– A Unique Bag Named for a Unique Duck – ‘The Muscovy‘

Text & Photo by Rie Sawada

Landscapes and Lifestyles can align to create beautiful things.

SimWorks is pleased to present a new bag in collaboration with Randi Jo Fabrications. Behind it lies a wealth of time, experiences, motivations, and anecdotes.

Randi Jo is a beautiful person and strong woman whom I admire and aspire to live my life like. When I first met her, I immediately felt a connection to her, her husband Eric, and their son Beck, and her daughter Coe who was just born at home a few days before I arrived. Crazy to realize that was 12 years ago. Since then, I often stop by their farm house in Elkton, Oregon on my way to the coast. It’s a peaceful place to stop by and rest- a refuge that makes me feel more relaxed.

Randi Jo and her family live in her grandmother’s house- which has been in the family for several generations. The kitchen, though simple, is decorated and colored like something out of a movie. Colorful dishes and kitchenware are stylishly stored, and every item is well-used. I admire Randi Jo and her lifestyle- it’s simple, natural pace in such a wonderful environment.

It seems that every time I visit, I encounter baby animals. I’ve had the experience of feeding milk to lambs and goat kids with a bottle, watching ducklings hatch from eggs, and tracking their development. I’ve also had the pleasure of witnessing and enjoying the growth of Randi and Eric’s children, who are thoughtful, unique, and lovely people in their own right.

Randi’s father is a carpenter, and recently, he and his wife have moved into a treehouse they built themselves. Randi’s workshop is a handmade trailer house, crafted by the whole family. This truly fairy-tale-like environment is where all the products of Randi Jo Fabrications are created.

It would follow that sensitive people at a peaceful idyllic homestead would make beautiful products. Going back to a letter from Shinya in 2018, we had asked Randi to create a new bag to work with our Nitto Bag Supporter. We’re pleased to be able to offer this limited initial run of our new ‘Muscovy Bag’!

It’s a unique and handsome bag perfect for picnics, commuting, running errands, potluck duties, BBQs, and so many scenarios in between. It’s a roll-top bag that can store items ranging from small to tall, making it easy to see and access the contents. The front zipper pouch helps to keep some personal items isolated, and the side pockets are perfect for smaller items you might want to access on the fly- like a tube of sun screen or a paper map.

Recently, I got to stay at Randi’s farmstead for about a week to house sit while the family was out of town, and experienced their lovely farm life living with their happy animals. When I saw one of their ducks at their farm, I thought it was a chicken headed duck but I asked Randi and she laughed “That is a Muscovy Duck!”. Super cool – very prehistoric looking.

So it seemed only right that we name our new bag ‘Muscovy Bag’ because those ducks are unique, just like the bags, and also, the bags are made with ‘Duck Canvas’

　　

Randi also made us a small batch of the Biggest MUT (Multi Use Tote), which pair cleverly with the SimWorks Burrito Rack. The ‘Biggest MUT’ perfectly matches the aesthetic and utility of the Muscovy Bag. They’re a dynamic duo. These MUTs are capable stuff-sac style bags that offer ample volume for hauling cargo in a catch-all safe environment. The duck canvas material is weather and stain resistant, extremely durable, and looks even better with some years and miles woven in it.