Waxwing Bag Co. is nestled in the heart of Vermont's Green Mountains.
All bags are made by me, Dave Cain (in blue shirt on left, above). The desire --perhaps need -- to make functional beauty is a significant part of who I am and it's been that way for most of my life. With a background is 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, studied painting and architecture, and created furniture, yet bags are where I've landed, and happily so. They provide a perfect opportunity to connect that desire to make with the world of bikes and adventure. I love the notion that my work helps facilitate the requirements of others as they travel, commute, adventure or simply just ride around.
Many years ago I wanted a Rivendell Hobo bag. Alas, they were out of stock, so I decided to try making my own. The process was deeply engaging and fun in a way that stuck with me. In hindsight it was one of those lightbulb moments where I knew with an unusual degree of clarity that this is what I wanted to do. That clarity stayed with me over the next few years as we built our future home and I did other work while I just started making bags.
As I was beginning to focus on bag making chance would have it that I noticed a ragged old French handlebar bag (see photo) crudely strapped to the rear rack of an ancient three-speed at a nearby bike shop. Unable to get the neglected lump of canvas out of my mind, I went back a few days later and asked about the bag--it had been thrown out! Luckily the barrel had not been emptied and the bag was literally pulled out of the trash and handed over to me. Talk about timing, right? You simply don't come across random old randonneuring bags in rural Vermont. Something was conspiring...
All bags are made by me, Dave Cain (in blue shirt on left, above). The desire --perhaps need -- to make functional beauty is a significant part of who I am and it's been that way for most of my life. With a background is 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, studied painting and architecture, and created furniture, yet bags are where I've landed, and happily so. They provide a perfect opportunity to connect that desire to make with the world of bikes and adventure. I love the notion that my work helps facilitate the requirements of others as they travel, commute, adventure or simply just ride around.
Many years ago I wanted a Rivendell Hobo bag. Alas, they were out of stock, so I decided to try making my own. The process was deeply engaging and fun in a way that stuck with me. In hindsight it was one of those lightbulb moments where I knew with an unusual degree of clarity that this is what I wanted to do. That clarity stayed with me over the next few years as we built our future home and I did other work while I just started making bags.
As I was beginning to focus on bag making chance would have it that I noticed a ragged old French handlebar bag (see photo) crudely strapped to the rear rack of an ancient three-speed at a nearby bike shop. Unable to get the neglected lump of canvas out of my mind, I went back a few days later and asked about the bag--it had been thrown out! Luckily the barrel had not been emptied and the bag was literally pulled out of the trash and handed over to me. Talk about timing, right? You simply don't come across random old randonneuring bags in rural Vermont. Something was conspiring...
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, skiing, taking naps, and going on adventures with friends and family.
It's a pleasure to do this work. One of upsides among the countless tragedies of covid has been that--after years of building towards it--Waxwing became a full time endeavor in 2020. I haven't looked back!
It's a pleasure to do this work. One of upsides among the countless tragedies of covid has been that--after years of building towards it--Waxwing became a full time endeavor in 2020. I haven't looked back!