Comments for aaron lam • life through the lens

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by Irene

Irene — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:21:09 +0000

* correction :: and NOW it’s looking fresh and smelling great again!

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by Irene

Irene — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:18:38 +0000

Just wanted to share some cleaning info on the bag, as I know there has been interests on other web forums on cleaning the Belstaff 556 or 554 bags. I put my 556 into the washing machine, using handwash / delicate cycle and bit of woolite for dark colours. Turned the bag inside out as well. Bag came out great! Hung dry the bag for a few days — and not its looking fresh and smelling great again!

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by Alejandro

Alejandro — Wed, 29 May 2013 03:40:37 +0000

It is nice to see, Aaronlam, that you have kept up with the updates on this page about the bags that Belstaff used to sell for all these years. I remember going on this site for information on Belstaff bags back when Beltaff.com used to sell them. I was too young to be able to buy these bags, and unfortunately, now that I am old enough and in college, I can’t. The genuine product from Belstaff eludes me and can now only be found as random auctions on ebay The bag I was interested in was the large man bag mountain brown ( I think that is what it is called, I could never find the series name, like 551 or 554). Every website listed on your page that could possibly sell these items either does not exist anymore or is out of stock with no possibility of restocking( I have contacted them all!). I have decided to forgo the Belstaff bag and go with a similar looking bag. I would never buy a knock off, I just don’t agree with the ethics. I have also decided to craft my own bag from what I learn from this bag that I buy. I feel Belstaff made a mistake to not continue this line, so I will make a similar product, with a similar style and maybe start a small company and fill in the niche?
Thank you Aaronlam, it has been a pleasure to follow you on this page.

p.s A little about me: I am from London, Ontario, and I have just completed my first year of engineering

Sincerely,

Alejandro

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by nebelriss

nebelriss — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:55:23 +0000

Hi
Does someone know where i can get a 556 or 554 in europe?

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by aaronlam

aaronlam — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:51:56 +0000

@Justin One of these fits perfect: Maxpedition Mini Organizer. It's 4" x 6" x 0.75". You can see above how I have mine organized. The side pockets are really only good for holding things you don't need to access on a regular basis. They are tapered and small... I have little pouches that hold on one side a toothbrush/toothpaste and other side hand sanitizer. But if you strap the leather into the buckle, they aren't easy to remove. The full size Maxpedition (and the like) pocket organizer fits in the 554 front pockets.

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by Justin

Justin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:22:51 +0000

Aaaron, one thing I have not seen is a good shot of what sort of items can fit in the exterior (front and side) and interior (zipper) pockets. This is a major factor as I like my EDC to be highly organized! I was able to find a Belstaff outlet with 554/556 bags in stock, unfortunately only in Panama and Khaki…looks like a lost cause for those of us that want mountain brown

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by aaronlam

aaronlam — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:57:41 +0000

@carolin

Does this help you?

http://www.aaronlam.com/blog/2009/07/18/belstaff-556-colonial-shoulder-bag/comment-page-2/#comment-2824

Comment on belstaff 556 colonial shoulder bag. by carolin

carolin — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:59:39 +0000

Hi! Is it possible to get picturs with the 556 and the 554 on, like on your soldier ? So it’s easy to compaire and se how it looks on. Since i’m small it can look kinda funny with a too big bag on me. Thankx for the great info!

Comment on belstaff 554 large colonial shoulder bag. by aaronlam

aaronlam — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 03:57:05 +0000

@Alex No I did not... mine came like that. And the leather on my 554 has kept much better than my 556 which has curled somewhat... not a big deal but my 554 straps are pretty nice.

Comment on belstaff 554 large colonial shoulder bag. by Alex

Alex — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:03:31 +0000

@aaron

Hey did you put oil on your leather to soften it? It’s super stiff and hard. I heard many people use Neatsfoot oil to soften if up and treat it. Let me know. Thanks