The Limited Edition Elephant Grey Suede Collection

Before embarking on a production run, we decided to test it by making a prototype Explora Rucksack and using it every day for a year. Happily, the bag responded exactly as we had hoped. 

The suede remained supple and colourfast, retained its shape and structure well, proved resistant to dirt and staining, and aged gracefully with use. It developed a lived-in feel that made the rucksack take on the mantle of old friend and reassuring companion. The more we used it, the more we liked it.

The 2026 limited edition Explora Rucksack retains all the familiar and well-loved features of the standard model, which is still available in leather or canvas. For this season, however, and made in small batch, the body is cut from this distinctive Elephant Grey suede, giving the design a softer and more contemporary character while preserving its practicality and purpose.

The straps, reinforcing panels and edging are finished in supple dark tan cowhide, while the bespoke Westley Richards brass buckles and rivets will be familiar to regular customers. It is a combination that feels both fresh and recognisably part of the Westley Richards leather range.

Alongside the Explora Rucksack, we have also produced the Bishop Bag in the same material. Also produced in a limited run, this edition gives one of our longest-established and most popular designs an entirely new character. A change of material and colour is often enough to transform a familiar design, and here the effect is particularly striking.

Both bags are made entirely in-house by our leather workshop team, working alongside the gunmakers at the Pritchett Street factory. Each bag ordered is typically made by a single person carefully and painstakingly laying out, stitching and finishing each piece by hand.

This level of English bench work and individual attention to detail is unheard of in the country. No other gunmaker can offer this level of outstanding quality and class. 

As with the walnut suede edition before it, the appeal lies not only in rarity, but in the way a familiar design takes on a wholly different identity through the use of a new material. These Elephant Grey editions bring a fresh look to two established favourites, while remaining true to the character, practicality and quiet distinction that have long defined Westley Richards leather goods.

Made in small numbers and proven in daily use before launch, they offer a rare opportunity to acquire two of our best-loved designs in a form unlikely to be repeated. Explore the Elephant Grey and Walnut Suede Collections here.

The Explora Rucksack prototype alongside the 2026 launch bag

Westley Richards has been outfitting its clients for with fine leather goods as long as it has been building custom rifles and bespoke guns for them. Whether you are on safari in the African bush, in Paris for the weekend, or in New York on business, our heirloom quality leather luggage strikes the perfect balance between functionality, durability and timeless elegance. Made in our leather factory in Birmingham side by side with the gunmaking, the company offers a range of luxury travel bags made from leather and canvas, including holdalls, briefcases, backpacks, messenger bags and weekend bags. The perfect partner to our high quality safari wear and country clothing.