I was up in Vancouver BC over the weekend and got to check out the Roots store there. They seem to specialize in sweatpants and sweaters but they also make leather bags and accessories.
There don’t seem to be any roots stores in the USA but they do list USA on their store finder so maybe I have missed one. Either way they will happily ship you stuff. Unfortunately, you wont get to check out their stuff if you do that but they have a 30 day return policy.
Roots makes some nice looking leather backpacks but I was a little disappointed when I touched them. The leather is very thin and floppy. On the backpack The straps that close the main compartment and front pouch are the same thin leather that the body is made of.
Oddly The black Papa Alex Prince bag seemed more robust than the brown Hiking Pack from the Tribe collection. Apparently Prince is a different leather.
The Hiking Pack was unlined and just so floppy. You can see in the picture how it is slouching on itself. This collection claims to be some fancy Italian leather and I am sure it is but it’s the wrong weight for a bag that is going to get heavy use.
The only bags that really caught my eye are the Horween collection. They looked and felt quite substantial and well made. If you are considering a bag from Roots I would highly recommend you start here.
I played with the Shave Kit and the Bay Street Case. Both feel very sturdy and luxurious.
Summary
They list a lot of leathers in there Care Section but I only got to experience Prince, Tribe, and Horween. I was very disappointed in the Tribe collection. Horween leather is far superior to the Italian leather they are using in the Tribe bags. Check it out if you get a chance. Also, I bought a phenomenal pair of sweatpants while there!