Canvas vs Leather: How to Choose the Perfect Bag for You
If it's time to buy a new backpack, and you are wondering about whether canvas or leather is better, we have the perfect backpack material buying guide for you.
Depending on your circumstances, either canvas or leather could be the perfect bag for you.
Factors to consider are the weather conditions in your area, what you plan to use the bag for, and the amount of time you wish to spend maintaining the pack.
Each type of fabric comes with its own advantages and disadvantages and each type of bag satisfies certain needs, while meeting some requirements and expectations. In order to help you make excellent choices for your work/travel/casual accessories department, we will talk about canvas vs. leather and try to learn which one is the perfect bag for you.
And then, of course, there is the question of your style. Read on to learn about the differences between canvas vs leather bags.
Classic Leather Bag
Even the most animal-conscious consumer will admit that leather is one of the best products are far as durability, and weather-proof abilities are concerned.
Strength is one of the most significant advantages of leather bags, and one of the biggest disadvantages of cotton bags, which won't last as long.
Leather bags have a timeless elegance to them that nobody can deny. Despite high levels of debate on using leather for any type of products – and thus endangering animals to harvest their leather – the world still uses leather shoes, bags, and other types of clothing and accessories for at least two reasons: well-treated leather is durable and it looks stylish in any given occasion.
Pros
- Leather has been always the first preference over other materials because it can offer the wearer long years of service. It is also sturdy enough to endure rough handling and heavy weights, and it does not catch dirt easily.
- Leather gets softer with age, while gaining a more refined look due to the patina that enhances the vintage, somehow rugged aspect of the leather. The typical patina is the indicator of the leather’s genuine quality. Genuine and high-end leather is the most upmarket and elegant material available for manufacturing fashion goods.
Cons
- Despite popular knowledge, high-quality leather that features no chemical treatment absorbs water faster than waxed canvas. In other words, if rain catches you, you will have to dry the bag quickly. You can treat a leather bag with waterproof chemicals, but this means damaging its patina.
- Leather is more high-maintenance than canvas or waxed canvas. It absorbs stains and oils very fast – and they damage the fabric – so you need to frequently clean leather bags with dry or slightly damp cloths.
- Leather dries out quickly. Just as you treat your shoes with leather enhancing products, silicone-based shiners, and leather conditioner, so you should treat your leather bags so they keep their properties and looks.
- If the leather bag suffers damages from scratches, wear, and tear, you cannot simply take a needle and some thread to fix it up (as you can do with most canvas bags). Leather repairs require professionals to handle the situation and make the necessary corrections.
- Besides not being Eco-friendly, leather products in general are more expensive than canvas ones. You can waterproof your canvas bag at a fraction of the price of the cheapest leather bag you find on the market.
Canvas Bags
Canvas bags have been in fashion for hundreds of years. Thanks to new technologies, now we can enjoy canvas bags in various sizes, shapes, colors, functionalities, and price ranges. In other words, there is more to canvas than the eye can see and we will look at its pros and cons from all points of view.
You can leave your new leather bag in a designated area once you enter the building and limit the amount of time you carry it. So it is best to consider the purpose for which the bag is to be used.
Canvas bags are much lighter and easier to carry, so many people choose them for travel. They are not as strong as a leather backpack, but can still be quite durable.
Canvas is a plain-woven fabric that is stronger and sturdier than other materials. The canvas fibers flex and adapt to the weight and size of the items you place inside, making it a bag you will love when you need to carry a lot more items.
Canvas is also a more environmentally friendly fabric than most leathers.
The Pulse of the Fashion Industry report noted that cotton has a higher environmental impact than textiles like nylon, modal, viscose, lyocell, polyester, and polypropylene, but said organic cotton has one-quarter of the ecological implications of traditionally farmed cotton.
If you like the idea of canvas instead of a leather bag, but want a water-resistant bag, look for waxed canvas bags or backpacks.
They aren't entirely waterproof, but, unlike untreated canvas bags, waxed canvas bags repel raindrops and keep your stuff dry in all but the most severe downpours.
A waxed canvas bag should be water-resistant enough to protect most things, but if you're looking for a laptop case, you may want to opt for leather to keep your laptop safe from moisture.
Pros
- Canvas is a much lighter and easier to carry fabric than leather.
- Canvas is more versatile, meaning manufacturers can create a variety of shapes and styles of bags, that you can choose from, depending on the purpose and the occasion you need the bags for.
- Canvas bags’ durability comes from the fact that canvas is a plain-woven fabric that provides strength and sturdiness. The canvas fibers flex and adjust with weight and size of the items you place inside. Most canvas bags will handle heavy items easier than other materials and it does not tear as easily.
- As fashion versatility is concerned, you can find canvas material bags, messenger bags, travel bags, and any other types of bags you can imagine featuring amazing colors and prints. You can style up canvas bags, paint them, decorate them or buy them in a myriad of prints, patterns, and crafted, handmade, unique designs.
- Normally, canvas requires little maintenance. A simple shopping tote bag for instance is easy to clean in your washing machine. Most canvas bags are low-maintenance, as dust and debris go away if you use a bristle brush or a damp cloth to wipe them. You can also treat canvas for more durability with specialized sprays.
- Canvas is eco-friendly and this is very important in a world more and more concerned with saving the planet and not using animals for fashion.
- In case you think that canvas is not waterproof and we have to mention this on the disadvantages list, you have to know that there are plenty of methods to render canvas waterproof and make it resilient to the elements.
Cons
Now that we solved the dilemma with waterproof canvas, we have to move next to the disadvantages list regarding canvas bags.
- From a fashion point of view, canvas bags are more forgiving in terms of looks. They have a sporty, dynamic flair to them. They look more casual than formal and they accompany mostly the young urban generation who is always on the run.
Even if some of the biggest designer brands use canvas as the primary material for their label bags, no one can argue against the fact that canvas is not "Wall Street" material – especially when it comes to formal business attires.
- While we showed you plenty of celebrities wearing canvas bags, they do not make the Oscar ceremonies either, as they match more bohemian, young, and lighthearted outfits for both men and women.
When Your Looks Matter
You're probably not planning to bring a backpack to a formal occasion but, you never know. Although the style has become more casual in recent years, you still shouldn't carry a gift to a wedding in a backpack.
It's not easy to make an easy canvas bag look formal. If you work in a casual setting, a canvas pack that comes with a sturdy strap is an appropriate choice for your needs and style.
Maintenance & Upkeep
Canvas products require limited upkeep. If you choose a simple shopping tote bag with a fabric strap, for instance, you can easily clean it in the washing machine.
Most canvases are easy to clean from dust and debris by merely using a bristle brush or a damp cloth to wipe them.
You can also treat the material for more endurance with specialized sprays to make them waterproof.
Whether someone takes care of canvas material or not, canvas bags are more prone to ripping, tearing, and general wear and tear - primarily if they are used to carry heavy items.
If you take a canvas bag to the beach, the pockets will remain full of sand, and colors that were vibrant at first will eventually fade in one or two years.
Leather requires more attention than canvas. It absorbs everything quickly - oil stains, wine stains, or anything else will be a nightmare to get rid of - and water is the worst.
Stains also damage the fabric, so you need to frequently clean leather bags with dry or slightly damp cloths. Leather dries out quickly too.
You need to treat your leather with conditioner or wax (follow the instructions on the bottle) to maintain its colors and finish. Leather will show its age by getting softer.
It creates a more refined look and showcases the rugged aspect of the leather that is also representative of the type of leather that the bag is made from - differentiating good quality from high quality.
Canvas vs. Leather: What Bag to Choose?
In short, both leather and canvas are durable, sturdy, great looking, and promising you long years of service. Waxed and waterproofed canvas is just as good as leather, as we use it for outdoor equipment and tents even – so this should not be a problem for anybody.
When you want to pick out of the two materials in a canvas vs. leather challenge, you first need to answer the following questions: what is the occasion you are going to wear your bag for and what attire will you wear together with the bag? Beyond the fashion differences, canvas is better than leather in terms of maintenance, durability, and reliability. Moreover, and we can’t stress this enough, Canvas is eco-friendly and no animal has to die in order for you to carry your things.
