Diesel Spare Parts Bags: the Slings and the Backpack

Three Diesel Spare Parts bags have passed through this studio: two slings and a backpack. Alongside them we have had five other Diesel bags from the same years that were not listed as Spare Parts. Everything below comes from pieces we have had in hand and listed, not from a catalogue we copied.

What it is

Spare Parts is the name on a group of Diesel utility bags. The three we have had were a canvas sling with buckles and compression straps, a technical sling and a backpack with metal fittings on the front. Our listings date the ones we have had to the early 2000s; one of the three carried no year, and we do not give it one.

The account that circulates among resellers, and that we repeated in two of our listings, is that the line was made in small batches by Diesel's in-house design team to carry hardware, samples and spare components to stores and showrooms, and was never meant for public sale. We have not found a primary Diesel source that confirms it, so read it as the story attached to these bags rather than as established fact. What is visible on the pieces themselves is that no two we have had were built the same way.

Formats we have actually had

Sling bags (2)

• 00's Spare Parts Sling Bag. Rugged canvas body with a distressed front panel, an oversized padded strap, tactical buckles, compression straps and snap pockets. Red Diesel tab on the front. Zip and stash compartments inside.
• Spare Parts Technical Sling Bag. 38 x 33 x 15 cm. No year on the listing.

Backpack (1)

• Early 2000's Spare Parts Backpack. 40 x 34 x 15 cm, with metal on the front that showed wear on ours.

Other Diesel bags from the same years

These were not listed as Spare Parts. They are here because they come from the same years and turn up in the same searches.

• Square sling bag. One piece, 30 x 30 cm, listed as 2000s.
• Messenger bags. Two. A cargo messenger, 30 x 35 cm, with three large zipped pockets and an interior section with a velcro closure and a key holder. A messenger in green canvas with black trim, 40 x 32 x 10 cm, with a rubberised Diesel logo tab on the front, a Diesel-branded adjustable strap and a black nylon lining with organiser pockets.
• Shoulder bags. Two of the same shape, 28 x 22 cm, one beige and one black, both listed as 2000s.

Pieces we have had

Sold pieces stay here as a record; each photograph links to its original listing.

Diesel Spare Parts

Other Diesel bags

What to check before you buy one

• The hardware. Buckles, clips and metal plates are where wear shows first; the metal on the front of our backpack was visibly worn. Check that every buckle closes and holds, and that no clip or strap adjuster is missing.
• Straps and webbing. The padded strap and the compression straps take the load. Look at the stitching where they join the body and at the edges of the webbing for fraying.
• The canvas. Our Spare Parts sling was listed with a distressed front panel. Tell a deliberate finish like that apart from real damage: tears, thin spots at the corners and base, or stains that have set into the fabric.
• The inside. Open every compartment. Check the zips run the full length, that velcro still grips, and that the lining is not torn or flaking.
• The Diesel tab. The red or rubberised Diesel tab on the front is part of the bag. Check it is present, intact and stitched down on all sides.
• Measurements. No two of these bags are cut the same. Ask for the dimensions rather than assuming them from a photograph; we list them on every piece.

Looking for a specific one

Bags like these come through here one at a time. Whatever is available is in the shop.

Write to us with the format you are after and we will look for it. That is what Sourcing is.