Lighten Up: The Etchr Nano Satchel Preview

I have been dabbling in plein air painting for the past year and have found the experience to be both exciting and frustrating. As a watercolour artist in my own art space, I have all that I need at my disposal. Watercolour paints in various palettes (I’m quite the collector of handmade paints), all my brushes, my hot air tool, and as many jars of water as I need. Simply put, painting in my space is comfortable.

But what my art space doesn’t provide is the experience of painting something right in front of you. As a landscape artist, there's no greater inspiration than creating something straight from nature itself. Plein air is defined as painting outdoors in a 19th-century style or with a strong sense of the open air. In the beginning, I painted in parks while with my children or on a warm sunny day at the beach.

The elements of painting outside are, however, more unpredictable. And space is not always my friend. A lot of times, it feels awkward. For me to juggle my sketchbook and paints in my lap or on my easel. I often struggle to find the perfect setup that would allow my creativity to be more free-flowing. But each time I go, I learn something new. Each time, it gets better.

Late last year, I took my plein air adventures to an even greater height as I embarked on a journey across the globe in search of new locations that excite me to paint. Travelling and painting the world has captured my heart in a way that I can't describe. And I have fallen in love with it.

Before my travels, I received the Etchr Satchel and Field Case and was impressed by the entire setup. Even down to the very little details, it was built with the artist's needs in mind. After a few days of tinkering, I finally took it out and had a great time using it as the base of my setup. The Etchr Field Case is the perfect complement to it. My only complaint about the satchel is that it was extremely heavy.

The field case is lovely as well. It’s also very thoughtfully made. It holds all my supplies snugly. But the Field Case isn’t large enough to use on its own. While the satchel is wonderful, it was too heavy for me to bring to locations that required a lot of movement and was even harder to pack to bring abroad.

When Etchr reached out to me this spring to let me know that they created a brand new carry item, the Nano Satchel, I was so, so excited to get my hands on it. It is everything I wished for. It’s smaller and more compact (making it much easier to pack). It is the essence of the larger art satchel but refined. It is lightweight and is just the right size to fit on my lap. Along with the Field Case, I don’t think I need much else setup wise.

While it didn’t come with all the bells and whistles the art satchel provides, one can easily adapt it to exactly what you want, especially with a lot of the add-ons available for purchase as extras. I highly recommend adding the corner tabs for an extra arm to secure things to.

The Nano Satchel's lightweight design makes it ideal for spontaneous sketching sessions, allowing me to capture scenes effortlessly without being weighed down. It also allows me to carry just my essentials, encouraging a more focused and less cluttered creative process.

What I appreciate most about the Nano Satchel is its practicality; its compact size and thoughtful organisation keep my tools accessible. This ease of use has refined my plein air painting experience, pushing me to explore new subjects and techniques with comfort and enjoyment.

Overall, it’s going to be my favourite plein air companion and I cannot wait to take it out on my next adventure!

Madeline Kerrii is a watercolour artist and content creator based in Los Angeles. She is passionate about art, food, and travel.