Originally started by two Philadelphia bike messengers frustrated with their bags, R.E.Load Baggage has grown from a service spread by word-of-mouth to a company that sells their bags in bike stores all over the country. R.E.Load creates durable messenger bags ranging from their very large “deluxe” (15 x 19 x 10) to “micro mini” (9 x 10 x 4) and has recently started making backpacks as well. While they sell standard designs to distributors, they are best loved for their custom services, working with customers to create the look they want. The graphics look machine embroidered or silk-screened, but all are hand-stitched.
Now in their 11th year, R.E.Load has grown as the messenger lifestyle has become mainstream, but the company manages to stay true to their roots. The store operates out of an unassuming warehouse just past Chinatown. Huge bolts of cordura — a synthetic, durable canvas — and vinyl coated nylon lean against one wall, ranging from neon pink to army green. Scraps litter the floor under half a dozen industrial sewing machines. With only eight employees, everyone is somehow directly involved in the production of the bags.
Additionally, the company strives to keep all materials locally made — most come from Rhode Island or New York. They also try to stay environmentally friendly by phasing out the vinyl coated nylon that lines bags with recycled truck tarp. The showroom in the back is modest in size but impressive in its range of graphic prints — just samples of what customers can create with their own imagination. Bags start at $83 dollars; prices increase with size and add-ons, ranging from custom pockets to shoulder pads. Functional and fashionable, all at once.
