottom of the bag has a rubber shoe sole with rugged tread and embedded Chinese characters — however the bag definitely has a distinct rubber smell because of it. The OSPOP logo — an encircled Chinese character meaning “labor” — is embroidered in red in the corner of the bag.
I’m typically drawn to sportier or more feminine bags, but I’ve used this bag as a purse around town when dressed casually in jeans and boots (I personally wouldn’t pair it with anything much dressier). There’s plenty of room inside to hold library books, kids’ snacks, my wallet, notebook and small toiletry bag. Since the fabric is stiff (at least to start) it doesn’t compress very small to pack in a suitcase for travel, and for me it’s too small to act as a carry-on bag. (A purse with a carry-on maybe, but not a carry-on in itself.)
It definitely has the cool factor going for it — again, the one handle and the zip-flap front are both unexpected. I certainly haven’t seen any in use in my corner of rural Colorado. Without any florals or frills, it can be carried by men or women. However, you won’t see my husband toting the bag; he called it “too much like a woman’s purse.” He much prefers the look of OSPOP’s Migration Series messenger bags (search the OSPOP website for an example — unfortunately, because of its bothersome use of Flash, I can’t link directly to one).
The OSPOP One-Day, One-Handle Bag, which is 13.5 x 12 x 4.5 inches, retails for $68 on the OSPOP site. It comes in slate, pine, sand and brown.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on April 9th, 2010
OSPOP Shoes: Rugged, Practical, and Cool
“Made in China” is not a phrase that inspires warm fuzzy feelings in consumers. With 40% of the product recalls in the U.S. being Chinese-made products in a typical year, from lead paint toys to poisonous drywall to tainted milk, it takes a ballsy company to embrace its Chinese manufacturing origins. OSPOP has the goods to back it up, however, so they’ve managed to build a whole mystique around a revamped Chinese work boot.
OSPOP stands for One Small Point of Pride and the company’s products celebrate the worker. Call it Maoist or call it Dirty Jobs-ist, but we could probably all use a little more celebration of the people making all the stuff we use on a regular basis. The splash page of the OSPOP website shows a bunch of Chinese construction workers heading to work in the snow. The shoes on offer are modified (and more comfortable) versions of the “liberation shoe” that workers there have been using for 60+ years. (Here’s a video on how they are made.)
But enough on the back story, how well do these cool shoes actually work in practice? I’m pleased to report that the clever marketing does not overshadow the product. As I’ve worn a pair of the OSPOP Steppe Series versions (pictured at the top) around town, I’ve gotten compliments from both guys and gals. They’re amazingly comfortable too—some of the nicest-feeling shoes I’ve worn ever.
Often that’s a bad sign, the old problem of feeling great in the store and then the pillowy cushion wearing down a few weeks later. These seem to be holding up very well though, even after I’ve walked for miles at a time in them. The company obviously didn’t make the footbed part an afterthought, as so many others seem to do. It’s ergonomic too, not flat like a pair of Chuck Taylors. These shoes are rugged enough to work for long-term travel, with wool-lined water-resistant canvas uppers and serious (workboot serious) rubber outsoles. These are perfect-built to be the kind of double-duty shoes travelers need, without screaming, “I’m a traveler!” in the process. These can easily make the transition from city streets to light hiking. They’re better for cooler climates though with the lining, so you might not want to pack these for a trip to Thailand.
The Steppe Series comes in six different colors, from the basic black pictured at the top to a bright orange color called “caution.” There are two other styles as well, Skywolf and Departure, that are different variations on the theme, with other color choices and thinner lining. The photo to the right shows the most basic option.
There are a lot of nice touches when you order OSPOP footwear, from the two sets of laces in different colors to the authentic Chinese packaging on the outside and inside: the box these shoes came in is pictured at the bottom. As for that little logo over the ankle, it’s the Chinese symbol for labor. Feel free to wear these when you’re laboring, but at $76 to $93 a pair, you may want to save them for those times when you’re enjoying the fruit of your labor instead.
Get more info and order the shoes at OSPOP.com
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on February 25th, 2010
