Established in 1789, Montrose Bag Company’s parent company Rope And Sail was initially set up to serve Scottish fishing fleets. Some 235 years later, the business is still family-run and based in Angus providing a range of clients with all-weather tarpaulin covers and kit bags, particularly popular among those working offshore. ‘If you go to any airport in Scotland, you'll see one of our bags going around the conveyor belt,’ says Ashley Wyper who, along with her husband Rudi, recently took over the family business from his stepfather Neil Paton. 

The bags, made entirely of matte PVC and available in various styles, colours and sizes, were Paton’s idea after a friend who worked in the North Sea requested a more durable alternative to the one provided by his work. Utilising Rope And Sail’s signature PVC fabric and expert manufacturing team, Montrose Bag Company went from producing that one-off to turning over 30,000 bags a year.

Now an industry standard for offshore workers and gaining popularity among general consumers (particularly those who enjoy biking and wild swimming), the ‘Montrose bag’ has never been more in demand. But what’s the key to their success? ‘They’re weather proof and last a really long time,’ says Rudi. ‘We have people who have been using the same bag for 20 years. It’s almost an Achilles heel that they don’t break! But we’d much rather be known for a good product that doesn't fail.’

All products are manufactured in Montrose by a specially trained sewing team, many of whom have worked at the company since they left school. Despite being relatively new business owners, this loyalty to longevity is something the Wypers fiercely believe in. ‘Our main goal is to keep it going and keep the heritage of the brand,’ Rudi says. ‘In an ideal world our son will take it on when we retire,’ Ashley adds. ‘But he’s only ten and we’re still in our early 40s so we’ve still got a few years left.’ 

Visit the Montrose Bag Company’s official site or Instagram.