Looking Back on 2018 and Ahead to Our 10th Anniversary

January 02, 2019

10 Years of North St. Bags

10 years ago, we needed a bike bag that didn't exist. Something rugged, waterproof, and adaptable - something made locally, that supported an active and environmentally conscious lifestyle, and looked good doing it. It wasn't out there yet, so we bought a sewing machine and made it. That was the beginning of the North St. that you know today - a problem to solve, an idea, and a sewing machine.

In the 10 years since founding North St., our look has evolved, we've upgraded our fabrics and debuted a ton of new gear. Through all that, we've stayed true to the spirit of that first bag. We make bags to improve your life, to enable a healthy, happy commute, to encourage adventure and connection with the world around us, and to support a lifestyle of owning fewer, better things in an age of excess.

2018 Highlights

2018 saw incredible change for us. Early in the year we moved to a bigger space in Portland's historic Hawthorne district. With more freedom to grow, production became more agile, and we expanded our custom color options exponentially. We launched the Weekender line, and it was quickly picked up by every day carry experts at CNET, The Manual, and Bicycling. The Scouts joined our Pioneers with VX fabric options to critical acclaim.

Our new space - full of potential back in March, now full of sewing machines and bags.

The Weekender Backpack and Meeting Bag featured on CNET's best travel laptop bags of 2018

Our first two limited edition prints - Wayfinder and Pointers

Newly launched VX fabrics exploded in popularity for the Scouts and Pioneers

Over 10,000 bags and accessories, handmade in our PDX shop

Looking Ahead.

2019 is already shaping up to be our best year yet. New bags, new events, and a ton of cool new patterns and colors are coming your way.

Thank you for supporting North St. Bags into our 10th year! We can't wait to see where you'll take us next. Until then, Take Care, Travel Well, and Adventure Right.

--The North St. Bags Team

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Most of our product line is named after streets in Portland, OR where we're based. We take pride in making our products locally, and employing folks from our community, and we wanted to highlight this with our naming convention.

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How to Select the Ideal Bike Pannier Hook Size

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When you order your new bike pannier or convertible backpack pannier you’ll need to select the hook size that best fits your bike’s cargo rack. These hooks—two near the top of the pannier—slot over the horizontal tube(s) of the cargo rack and then a bottom hook on a bungee holds tension for a secure fit.

While it’s a simple system, one of the most common questions we get is: what’s the right hook size for my bike? Click to read more.

You Asked, and We Listened!

September 20, 2023

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to our feedback survey earlier this summer. We were blown away by your kind words and excellent ideas. Thank you! Read up on the results from the survey and what folks are saying about North St. Bags.