Etchr Fieldcase Review

This time last year, Summer of 2018, I reviewed the a product from a relatively new company to the art community called Etchr. Etchr are Australian based, with a group of incredibly talented designers; the product I reviewed was the Etchr Slate Satchel. You can either read my review of the Slate Satchel by following the link or alternatively watch my YouTube video review of the satchel here.

The thing that was immediately clear after testing and reviewing the Slate Satchel from Etchr was the incredible durability due to the quality of the materials and craftsmanship, the irresistible design beauty and the over all jaw dropping functionality of the product.

Etchr have a few carry systems among their product range and after testing and reviewing the Slate Satchel, I really wanted to review the smallest in their range, the Etchr Fieldcase. The Fieldcase is a little bit like a conventional pencil case that you would find in any stationary store and “back to school” section of the supermarket, however, if one was to compare the Etchr Fieldcase to such an item, the Fieldcase would be the Rembrandt of the pencil case world.

Etchr Fieldcase Characteristics

The Etchr Fieldcase is the perfect size and companion for any artist to have, whether they are out and about in the field sketching or painting life, or just house bound such as myself and moving about the house with your sketching kit safe and together in one small package.

The width of the Etchr Fieldcase is approximately 5 inches or 13cm, the length is just over 9 inches or 24cm and the width is approximately 1.5 inches or 4.5cm bit a bit more when full of supplies.

The external material of the fieldcase is a charcoal grey color but is made from a hard wearing, almost woven rubber material. Along the spine of the case is a black rough textured rubber, similar to a car tyre rubber, which can also be fond on the very front of the case creating a slim pouch. This tyre like rubber material is also waterproof, incredibly heard wearing which being along the spine is perfect as this is the first area on any hinged product to deteriorate; but is rough texture allows for a good grip on the product if it becomes wet, preventing it from slipping out of you hand.

The Fieldcase is closed via a sophisticated zip system, the zip itself is tough and well stitched to the product, however, as the zip is pulled to close the Fieldcase, a thin rubber membrane closes completely covering the zip, giving the artist complete confidence in their precious art materials remaining hidden and protected from the elements.

On the back of the Fieldcase, there are two velcro straps on either end, this allows the fieldcase to be attached to the Etchr Satchel, expanding the Satchels carrying capacity, to find out more about the Etchr Satchel and Fieldcase carrying system, check out the Etchr site.

On all four corners of the Fieldcase, there are small cloth loops, almost like D-Rings, this is because the Fieldcase comes complete with a small strap, allowing the Fieldcase to be slung over the shoulder and carried in this fashion. The Fieldcase is a small system and not very heavy even when filled, so the need for a shoulder strap doesn’t seem very necessary, however, it is actually a very convenient way to keep the Fieldcase safe and out of the way while you are painting or sketching.

When you open the Etchr Fieldcase, you are presented with flickers of blue grey cloth, separated only with black fabric elastic bands, stitched onto the grey cloth adding extra storage. Both internal sides of the Fieldcase are cupped with black nets fashioned into pockets for extra storage. Running along the inside of the Fieldcase spine is a single black fabric elastic strip allowing for another storage option. Internally, the Etchr Fieldcase is incredibly well designed regarding storage solutions, given the small dimensions of the fieldcase, you will be amazed with the capacity of such a small product.

Etchr Contents Example

I have the Etchr Fieldcase packed with all the materials I use on a daily bases, supplies I couldn’t be without on the road, or just when I feel the urge to sketch. The beauty of the Fieldcase is having all your essential supplies in a grab and go package whilst confidently knowing that your supplies are safe.

I have listed all the items I have in my Etchr Fieldcase but you can place whatever you feel are your essential supplies, you can fill it with paint brushes and a travel watercolor set, a 120 set of colored pencils, watercolor pencils or even markers, it is entirely up to you, this is just my own personal choice.

Running along the spine of my Fieldcase I have a Caran d’Ache Aqua Brush Pen, throughout all the elastic strip holders I have a selection of Fine liners, a mixture of Copic and Pigma Micron, I have a couple of paper blender stumps, two TomBow Mono erasers, the round and square one, I also have the Derwent Pencil eraser and Koh-I-Noor pencil eraser which is an awesome eraser on its own. I also have a red pen, white belly roll pen and black ink Lamy Fountain pen. On top of this I have my selection of mechanical and clutch all with different hardness and softness graphite cores.

In the bottom net pockets I have stored my Derwent Eraser and M&R sharpener as well as some spare blades for the sharpener. I know in these current images I only have mechanical and clutch pencils, which don’t need sharpeners, however, occasionally I will bring with me red and blue Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils or Verithin pencils to sketch with.

In the zip cloth pocket, which runs the full length of the Fieldcase, I place items I really don’t want to lose or fall out of the Fieldcase accidentally when I open it, items such as SD Cards, bank cards, rail cards, cash etc. Finally in the other full length pocket I keep a few markers, a black, a few warm grey markers and a red marker.

Even with all these items in the Fieldcase, there is still a lot of room for more supplies to be placed, the Etchr Fieldcase really is the Dr Who Tardis of the art pencil case world.

Etchr Fieldcase Prices

The pricing of the Etchr Fieldcase is a really subjective thing to consider, there is no doubt that you can find a similar type storage system for a fraction of the price; however, you would without doubt need to replace the cheap one after a year or so, perhaps less if you are actually out in the field a lot painting and sketching. So you could make multiple purchases over a period of time or you could make a one off purchase for the Fieldcase and know your supplies are protected from the weather while out and about as opposed to the cheap one allowing

I will list the prices found on the Etchr website, but you can occasionally find the Fieldcase on Amazon or other stores cheaper

In the UK, from the Etchr Website the Fieldcase cost £56, for those of you in the US $69, in Europe the Fieldcase will cost €62 and in Australia it will cost $100 Australian Dollars. On the Etchr website there are many more countries listed and the pricing so check out the link to find prices for your country.

I purchased my Fieldcase for £35 on Amazon and this is what I have found on Amazon for you guys. On Amazon UK I found a Fieldcase for £52, I couldn’t find any on the US Amazon and on the European Amazon I found the Etchr Fieldcase for €58

A lot of the time, when companies release a product, the RRP is quite high and then after a while the product becomes available on third party sites at a much lower cost. The only issue with the Etchr products is that this does not seem to happen and when it does, it is very rare. Finding my Etchr Fieldcase for £35 or £36 I can’t exactly remember, was a bargain. Don’t get me wrong, if I can, I will try to purchase from the company and give back, but sometimes the price difference is just too much to pass up.

Conclusion

I absolutely love the Etchr Fieldcase, it is the perfect size, hold the perfect amount of supplies for taking out into the field painting and sketching or even just grabbing and taking to your local coffee shop to people sketch. However the price is something you as an individual need to determine whether or not the item is worth the price.

As I have mentioned, the only advice I can give you regarding the price is this, you will not need to make another purchase on a similar item, this is a lifetime product, whatever you store in it will be protected from the damp and wet of being in the field, it is a gorgeous product and it is incredibly convenient for all events

Etchr’s products are pure quality, the high quality and beautiful design is clear for anyone to see, it is just the pricing that needs a bit of thought. This is a luxury item in one regard and a necessary item on another level, which very much depends upon you love of art, the out doors and travel. Lately Etchr have added watercolor journals to their product range as well as some palettes, whilst I have not tested or reviewed them, they too appear on the pricy side to me. So in the interest of delivering accurate and honest information to you guys I will be purchasing these new products from Etchr for review purposes.

To get a better view and feel for the Etchr Fieldcase check out my YouTube video review by following the link. If you have any questions about the Etchr Fieldcase please don’t hesitate to ask me, either in the comments section or via email. Alternatively if you already own this wonderful product, let us know what you think of the Fieldcase in the comments below.