In this blog post, we will look at the various types and sizes of art cases manufactured by Mapac. There’s not a lot of point spending your time and effort creating spectacular artworks if they’re just going to get crushed in a rucksack. The different cases are arranged roughly according to the level of protection they afford your artwork. The lightweight cases are at the top, and the heavy-duty cases at the bottom.
Mapac Art Satchel
The Mapac Art Satchel is a soft case made of a tough, black, water-resistant fabric. It has a handle on top but also comes with an adjustable shoulder strap for transporting your artwork long distances. The main compartment is designed to hold artworks of around A4 size, but is sufficiently roomy to hold work that is slightly larger (the interior dimensions are 38 x 30cm). When not in use, this case packs down flat. It has a 5cm gusset so would fit three or four pads with relative ease. It fastens with two plastic clips and has an outer zip compartment which could be used for brushes or drawing equipment.
Please be aware that this is a soft-case; it is not suitable for transporting delicate artworks without additional protection. It would be fine to use it to transport a pad of watercolour paper, but it would not be suitable for transporting individual sheets of paper unless they were slipped into a pad or a cardboard folder which would give them some rigidity.
Dimensions: Length 38cm; Height 30cm; Depth 9.5cm.
Level of protection offered: Moderate. Will keep artworks dry, and will protect them from dust and sunlight.
Great for: Transporting sketchbooks, small watercolour pads or A4-sized portfolia, along with a few pens for sketching.
Not great for: Carrying a charcoal drawing back from a life drawing session.
The Mapac A3 Sketch Bag
Like the Mapac Art Satchel, the The Mapac A3 Sketch Bag is made of a heavy-duty, water-resistant fabric. It has a handle on top but also comes with an adjustable shoulder strap for transporting your artwork long distances. It can even be converted into a backpack; to do this, place the pad of the shoulder strap in the loop of webbing behind the handle on top of the bag, then attach the clips to the loops on the bottom of the back of the bag.
This Sketch Bag contains plenty of space for transporting your art materials and finished pieces. The two outer zip pockets are useful for transporting brushes or paraphernalia. Behind them, the main flap of the satchel opens to reveal two pouch pockets which each contain a free ground mat and a removable pouch for paints. Behind these twin pockets is the main compartment of the bag, a 40 x 28cm pocket with a central divider. Also on the interior of the bag are another zip pocket, two pen loops and a plastic slot where you can write your contact details.
This is a slightly larger case than the Art Satchel. It has more compartments, and the central divider in the main compartment is useful for organising your materials in transit, but it does not offer more protection to your art. It’s still a soft-case, really, so it’s not suitable for transporting works on paper unless they’re given additional protection.
Dimensions: Length 45cm; Height 35cm; Depth 10 cm.
Level of protection offered: Good. Will keep artworks dry, and will protect them from dust and sunlight.
Great for: Transporting sketchbooks, a few brushes, some pens and a small watercolour set to a workshop.
Not great for: Carrying any work on paper without the additional protection of a folder, wallet or portfolio.
Mapac Designer Case
The Mapac Designer Case is made of a heavy duty, water resistant fabric and comes with an adjustable shoulder strap. It is available in four sizes: A3, A2, A1 and A0. The largest sizes of case (A1 and A0) also come with a side grip handle for extra comfort. There’s also a plastic slot where you can write your contact details.
This portfolio offers greater protection to your artworks than the A3 Sketch Bag or the Art Satchel. Thanks to a thick sheet of card in each of the covers, it is reasonably rigid. It also comes with thin strips of the same card which offer extra reinforcement for the sides and the bottom of the bag. You use them by sliding them into the lining of the gusset. These 6.5cm-wide reinforcing strips stop the bag collapsing onto the artwork inside like a soft case would; they almost make the bag into a ‘box’. I still wouldn’t put a piece of paper in there and expect it to be uncreased at the end of a journey, but a piece of Bristol Board might be OK.
Dimensions: A3 size is: Length 48cm; Height 36.5cm; Depth 7cm.
Level of protection offered: Good. As well as keeping artworks dry and protecting them from dust and sunlight, this case is quite sturdy once the reinforcement strips are in use.
Great for: Carrying large sketchbooks or watercolour pads which do not fit in smaller cases.
Not great for: Carrying lots of small items to a workshop, as it doesn’t have any small subsidiary compartments apart from a couple of pen loops.
Mapac AM Art Case
The Mapac AM Art Case is a durable, lightweight and shower-resistant hard-case for storing and transporting your art work. It can be carried by its handle or with the included shoulder-strap. The art case has a 60mm gusset and has an internal landscape pocket on each side. It fits all work up to and including A3. The external measurements of this case are 54 x 38cm.
It’s hard to say how much protection this case would afford to your artworks. Unlike any of the cases above, it has a hard shell which produces a convincing knocking sound when you hit it with your knuckles. It would protect the contents from an accidental rush-hour kick better than any of the preceding cases. The problem with the AM Art Case is that both of its covers have the words AM ART embossed on them, along with some decorative ridges. There’s nothing on the inside to cushion or flatten out this embossing, so any artwork stored inside will come up against a ridged surface.
Dimensions: Length 54cm; Height 38cm; Depth 4.5cm.
Level of protection offered: Good, but not as good as it would be if it didn’t have embossed covers.
Great for: Carrying a large pad of watercolour paper on the Tube.
Not great for: Carrying lots of small items.
Mapac Art Storage Bag
The Mapac Art Storage Bag is the most sturdy of the bunch. Like the Mapac Designer Case, it has removable card inserts which can turn it from a soft-case bag to a hard-case bag. When these inserts are slid into the gusset it is pleasingly robust and sits stably on its four rubber feet. The lid closes with two flaps laying over one another and it can be fastened with clips and locked with a padlock (included). It has a shoulder strap as well as a handle, and is amply padded on both sides.
It will fit an A3 pad at an angle or if you don’t mind the lid laying right on it. The pad fits easily in the length of the bag it is the height that is slightly too short to be perfect. It also has space for all of your other gear: two mobile phone pockets large enough to fit an iPhone 5s or a small digital camera, six pen-loops, and an exterior pocket on both sides. The main compartment measures 41 x 30 x 14cm, and includes an internal divider.
Dimensions: Length 43cm; Height 30cm; Depth 15cm.
Level of protection offered: Good. If you put the reinforcing cards into the gussets, it turns into a sturdy case with lots of space and pockets.
Great for: Carrying all your stuff for the day.
Not great for: Carrying large sketchbooks.
