For eternal joy & true friendship
How does customer service work? What happens in the event of a defect? How is a compagnon built? How is it maintained?
Our warranty
Our products are of course covered by the statutory warranty. In the event of a material defect, we are always there for you to carry out a repair or, in extreme cases, a replacement, so that your compagnon works perfectly for you.
compagnon camera bags and backpacks should give you pleasure for as long as possible. Regardless of whether you use our bags professionally or for your hobby, all materials, parts and production are designed to be robust and reliable for many years. Should a defect occur even after the warranty period of two years, we will still help you with a repair. Describe your problem to us in an email, add a few photos or a video and we will solve the problem together.
Without proper care, things break down over time, just like living beings. This also applies to naturally tanned leather. The warmer and drier your environment, the faster leather dries out. Just like your skin, your compagnon therefore needs care that is as natural as possible. Does the leather on your compagnon feel dry or brittle? With our beewax leather care, you can refresh the fiber & color and maximize water resistance again. With a care session every 9–18 months (depending on use), compagnon leather lasts for many, many years.
With our talented seamstresses and leather artisans, we can repair almost anything on our leather and canvas products. In the wonderful compagnon materials, seams can be restitched, components replaced, and much more. But of course, these steps are labor-intensive; several components may need to be disassembled, remade, and attached. Therefore, we need approx. 5–6 weeks for a repair/maintenance, including all shipping routes. Please plan accordingly.
General wear and tear, especially due to insufficient or neglected care, or (intentional) destruction, cannot, of course, be covered by the compagnon warranty. With years and decades of experience, the causes of damage are easy to identify. But even in the event of a defect caused by improper use, we won't leave you out in the rain. For a contribution towards expenses starting at just €29, we will carry out a necessary, common repair for you to make your compagnon ready for use again (applies only to Heritage Line products made of leather/canvas).
Unfortunately, over the years we have found that bags or backpacks are sometimes sent to us for maintenance heavily soiled, carelessly crumpled, and completely unmaintained. No seamstress or artisan can or wants to work on a compagnon in this condition. This results in time-consuming cleaning and preparation efforts, which we unfortunately have to charge for. We try so hard to handle repairs or maintenance almost free of charge, and we want to avoid the carelessness of a few turning into a costly consequence for everyone.
To save both you and us from this in the event of a repair, please empty your backpack or bag carefully before shipping it to us. If your bag has never been cleaned or at least vacuumed after years of daily use, please remove coarse dirt, pet hair, and similar contaminants before your compagnon goes on its journey to us.
Personal & individual modification requests are, of course, not repairs. We can rarely accommodate custom orders in our production schedule; they always involve an enormous amount of time for several employees and therefore high costs. We are happy to listen to such requests, even if they are usually not feasible and/or economically viable.
What our production and our workshop create takes passion and time. With a little care, this passion will stay by your side for a very long time.
Your leather companion will become absolutely individual over time. The patina is a reflection of your use & is always unique. Light brown leathers develop a clearer patina, dark brown hides develop a medium-strong character over the years, while black leathers look new for a long time and change very little. However, the robustness and durability is identical for all leathers.
Since fall 2022, we have been offering Generation III models, which are made from a new leather that has more character, even more robustness and an even more velvety feel when new. In return, we have greatly reduced the patina on all colors, which means that Gen III compagnons no longer change significantly with use, but are an aesthetic statement right from the start. Despite all the new advantages, Gen III is, as is a matter of course with compagnon, purely naturally tanned and free from harmful chemicals.
Of course, the compagnon guarantee cannot cover general wear and tear, especially in the event of insufficient or even neglected care or (willful) destruction. With years and decades of experience, it is easy to recognize the causes of damage. But even in the event of a defect caused by improper use, we won't leave you out in the cold. For a small contribution towards expenses of €29, we will carry out a necessary, standard repair for you (only Heritage products, leather/canvas).
Nature knows no absolute equality. Our leather products are made from purely naturally tanned leather from southern Germany. The hides themselves are never identical. There are hides full of character with distinct pores and grain or raw hides that are very smooth and uniform. As our leathers are not exposed to any chemicals, there is no absolute color stability. Certain deviations are normal and will vary with individual use due to the patina.
Nothing works without fairness. The talented people involved in the manufacture of our products receive a wage that does justice to their skills and can support a family. This is the only way that first-class craftsmanship has a future. We are particularly proud that our 'Element Line' since 2020 and the 'Adapt Line' since 2023 have helped to establish manufacturing conditions according to European guidelines in Vietnam & Asia. We share our Vietnamese production partner for our Element & Adapt models with well-known outdoor brands from the ultra-premium segment and will thus continue to offer pioneering fair, western working conditions in Asia in the future.
Protecting nature and the environment means more than just local, environmentally friendly production. We pay close attention to efficient, short transportation routes and the use of natural materials or recycled components. But the most important environmental protection of all is the long service life of compagnon products. Because the most environmentally friendly product is always the one that you can love and use for many years.