“How is a Crumpler bag made?”

• A pattern is made and from the pattern a template is made
• Flat pieces of fabric are sewn together to make the basic structure of the bag
• Detail is then added to the design
• ’New Delhi’ photo bag (size 770) has 175 pieces “If there are 175 pieces in a pattern for one bag, how is this organised for production?”
• Pattern pieces are made out of cardboard and scanned into the computer • Calculations are made about the material that is needed for the bag - reducing waste and correctly allocating pattern spacing

“So who sews the bags?”

• Bags are still handmade, no sewing is solely done by machines
• Sewing is done in groups, each person is responsible for doing between one and four steps
• When one piece is completed it is passed onto the next person in production, who checks, then continues sewing
• All loose threads or chalk marks are removed, it is checked, stuffed, bagged and then boxed
• A ‘New Delhi’ photo bag (size 770) has 175 pieces with 160 steps, taking approximately 6.5 hours to assemble.

“Who is responsible for Quality?”

• Eight independent quality control agents (hired by the Crumpler production office) to check production quality
• Each seamstress checks the previous production before continuing
• Designers spend a lot of time to ensure all levels of production are correct
• Every bag is cleaned and checked before packing

“You say the materials Crumpler uses are tough, but how?”

• Bar tack stitch - stitches are compiled at 90-degree angles to each other; used to strengthen key joins in our bags
• With lining and webbing fabrics of the highest quality we can effectively bar tack areas without destroying the fabric
• Multiple layers of fabric strengthen the seams
• External fabric will never have its backing damaged or distressed with lining
• Piping and binding helps improve the seam and stitching strength
• One piece of piping needs four lines (only two seen on the outside)

“How does Crumpler choose materials?”

• All materials will last for the product’s lifetime, plus another 10 years
• Responsible bags, that are not thrown away “Responsibility? What else is there?”
• Factories are producing according to SA8000 standard (based on the principles of 13 international human rights conventions)
• Main hub production means transportation journeys are short and there are good connections with suppliers
• No toxic material is used in production
• No toxic emissions are released throughout production • Creating our own standards for labour relations and workplace safety

“What about environmental responsibility?”

• Suppliers provide ISO and relevant environmental standard accreditations
• 60%+ are local materials and accessories from neighbouring countries
• Working on the implementation of regulations given by the REACH project (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals), which is an EU draft legislation as guideline for all chemicals in production
• All suppliers are certified with the ÖkoTex standard label which regulates the human ecological quality of textiles and is a safety standard within the textile industries
• PVC is not used in any products (suspected to be harmful to health)

“What is Chicken Tex Supreme™?”

• Woven 1000 denier (1000d) nylon fabric
• Main fabric for Crumpler bags “What does 1000d mean?”
• 1000d polyamide (nylon)
• 1000 denier means that 9000 m of thread weighs 1000 g (or 9 km weigh 1 kg)
• The higher the denier number, the heavier the thread
• Thread weight and weave density testing for best performance weight ratio

“What is nylon and why use it?”

• Nylon is a form of polyamide (strong high-grade synthetic material)
• Nylon thread is air treated to give the fabric its classic rough and fuzzy texture
• Nylon is chosen over polyester as it has higher abrasion resistance
• Crumpler’s Chicken Tex Supreme™ is used for strength, it is lightweight, has abrasion resistance and ability to be coloured in a natural way

“When my bag gets wet, the water rolls off, why is this?”

• On the reverse side is PU backing and a Teflon coating on the front
• Fabrics are coated and treated for resistance to water and heavy use
• Superior protection against dirt and grime

“Your bags are always colourful, how many colours do you have?”

• 128 different colours of Chicken Tex Supreme™
• New colours are being developed
• Each colour fabric has several different tones in it - different to competition

“What is Ripstop Lining?”

• Tightly woven 330 denier and 420 denier nylon fabric
• Woven to prevent the spreading of tears or punctures
• A tear or hole will not get any bigger than the 7mm grid because of the grid of thicker thread
• Ripstop Lining accounts for a lightweight bag that is still incredibly durable
• All bags are lined to protect them and prolong life

“What is Rooster Tex™?”

• Rooster Tex™ is a nylon-based fabric (aka ballistic nylon)
• 1680 denier, not air treated
• Softer colour and touch
• Lightweight and extremely strong
• High abrasion resistance; for luggage, and where high strength is needed
• Chicken Tex Supreme™ is firmer, with a deeper colour range

“Crumpler is also making leather bags now, what kind of leather do you use?”

• Holy Cow real leather is a strong 1.2 - 1.4 mm thick cow leather
• Brilliant colours with a smooth and shiny demeanour
• Refined with special treatment - makes it last longer and look fresher

“What webbings does Crumpler use on their shoulder straps?”

• Crumpler uses both nylon and polypropylene webbing
• Webbing is made as a flat strip of fibres of varying thicknesses and layers
• You can tow a car with the 50mm webbings without the material snapping
• Quality nylon or polypropylene webbing has a breaking strength of 4500kg
• Seatbelt webbing for some bags and strong PP double 3 (900d x 600d 50mm) webbing for use with Quick Flick™ buckle

“Which buckles and clips are good enough for Crumpler bags?”

• Strong and efficient buckles made from polyamide (nylon) or polyacetal (metal substitute)
• Custom-made buckles
• All tested for quality and durability before use
• “What kind of zips does Crumpler use?”
• Nylon coil zips with metal sliders
• A coil zip is made from twisting a strong nylon fibre into a coil pattern
• Coil zips are better at wrapping around corners and last longer
• The global standard for a coil zip under stress is 1,000 cycles, ours are guaranteed for a minimum of 3,000 cycles under stress •
• Crumpler zips under no stress can do over 10,000 cycles
• Size 5 or 8 internal compartments, size 10 for external zips and size 12 for external hard wearing articles

“What kind of thread does Crumpler use to sew its bags?”

• Three threads of 210 denier nylon are twisted to one thread (for strength)
• Cheap bags fall apart at the seams because of low grade thread
• Bonded nylon thread for heavy-duty applications (outlasting strength)
• For one ‘New Delhi’ photo bag (size 770) 350 meters of thread is used

“My bag is padded, what is the padding made of?”

• Recyclable polyethylene or polyurethane foam
• 1mm PE foam (for small pouches)
• 10mm foam sandwiches and 16mm thick (for camera bags)
• Hard Suit or shoulder is made from moulded EVA (flip flop material)
• EVA is very strong and incredibly stable, lasts a lifetime
• For stiffness and padding we also use a polyethylene sheet (for camera dividers and the back of backpacks)

“What are the logos on the bags made of?”

• Logos are made from environmentally friendly Polyurethane
• Polyurethane does not discolour with time
• Other logos are made of metal combined with a protective enamel coating

“Why do Crumpler’s bags look the way they do?”

• ’Being different’ – core design principle
• No style guide or manuals are used
  
• Outlasting seasonal trends

“My bag has a silly name … why is that?”

• Crumpler bags are named with the sole intention of picking on colleagues, bosses, friends, parents, kids, old people, young people, normal people, outstanding people and people with brown hair

“Why do you make bags with different functions?”

• Bike couriers needed functional courier bags...
• Some older bike couriers needed laptop bags…
• Then they started taking photos and needed bags...
• They are now travelling and need bags…

“My Crumpler bag turns 5 this year.
How can I make sure that it is still looking great?”

• Never put a bag through the washing machine or tumble drier
• Stitching and material is affected by prolonged exposure to detergents and water
• The heat of a tumble drier will cause wet areas of the bag to wrinkle
• Rubbing on the surface will erode the coating
• When rain falls on the bag and no longer beads and falls off; clean the bag with a watery sponge and shampoo, then allow the bag to dry; apply off-the-shelf water repellent spray and then allow bag to dry fully before use