Introducing the Squire, an all new heritage tote bag from ROV. First run in Highland Rugged Twill.
I promised a new product this month and I’m really excited to introduce the Squire. An all new heritage tote bag from ROV. Bringing in elements from the other products and giving you a new tool to rely on for daily needs. The tote has found a regular spot in my rotation between duffles and backpacks. The ease of access and simplicity of a tote are hard to match when you’re in a hurry or just need to fill it with general stuff. I use mine for runs to the post office, kids sports and my whole family used it as snack bag on a road trip last summer. Positioning easily between seats, it kept things we needed contained and easily accessible.
The Squire features a lot of design items you’ve seen in the Duke and Baron. Starting with the body of the bag, 18oz rugged twill is durable and flexible. First release with the Highland Camo from Halley Stevenson, it’s equal parts subtle and attention grabbing. Inside the bag, the tan cotton liner makes a return. I’ve really grown to love this liner even more with time. It gives the contrast you need against items in the bag while balancing really nicely with the exterior tones in the camo and leather.
Beyond the twill, you’ll see the familiar leather and ballistic from other ROV bags. The heavyweight Wicket and Craig leather is durable and hardy but breaks in with time and use. Like the Duke you could pair a Hilt if you like. Each strap is connected with a D ring allowing them to fall out of the way easily when you need to access the contents of the bag. The D rings also add a perfect place for ROV luggage tag or patch tag for a little personalization.
On the bottom panel, the ballistic bottom panel is there for increased durability and just a touch of modern design.
Moving to organization. I didn’t want this just be a barebones tote bag. It needed to have real function that fits in daily life. The two exterior pockets are build around my 26oz Yeti but they have plenty of wiggle room and height to manage a variety of water bottles. Beyond that it’s a good way to dump small items you need to access quickly. Often I’ll drop my wallet and keys there when the bag is on the passenger seat and I want them out of my pockets. I can grab them quickly when I need to knowing they aren’t lost in the bag somewhere.
Inside there are two more org pockets. One with a zipper and one a split slip pocket. Again, adding some flexibility and a degree of security. Since totes feature an open design, it’s good to make sure that small items can’t get easily lost when the bag is jostled around.
Size was the last concern. Again striving for usability with this. I’ve had a number of totes over the years from small ones not much bigger than a retail plastic bag to massive totes from places like Ikea. Striking a balance in usability is key. A goldilocks zone where it’s not too big and not too small. I ended up around 20L with the final dimensions, which on paper doesn’t sound huge, but the great thing about a tote is the flexible shape. It can easily open wide to flex in more stuff or be pulled tighter when it’s not fully loaded.
As with all ROV items, these are cut and sewn in the USA. Manufacturing in the states is a core tenet of my brand. It has an effect on price that I have no plans to change. While I recognize that we live in a global economy, I will always work hard to keep my products made in the US.