Derwent Carry All A4 Folio
Derwent Carry All A4 Folio
We all know how good Derwent are at providing that all round shopping experience for artists, head to their online store or their Museum in house shop and you can pretty much get all that you will need to produce first class art or just have a fun filled weekend with the kids crafting and getting stuck into art projects.
One area that Derwent has really mastered is the art supply storage solution come portable storage solution for artists wishing to hit the hills for an inspiration filled day of natural beauty and wildlife. I have already reviewed a few such products, namely the Derwent Carry All Bag holding over 130 pencils and more with extra leaves, Derwent Pencil Wrap a generous £6.75, the awesome Derwent Pencil Buddy, which no self respecting pencil lover should ever be without and more.
This review is no exception, I am taking a look at the Derwent Carry All A4 Folio, both a carrying device for your art supplies and space for an A4 sketch pad or Watercolor Pad. The Carry All Bag was more a single solution for a huge number of pencils and pens, especially with the addition of a few extra internal leaves and whilst an A5 pad could fit in the Carry All Bag, it was just for transportation and protection purposes only. The Derwent Carry All A4 Folio is different.
Derwent Carry All A4 Folio Characteristics
The Derwent Carry All A4 Folio is made from the same material as the Carry All Bag and Pencil Wrap, as well as a few other pencil case type products. I have received messages from people asking me about the overall quality of the materials or messages from people telling me that their Derwent Carry All Bag or Pencil Wrap has fallen apart, frayed stitching or the like.
I can hand on my heart tell you that none of the Derwent products I have purchased for testing and reviewing has ever fallen apart. I have owned three Carry Bags for just over a year and a half now and they are still holding up really well. The same has to be said for the Pencil Wrap and this is the product that I use every single day, lifting in and out pencils etc and not once has the elastic bands holding the pencils become weak with use.
With the A4 Folio I can’t obviously make the same claim as I have only had it two weeks at the time of writing this review, however, if anything should go wrong with the material and over all build quality, I will of course let you guys know. However, I am not holding my breath as previous experience with this material tells me it is tough.
The overall dimensions of the A4 Folio is 34cm by 23.5cm by 4cm thick, this will obviously change slightly with contents added to the folio, but ever so slightly. A chunky zip runs round the entirety of the folio bar the spine, creating a safe and secure enclosure when the packed with supplies and fastened.
The Folio opens flat like a book, inside of which you are presented with three ring binders which hold in place a canvas type material leaf for holding pencils. The inside of the front cover has a number of elastic bands stitched in place allowing the user to place pencils, pens and the like securely. Below this is a built in mesh pencil case, allowing the artist to place items such as an eraser, sharpener, eraser guard etc, with its own zip lock, it gives the artist reassurance that no small supplies will escape on opening the outer folio.
On the inside of the rear cover is a simple fabric pocket, this allows for the artist to place the back of a sketch pad into the pocket, exposing the rest of the sketch pad for use but preventing the drawing surface from moving about and falling out of the folio altogether.
The Derwent Carry All A4 Folio can hold a total of 68 pens or pencils, not including whatever you can fit into the mesh pencil case on the front cover. Because of the Folio’s safe and secure innards thanks to the zip protection, items such as rulers and stencils can be placed in the Folio, the artist would just have to be mindful of the fact when opening the Folio and be vigilant not to lose loose items.
Derwent Carry All A4 folio Price.
Looking on Amazon, there are two types of Derwent Carry All A4 Folios, a black one and traditional Derwent Tan coloured one, although I have not seen the black on one the Derwent website, I have still included links to it should you wish to take a look and decided for yourself which model is right for you.
Regardless of colour, both the black and tan Folios are the same price on Amazon, here in the UK, the Black Derwent Carry All A4 Folio will cost £21.99 and the Tan Derwent A4 Folio will cost £21.98
In the US, I could only find the Tan A4 Folio on Amazon and the cost for the Tan Derwent A4 Folio is $24.11. In Europe I encountered the same issue, I couldn’t locate the black folio so for the Tan Derwent A4 Folio, it will cost you €19.30
Derwent Carry-All A4 Folio Conclusion
Throughout the entirety of this review, I have been discussing the Derwent Carry-All A4 Folio in terms of an artists tool, however, on reflection, I feel a product such as this could quite easily be used by Students and Business people. Obviously a Business person most likely will not have the need for a 68 pen or pencil carrying ability, however, the actual folio can be arranged to suit the individuals personal needs.
I think this is yet another excellent product, helping artists to get out of the studio, with a substantial number of art supplies, support to actually draw or paint and transport materials safely and securely. As in my own personal case, were I am unable to get out and about due to physical disabilities, I still find the folio a useful product, helping to contain a good selection of art supplies and paper in a simple format, allowing me to draw comfortably anywhere in the house or garden.
Check out my YouTube video review of the Derwent Carry-All A4 Folio to see the bag in more detail, fully demonstrated.
