Waxwing Bag Co. is rooted in the heart of Vermont's Green Mountains, and all bags are made by me, Dave Cain (in blue shirt on left above).
The need to make functional beauty is a significant part of who I am and it's been that way my whole life. With a background in design, woodworking, art and architecture, I've been making things in one form or another for as long as I can remember; I've built boats and houses, created furniture, studied painting as well as architecture and yet bags are where I've landed. When I was a kid my mom made us Frostline vests and jackets and sewed halloween costumes, so there's a lineage here. Some parts of the bags I make are sewn on my grandmother's gorgeous little portable Singer.
Many years ago I wanted a Rivendell Hobo bag but sadly they were no longer available, so I decided to make my one myself. The experience was so engaging that I knew I had to do more. With no real experience, I just started making bags. It was a key moment where I knew with surprising clarity that this is what I wanted to do.
Bags provide a perfect opportunity to connect that desire to create with the world of bikes and adventure. I love the notion that the bags I make help fulfill the dreams of riders as they explore the world around them.
Not long after making that Hobo bag, I noticed a ragged old French handlebar bag crudely strapped to the rear rack of an ancient three-speed at a nearby bike shop (see photo). Unable to get the poor lump of canvas out of my mind, I went back and asked about the bag--it had been thrown out! Luckily the trash barrel had not been emptied and the bag was literally pulled out and handed over to me. Talk about timing, right? (Not something you'd expect to happen in rural Vermont... maybe somewhere in France?) With the bag in hand I had a template that provided a nice place to start from.
The need to make functional beauty is a significant part of who I am and it's been that way my whole life. With a background in design, woodworking, art and architecture, I've been making things in one form or another for as long as I can remember; I've built boats and houses, created furniture, studied painting as well as architecture and yet bags are where I've landed. When I was a kid my mom made us Frostline vests and jackets and sewed halloween costumes, so there's a lineage here. Some parts of the bags I make are sewn on my grandmother's gorgeous little portable Singer.
Many years ago I wanted a Rivendell Hobo bag but sadly they were no longer available, so I decided to make my one myself. The experience was so engaging that I knew I had to do more. With no real experience, I just started making bags. It was a key moment where I knew with surprising clarity that this is what I wanted to do.
Bags provide a perfect opportunity to connect that desire to create with the world of bikes and adventure. I love the notion that the bags I make help fulfill the dreams of riders as they explore the world around them.
Not long after making that Hobo bag, I noticed a ragged old French handlebar bag crudely strapped to the rear rack of an ancient three-speed at a nearby bike shop (see photo). Unable to get the poor lump of canvas out of my mind, I went back and asked about the bag--it had been thrown out! Luckily the trash barrel had not been emptied and the bag was literally pulled out and handed over to me. Talk about timing, right? (Not something you'd expect to happen in rural Vermont... maybe somewhere in France?) With the bag in hand I had a template that provided a nice place to start from.
Besides making cycling gear I love to goof around with my wife Nancy, savoring long cycling journeys close to home and far away, making maple syrup, gardening, hiking the mountains of New England, skiing, taking naps, and going on adventures with our nieces and nephews.
I'm grateful everyday that I get to do this work. Among the many tragedies of Covid, one upside is that after years of getting ready, Waxwing became a full time endeavor in 2020.
I'm grateful everyday that I get to do this work. Among the many tragedies of Covid, one upside is that after years of getting ready, Waxwing became a full time endeavor in 2020.