little messenger Gen III

Exterior features

• compagnon fans not only love the amazing look and feel of our leather products, the protection for your equipment is also first class. Our leather is weatherproof, robust, fully lined with shock-absorbing padding and, with a little care, will be your reliable companion for many, many years to come
• The compagnon messengers have a timeless and classic look, modern and functional details are present but well hidden. The closure of the main flap comes from the German extreme sports manufacturer Fidlock and ensures automatic, magnetic closing including mechanical latching. The flap can be opened silently and smoothly just by pulling it down slightly
• the useful front pocket of our compagnon messenger range is not only protected from the elements by the characteristic main flap, but also from thieves
• For added security, there is a hidden zipped compartment behind the large front pocket, which is particularly suitable for valuables and is not immediately obvious even when the flap is open
• the generous zipper pocket on the back of this compagnon extends over almost the entire width of the bag, so it not only offers plenty of storage space, but also practical, easy access
• The base of your little messenger has solid metal feet which, together with the internally reinforced base plate, ensure that your bag is always stable. This means your bag will always stand upright instead of falling over
• the wide shoulder strap is backed by a high-strength and extremely durable military nylon fabric and for your maximum comfort there is a removable leather shoulder pad which you can position as you wish
• The most robust shoulder strap offers no security if the rings or eyelets are not of high quality. Our solid metal parts are not only extremely strong, but also offer additional surface protection, durability and a special look thanks to their gunmetal anodization
• The zippers are also designed for many years of use and are made by YKK, the premium world market leader for sophisticated fasteners
• A compagnon always offers 'passive theft protection', as it is not recognizable as a camera bag and also has numerous features that make it particularly difficult for thieves

Interior features

• all-round padded main storage compartment for safe, flexible transportation of your equipment
• with the foldable, large upholstered divider, through which even smaller optics or similar items can be stacked, as well as 2 smaller upholstered dividers, you can adapt the storage space to any type of load
• In the interior, we always use a first-class Velcro velour from Germany. This creates an extremely strong bond with all Velcro parts and ensures an incomparably strong hold. In addition, far more detachment is possible than with conventional Velcro materials
• In the front pocket you will find slots for a smartphone and various loops for a pen or stylus. This helps with organized work
• Additional padded laptop or tablet compartment for devices up to approx. 11 inches in size with leather strap fastening

New model generation III

In order to combine enjoyment and genuine environmental awareness even more, the compagnons of the new Generation III model are breaking new ground. We have remained true to a purely natural tanning process, but our Gen III compagnon leather is now traditionally barrel-tanned, extensively processed and finished by hand not far from our headquarters in southern Germany. The German rawhide now has more character right from the start and shows the natural surface of the leather more clearly, even when new. To achieve this, we have reduced the 'pull-up' effect of the patina formation. This means that your compagnon does not need a longer period of use to develop a color and structure full of character. This adjustment also makes the bag even more durable and resistant. To achieve these qualities of the new compagnon leather, it still does not need any chemicals or harmful additives such as chrome. It simply requires more manual work, more time and more passion. From now on, we also offer better color stability so that the look of different compagnons of Generation III match each other as perfectly as possible. We have also been able to improve the feel of the compagnon leather and achieve a smoother yet very high-quality feel when wearing and using it.
The compagnon leather of Generation III is therefore not only a true, environmentally conscious companion in the first step, the production by hand using regional and traditional methods and raw materials, but also in the second step, thanks to its many years of durability.
In the final production of our new generation of models, we have also spared no effort to scrutinize our models and features, which are appreciated worldwide, and make them even better. For example, in order to prevent the fibers on the underside of some of our natural cowhides, the lid of our Generation III messenger models is now double-lined with leather, while weekender models feature Velcro velour for additional practical applications. We continue to rely on solid metal parts with a vintage gunmetal anodization, which can match the robustness of our Generation III. The dimensions and divisions in the interior correspond to those of the predecessors, so it is still possible to expand across all model generations and your equipment will fit into our latest models as usual.
The inconspicuous front fastener will continue to come from the German extreme sports innovation manufacturer Fidlock. It snaps into place magnetically and keeps the bag closed. A gentle pull downwards releases the latch silently and the bag can be opened without any additional effort. The laptop/tablet compartment still does not have a press stud solution. The Velcro strap also reduces the risk of fine scratches on your equipment and still keeps it reliably in place.

Natural compagnon leather

Natural manufacturing processes with tradition and regional partners have been an absolute must at compagnon for years. For summer 2022, we are going a few steps further in terms of quality with our exclusive compagnon bull leather. Based on selected German cowhides, we use a local, strictly natural tanning process to create a robust yet supple material for our Heritage Line bags and backpacks. Each hide, and therefore each bag, has an individual pore and structure that reflects the life of the animal. We do not support absolute uniformity at the price of pure stable husbandry. A species-appropriate and natural life for the animals is at the heart of a beautiful and equally natural raw material.
compagnon leather is free from toxic and harmful additives and is therefore harmless to health, even when used intensively. We do not use any chemicals or harmful additives such as chrome. Due to the traditional handwork of our family tannery, we achieve good color stability even without these additives, so that deviations in color tone between different raw hides are minimal and color nuances are very uniform. In Generation III, compagnon leather is an even more local, regional product that combines the know-how of small, medium-sized and family-run businesses from our region.

As we cannot approve of any chemical care products for such natural leather, we recommend only ourspecially and personally home-made, organic-biological 'the beewax' care product.

All compagnon leather products are made by hand near Krakow.

Bodies

• Depending on the number of lenses & housing size, several cameras can of course also be transported
• compact mirrorless cameras such as Leica M10, Leica Q2, Olympus E-M1 Mark III, Fujifilm X-T4 and many more.
• compact APS-C DSLR bodies such as Canon EOS 80D, Nikon D500 etc.
• mirrorless full-frame systems such as Sony Alpha a7R IV, Canon R5, Nikon Z7 II etc.
• Full-frame DSLR bodies such as Canon EOS 6D Mark II, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Nikon D750 etc.

Lenses

• Lenses can be transported upright with a maximum length of approx. 20 cm
• camera-lens combinations up to approx. 30 cm in total length can also be stowed away when lying in the bag
• the height of the bag allows standard zooms such as a 70-200 f/4 (not attached) to be transported upright
• This also applies to a wide range of fast fixed focal lengths such as Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4, EF 85mm f/1.2, 135mm f/2, 14mm f/2.8 etc.

Accessories

• a laptop or tablet up to approx. 11 inches in size can be stowed in the laptop compartment
• depending on the size of the camera equipment, a compact drone kit can also be transported with a DJI Mavic, for example
• Documents, notebooks, filters, gloves, smartphones and various other items can be stored in the versatile front pockets and back pocket