About the Maker

Makeshifter Canvas Works is a one-woman canvas bag company founded upon the belief that there is a place for handsome, characterful handcrafted items in the bicycle industry. USA-milled canvas and wool are the primary materials used, creating bags that are as durable and functional as they are attractive.

Makeshifter’s home is on the stolen ancestral lands of the Clackamas, Cowlitz, and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde-including Atfalati, Multnomah, Kalapuya, Yamhill and many other bands and tribes, currently known as Portland, Oregon.

I started Makeshifter Canvas Works with a mission to bring alternative products to the bike industry, and to help casual cyclists feel more welcome, represented, and inspired by the cycling world. Makeshifter bags channel the love for a slow and rambling ride, a disregard for competitive ideals, and a sense of whimsy and humor that I hope will invite all to ride more.

When I started bike touring years ago, I was disappointed by the existing options for cycling bags--mostly synthetic, characterless, techy--and began designing and constructing my own bags. I sought an aesthetic that would pay homage to the cultures and places through which I pedal: the vibrant, art-filled city of Portland, rich Northwest forests and high desert, and an ancestral landscape that includes Indigenous cultures and traditional handcrafts. The materials, colors, patterns and design details you see in every Makeshifter product are a celebration of these roots.

Local pickup

If you live in the Portland area and don't want your item shipped, choose "Local Pickup" as your shipping option and you will not be charged for shipping. You'll receive an email when your order is ready for pickup. The pickup location is Golden Pliers Bicycle Repair & Supply in the Overlook neighborhood of North Portland. Golden Pliers also carries a full selection of Makeshifter products, and sometimes has colors or products not available online.

Do you wholesale?

As of September 2020, I am no longer accepting new wholesale accounts. Existing wholesale accounts will be honored :)

Shipping

Domestic Orders:

Orders ship via USPS, 2-3 times weekly. You'll be emailed shipment confirmation and tracking info when your order ships. 

Small, single items (wallets, APPs, Snackholes) ship First Class. Everything else goes Priority. It all takes 2-3 business days within the US. I don't offer anything faster because 2-3 days is pretty darn quick.

International:

International shipping is available, but it's costly. I've done my best to estimate using flat-rate shipping. If you happen to pay a lot more than it costs to ship internationally, I'll refund the difference.

Recently I’ve added a first-class option for International orders under 12 oz. While this is considerably less expensive, please be aware it could take 2-6 weeks for your package to arrive. Also tracking is sporadic or not available on first class parcels in most countries, so it’ll be a nice surprise when your package shows up. Depending on the destination, you may also need to pay a duty on your purchase.

Warranty

My goal is that Makeshifter bags last a really long time; at the very least I hope to do everything I can to keep them relevant, functional, and out of landfills. I learn from seeing how the bags wear over time, and make adjustments to designs when I note flaws or weaknesses. But even really well-made and durable stuff wears over time. You can always send/bring back your bag for a repair. If it just needs some labor and TLC, I'll fix it for a small labor fee (you pick up the shipping cost). If it is damaged or worn beyond repair, let's talk about a trade-in for a new bag.

Water-Resistance

Most Makeshifter bags are made of water-repellent waxed canvas, and will keep your gear dry through rainy commutes, depending on the bag and the conditions.

Canvas, which is woven of natural cotton fibers, expands when it absorbs water--closing pores in the fabric and keeping water out of the bag. You may notice in a total downpour that the bag will become saturated, but the inside of the bag is completely dry. Additionally, details like zipper flaps, taped seams, and roll-top openings help keep water out. Many bags now include a coated synthetic liner for added water repellency.

Clean/Care

Canvas is pretty darn good at keeping dirt out, and I tend to consider trail dust an aesthetic improvement. The wool patterns on a Makeshifter bag can shrink or become misshapen if scrubbed vigorously, as in a washing machine—so don’t do that. The best way to wash your bag is to rinse in cold water, and reshape to air dry. A hose (ALWAYS cold water!) & air dry works pretty dang good. Keep in mind that too much washing will wear out the natural water/mildew repellency. Waxed canvas should never be ironed, and shouldn't need any more than a wipe down with a damp cloth. A little dirt don't hurt.

Re-waxing

It usually takes years of wear for waxed canvas to require re-waxing. You may notice areas that get a lot of wear, perhaps in contact with a rack or basket, develop dry spots. 

The Outback Saddlebag, BasketCase and the Hangdown are all constructed of Martexin waxed canvas, and the same compound should be used to re-wax these spots. You can acquire some here.

The Snackhole, Temaki Tool Roll and APP are all beeswaxed, and should be re-waxed with natural beeswax.

I’m by no means an expert in waxing fabric, but there are lots of tips and tutorials out there. Here’s the basic idea of the process:

1. Warm up the fabric and the wax a bit. You can let your fabric sit in the sun for a while, hit it with a hair dryer, or put it in the clothes dryer on LOW for a minute or two.

2. Rub a little of the wax compound in with your fingers. Apply a little more heat so the wax sinks into the canvas then let it cool and dry. Use wax sparingly; it should saturate the fibers without becoming crusty or crumbly.

3. Wax will wear in over time, and an initially spotty appearance will eventually even out.

Snackholing

The beauty of the Snackhole Stem Bag is that it fits any bike and adjusts very easily. Every bike is different though, so you will have to figure out the best placement for each Velcro strap. Here's a basic diagram of how  & where to setup the straps on a Snackhole:

How to Install:

There are 3 velcro straps inside your Snackhole, one wide (A) and two skinny (B).

Pass a B strap through the webbing loop at the bottom of your Snackhole. This strap will go around your head tube, or around your fork if your head tube is very short.

Pass the other B strap through the daisy chain on your Snackhole, and around your stem.

Pass the A strap through the daisy chain on the Snackhole; this one will go around your handlebar.

Tips:

Feed the straps through the daisy chain. There are lots of options, so see what works best for your setup. The Snackhole should fit snugly in that 90 degree angle between your handlebars & your stem.

One you're happy with your setup, you can trim the velcro straps if they're too long. Straps should fit as snugly as possible to your bike to keep the Snackhole stable.

Keep the soft, fuzzy side of the velcro against your metal bits, and the crunchy, rough side outward. This will prevent the wearing of paint/finish from contact points on your bike.

If you’re using two Snackholes, set them up on either side of your stem with the triangles facing away from the bike. You can share the skinny straps (around the stem and the head tube) between the two bags.

Color & Fabric Guide

This section is for color nerds, or for those who really want to dive into the details of color matching bags to one another. I’ve done my best to note past/retired colors, to clear up confusion over the silly names I give colors, and note which combos consist of which colors.

More about the wool

The special bright details—the geometric shapes that are quilted together at the focal point of each bag—are felted wool. The wool adds a taste of color and texture to the work, but structurally, it’s not a very durable fabric. That’s why you only see small bits of wool on each bag. Wool is also available in a wide range of colors, so it helps liven up the very old-timey waxed canvas colors that are available. Framing the wool pieces with some stronger waxed canvas helps it hold up over time.

The wool color selection has changed over the years; here’s the current palette:

Notes about some wool colors:

There used to be a wool called "Rust" which was a dusty orange and was retired in fall of 2020. “Rusty” is its replacement; it’s similar but has more of a heathered grayish look to it. There used to be a Snackhole called "MOD/Hot Sauce" whose triangles consisted of Rust and Oatmeal, also retired fall of 2020.

“Substitute Art Teacher” is definitely pink. Call it magenta or whatever—it’s a fun, deep bright pink. Years ago I had a dignified, eggplanty purple wool that I called “Art Teacher” (which is funny since I used to be an art teacher).

Not pictured above is Orange—just orange, I ran out of cool names. It’s a creamy, soft orange à la Flintstones Push Pop. It’s used in a Snackhole with MOD canvas, currently (Winter 2021).

Waxed Canvas Colors & Details (updated Spring 2023)

The base fabrics for the larger bags (Outback, Basket Case, Hangdown) are #8 or #10 Martexin-waxed duck canvas. Tan, Black and Gray are my staples, with Pine and Brown making seasonal appearances. Pine looks almost black in photos, but once it gets some use it will look much more pine-green.

Smaller bags (Snackhole, APP, Temaki) are made with a lighter-weight (10 or 12oz) canvas that’s been beeswaxed by hand. The beeswax makes it smell dreamy! This supplier has a much wider range of colors, but it’s not quite heavy enough for a big, load-bearing bag that we want to hold up to years of abrasion. That’s why you see this fabric used for pockets and smaller bags. The staple colors are Ocean (deep teal-blue), Military Olive Drab (“MOD”), with Cedarbark (rich, red-brown) and Gold showing up seasonally. While MOD looks very similar to the Tan Martexin, it’s not the same fabric; MOD is ever so slightly darker, a tinge more green than the Tan.

Long-time color “Peacock” was discontinued in 2022, and replaced with “Ocean” (see below). Black & White waxed denim (sometimes abbreviated “BW”) was also discontinued in 2022.

Color Combos—Decoded

If a bag uses just one canvas and one wool color, I try to stick with using those two color names for consistency across products. But some bags use lots of different fabrics, so I give those combinations fun names of their own. Here’s some help with that, if you’re trying to match fabrics across products:

• “West Coast" Hangdown = Gray & Peacock waxed canvas, Spice wool.

• "Deer Camp" Hangdown = Tan & MOD waxed canvas, Moonlight wool.

• "NW Forest" Hangdown = Pine & Cedarbark waxed canvas, Wasabi wool.

• “Gray/Golden Hour” Basket Case = Gray & Gold waxed canvas, Spice & Substitute Art Teacher wool.

• "Gray/Sunrise" Basket Case = Gray & Peacock waxed canvas, Spice & Mustard wool.

• "Black/Pacific" Basket Case = Black waxed canvas & BW waxed denim, Swimming Pool & Forest Service wool.

• "Tan/High Desert" Basket Case = Tan & Cedarbark waxed canvas, Oatmeal & Volcanic wool.

• Tan/Juniper HIll Basket Case = Tan & MOD waxed canvas, Juniper & Rusty wool.

• “Black/Coastal” Basket Case = Black & Ocean waxed canvas, Swimming Pool & Forest Service wool.

Peacock vs. “Ocean” —Fall 2022

Peacock is one of the longest standing canvas colors, but this year it was discontinued by the manufacturer. Its replacement I’m calling Ocean, and it’s very very similar, but darker. If you’re trying to match a new Ocean bag to some of the old products with Peacock canvas, it’ll work just fine. Here’s what the two colors look like side-by-side: