I've recently acquired a mint, unissued M & CO Mk VII gas mask bag dated 1942 - inspired by Swindiana's recent bag pics, I thought I would share a few snaps too:
Talk about intact!
She's a beaut, Al. Congratulations!
I wonder what the "L" stands for. I know the WWI American version of the "small box respirator" came in different sizes, maybe this bag was intended for a size large respirator? Not sure...
I just got my MKVII bag from Endicotts. It arrived in amazing condition!! Here are pictures of mine in the two views that Al posted:
Mine is more for use as a "man purse" than a movie replica. But I'm still going to change the strap to a leather one. I'm heading out to my leather wholesaler later today to try to find something.
It appears to be in unused condition. I ordered it and was here in less than a week...all the way from the UK. I think he has them priced at 25 pounds with shipping included.
He doesn't have them listed on his site, you have to email Kevin to get them. You can email him from his site http://www.endicotts.co.uk/.
I've only done one purchase from Endicotts, but I highly recommend them! I was expecting a used bag to show up, but I got a new one...pretty sweet!
Something I always wanted to know about these bags is... Well, considering that they most likely have undergone over a six decade long storage period, do they smell really bad?
My experience is they smell like flowers... Then again I'm pretty weird when it comes to these bags.
In reality they tend to have a rather musty smell sometimes, but not something you need a nose clamp for. Some people wash their bags, others hang them outside to air, some use kitty litter, coffee beans, febreeze or other chemicals to get rid of the smell. It depends on how the bag was stored and how sensetive you are to the smell I guess. My last two bags I haven't washed or done anything to and the smell just went away from daily use.
Here's a picture of my MKVII bag with it's new strap.
Making a new strap was super easy. I found a belt blank at my local leather joint and riveted it on. The leather strap looks much better than the canvas one.
I hate you louiefoxx... You've convinced to get my own bag now...
And you too Swindiana!
But thanks guys, I guess I should be able to live with that musty smell. It's just that I keep imaging toting around a bag that smells like grandma's place... But you're right, it's nothing a couple of weeks (or at worst, a trip to the cleaner's) can't fix!
Last edited by Castor Dioscuri on Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Got my MK-VII bag from Endicotts about a week ago also and it too had WWII smell. As said earlier the smell isn't that bad and you almost have to put it up to your face to get a full whiff of it. It's airing out now and I'll be putting on a new strap soon.
I recommend getting it from Endicotts, Kevin's a good guy and you get an era item - like this hasn't been said before.
Just for reference though, are there any 'checks' that should be performed once I recieve the MKVII to make sure it's still in a usable state? All I've heard of so far is to try tugging it at the edges just to make sure it's safe from dry rot, but are there tests you guys perform?
I wouldn't worry.
These things were built for war. They're practically bulletproof.
I have two bags, an issued one for daily use and an unissued one for the outfit.
The issued bag I have been carrying for five years in all possible conditions and it still stands tall.
FYI though, should you ever happen to accidently get a pen mark down your bag, just scrub it with an old toothbrush and milk. It WILL disappear, I promise.
Here's the same bag from the start of this thread with a new leather strap fitted:
The strap comes from an eBay seller, ryczanowski, who I notice sells a variety of Indy related leather goods.
Made from a single supple length of dark brown British bridle leather, this strap is supplied with a nickel-plated cast steel roller buckle (as in Temple of Doom and Last Crusade) and screw rivets to attach it to your gas mask bag.
It's a nice strap - the quality of the leather is one of the best I have seen for an Indy bag in fact, thick and strong with a good colour.
