Santa Cruz Harbor Tote

The story behind the Santa Cruz bags
While Reese and I were in California working on the Medical Team for the CrossFit Games, we took a day trip to Santa Cruz on our day off. We were walking along the Santa Cruz Wharf when I spotted Santa Cruz Boat Rental and immediately noticed their blue and yellow flotation seat covers.
Because apparently I can’t walk past an interesting piece of material without wondering if I can turn it into a bag, I asked the owner if I could buy one.
She told me they were actually getting ready to throw all of them away because new ones were coming in.
Well, that changed things.
I told her that if she would let me take the old ones, I’d make her a bag and send it back to her. So instead of heading to the trash, a stack of very well-used Santa Cruz Boat Rental seat covers came home with me.
And when I say well-used, I mean they came complete with the unmistakable scent of the sea. 😂 They were washed. And washed again. And then washed some more.
Now those same covers have been transformed into this limited collection of bags. We kept as much of their original character as possible, including the blue and yellow fabric, the SCBR markings and even the black straps, which became the side loops and removable keychains.
They’re a little worn, a little imperfect and completely one of a kind.
And I absolutely love that something that was literally headed for the trash now gets another life.
From the Santa Cruz Wharf to our little workroom in North Carolina. That’s exactly the kind of story we love.

14" wide × 12" tall × 5" deep
Black leather handles with copper rivets
9½" handle drop
Blue and yellow reclaimed Santa Cruz Boat Rental seat-cover material
Gray waxed canvas bottom/back
Original SCBR stencil preserved on the front
Black side loop made from the original seat-cover straps
Removable keychain made from the original seat-cover straps and included with the bag
Burn Bags USA leather patch on the back

Even the small details were preserved. The black webbing used for the side loop and removable keychain came directly from the original straps on the boat seat covers.