Dopp Backpack
My forever backpack and it’s unused doppelgänger. 9 years of traveling has changed the bag, but it’s changed me even more (the traveling, not the bag per se, but I do love this bag!).
The Dopp brand backpack on the left I purchased at Kohl’s in 2014 before a trip with my husband Dantan, my brother Gideon, and his wife Janet—our ‘first-and-last-hurrah adventure’ to London, Paris, & Brussels. That trip was the reason Dantan got his passport… and since Gid was about to start working at the funeral home, it would be the only vacation we could take together. It was an unforgettable trip!
I was an adult, but my Mom actually went with me on the trip to Kohl’s when I bought the bag. There was only one left in this olive khaki color and several in a blue. We both liked the backpack, and of course both preferred the green—she very graciously gave me preference bought the blue for herself. Funny enough, she doesn’t remember the bag at all. 😂 Thanks again, Mom!
The backpack quickly became my all-time favorite perfect travel bag and has been on 5 continents with me. Recently, I was able to purchase a barely-used one with the intention that I will have a spare if it gets stolen or I can steal parts in case anything rips or breaks. It only took 3 years, but I found one—it may not look like it, but I promise it’s the same bag! Just a simple waxed canvas, but it suits me.
Trusty backpack in Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. When I bought it in 2014, the trolley sleeve was not as much of a standard feature as it is now for most backpacks.
I am sorry to say the bag isn’t commercially available anymore, but they sometimes pop up for sale on Ebay or Mercari or Poshmark or similar resale sites. From my research this Dopp brand bag is indeed of the same company that invented Dopp kits in 1919. In fact, it came with a tag that said “Since 1919” so I’m certain. The term “dopp kit” was coined by leatherworker Charles Doppelt, who patented the idea of "Dopps" in 1919 and marketed them locally before landing a contract with the US Army during WWII. The patent office said the brand was sold to Samsonite in the 1970’s then sold to Buxton in ‘79 so that’s the parent company who I assume made my bag.
The brand name ceased to be used by 2003 which means when I picked it up in 2014 the bag was already 11 years old at least. It really makes you think about the ripple effect and how our stuff has a life of it’s own after we no longer need it. All this to say, I really like the bag, and by owning it I’ve learned a lot about Charles Doppelt and how something ordinary can become special over time.
Perhaps thousands of this bag went into production? I wonder if anyone else also has a fondness for this bag as much as I do…?