I recently purchased this vintage, made in the US Chrome Mini Metro that needed a little TLC. Prior to my repair attempts, I didn’t find much online about fixing an old bag so I wanted to throw this out there for anyone in the future who might be looking. I’m happy to share that the repairs were relatively simple if you have a seam ripper, sewing machine, and some “maybe one step up from beginner” sewing skills! If I didn’t have a sewing machine / the time / the skill set, I imagine a local alterations shop could have done the repairs as well. 

When I received this bag, the straps kept sticking to the velcro and were fuzzy and frayed beyond repair. The reflective ribbon in them was also cracking and flaking off. The hook side of the lid velcro needed some cleaning and the loop side wasn't sticking at all, despite attempting suggested fixes to "reset" the loops.

Thankfully all the repairs were relatively straightforward! I replaced the straps by seam ripping the strap attachment stitches, seam ripping the bias tape, seam ripping the basting stitches between the two fabric layers, and then sewing in the new straps and sewing it all back together in reverse order. I replaced the straps with a tighter weave that won't stick to the velcro - I actually used a nylon 1” Gear Aid strap I had on hand and that I plan to cut up for another gear project. I wasn't too worried about using reflective webbing so didn’t bother seeking out webbing that was exactly the same. I also cleaned the hook side velcro (combed the hooks with a dull needle) and removed and replaced the loop side. Now the lid closure works like new. The lid was the most complicated part but even that was a pretty simple repair - seam rip enough bias tape on the lid to be able to easily see in new velcro, seam rip basting stitches between inner (white) and outer (yellow) layer, seam rip the Velcro stitches and then sew everything back together in reverse order. Not sure if the newer models are constructed in the same way but if so, fixing them should be just as simple. If the vinyl lining ever goes out on me, replacing that would be pretty easy too since it’s only attached at the bias tape. Hardest part was making sure my stitches went through both the top and underside of the bias tape - to help with this, I put pins on top and underneath the fabric and bias tape when sewing.

I can definitely see this bag having decades of use left in it thanks to these simple fixes and I'm feeling grateful that I was able to keep this quality piece out of a dump for a little longer 💛

Repairing a golden oldie