a Maine bag company
Waxed Canvas vs. Nylon Tote
Two great totes, two different personalities
One gets better every year you carry it. The other shrugs off just about anything you throw at it, or in it.
At AU we make totes in both. Sailwax™ is our waxed cotton canvas with leather handles and trim. Harbour is our carefree, water-resistant nylon. Both were born on the Maine coast, both can handle a wet dock and a sandy beach, and both will carry more than you probably should. Here’s how to pick the one that fits the way you live.
At a glance
| Sailwax™ waxed canvas | Harbour nylon | |
|---|---|---|
| The fabric | Wax-infused cotton canvas, leather handles and trim, chocolate brown lining | Water-resistant nylon. Navy/Red is lined in yellow, Navy/White in white |
| In the weather | Superior water resistance. It started life as foul-weather gear for mariners | Water resistant. Wipe it off and keep going |
| Over the years | Wears in and picks up character, kinda like your favorite pair of jeans | Stays crisp and bright |
| The feel | Sturdy and substantial, a classic | Light and carefree, with crazy strength |
| Care | Brush off, spot clean with cold water, re-wax now and then | Mild soap and water, air dry |
| Colors | Chestnut or Navy | Navy/Red or Navy/White |
| Best for | Every day, the office, weekends away | Market runs, beach days, sailing, club and team gifts |
| The totes | Medium Zip Tote (13 × 19 × 7) Large Zip Tote (17 × 24 × 9) | 6 Pocket Market Tote (13 × 20 × 8) Zip-Sprint Harbour (14 × 18 × 8) Harbour Large Zip Tote (17 × 24 × 9) |
Sizes are height × width × depth in inches.
Choose Sailwax™ if you love things that age well
Sailwax is the original oil cloth, developed in Scotland in the early 1800s as foul-weather gear for mariners. Wax worked into tough cotton canvas gives it superior water resistance and amazing durability, and every crease and scuff adds character. Add leather handles and corners and you have a tote that looks as good at the office as it does on the boat.
New waxed canvas has a slightly waxy hand, and that’s the point: it softens and settles in the more you carry it. Every Sailwax bag comes in Chestnut or Navy with a chocolate brown lining. Start with the Medium Zip Tote for every day, or the Large Zip Tote when you need room for everything.
Choose Harbour if you want carefree
We love our Harbour bags for their crazy strength, carefree water-resistant nylon and carry-everywhere style. Sand, sunscreen, a wet towel, a dripping water bottle: Harbour takes it, wipes clean and heads back out.
- The 6 Pocket Market Tote has outside pockets for your water bottle, keys and phone, and a nylon bottom that wipes clean.
- The Zip-Sprint Harbour is the same shape as our Zip Sprint, which fits four beach towels with room to spare, and it zips shut against the sand.
- The Harbour Large Zip Tote is the carry-everything bag.
Harbour also makes a great club, team or corporate gift. Call (207) 333-3366 for quantity pricing.
Or meet in the middle: Raincoat Cotton™
Can’t decide? Our Raincoat Cotton™ is laminated cotton: the look and feel of cotton with a wipe-clean, water-resistant finish, in prints designed exclusively for AU by Maine textile designer Erin Flett and hand silk-screened in the USA. It’s water resistant, not waterproof, so don’t leave it sitting in a puddle.
Try the French Tote, our signature daybag™, the Medium Open Tote, the oversized Grande Open Tote or the Zip Sprint.
Whichever you choose, you’re getting a bag built for the Maine elements, made to be carried for years.
Still deciding? Compare every bag in our size guide, read how to care for your AU bag, or call us at (207) 333-3366.