Briefcases & Satchels

A Leather Briefcase with No Breakable Parts

There are no breakable parts on these leather briefcases like zippers, snaps, buttons, velcro, or any other Hello Kitty construction parts. Just hard steel clasps, buckles, and d-rings. A billion dollar submarine is a worthless heap of metal if it is designed with a cardboard hatch. And so it is with our Leather Briefcases and satchels. That is why a Saddleback Leather Briefcase will last your lifetime.

Our Satchels and Briefcases are Full Grain Leather

Imagine a cow being slain. Now picture it being skinned. Consider the case of the thick hide, which was sent to the tannery for processing. However, because it is too thick, they split it in two, with the top portion from the bottom half. Watch our video of how they tan and split leather, and watch me ride a longhorn bull in my full leather suit too. The tannery now has two hides to offer briefcase manufacturers. The top half of the hide, which still contains the upper layer of fibers known as the grain, is sold for a lot of money. They are the most robust, dense, and water-resistant fibers in the entire hide. The fibers that protected the cow from harm and gave leather its bareknuckle reputation are the same ones we use on our leather briefcases and satchels. This is called FULL GRAIN leather, simply because it has the FULL amount of GRAIN still on it. Not only is this super strong, but it's a little thicker than boot leather. And then our thick wristed, calloused handed craftsmen make strong and durable leather briefcases with it. 

Reinforced Stress Points in our Leather Briefcases

Anywhere a briefcase could get stress, it gets a double layer of leather cut from the hardest part of the hide (the shoulder or along the back), extra stitching, a rivet to back up the briefcase's stitching, and usually, a reinforcing hidden Polyester strap sewn in for good measure. Even the best leather satchels and briefcases have leather that stretches over time (it's called creep), but polyester strapping does not. 

Briefcases with Tough Lining

Most briefcase manufacturers like to line their briefcases and satchels with shiny nylon that looks pretty and would be great for a kite but not a briefcase liner. We don't do that. Instead, we glued and sewed on tough, smooth pigskin to the back of the briefcases' already tough and thick full grain leather. Sure, kangaroo skin is tougher than pigskin, but pigskin is stronger than cow skin, making our leather briefcases twice as strong as an ordinary briefcase or satchel and much longer lasting.

Overkill Hardware for our Briefcases

A HUGE DEAL. Building a briefcase using 316 Stainless Steel hardware is kind of like killing a fly with a shotgun, but it worked. We've never once had a satchel or briefcase have a problem because hardware failed. It's not Stainless Steel 404 or even 310. It's Stainless 316, and that's why it's a big deal for any briefcase. Please look that up later. If you tell a metallurgist about our 316 Stainless Steel hardware on our briefcases, they'll gasp, get angry, and sometimes cry. It is expensive and kind of overkill for just a satchel or a briefcase, but if your life had to depend on the hardware of your briefcase making it through, you'd want it to depend on ours. Of the 150 types of Stainless Steel we could choose from, ours is rated at an incredible 91 on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Our briefcase buckles and clasps are rated to hold up to 750 lbs.  

316 Stainless is one of the hardest and highest tensile strength metals available, and what most high end watches and even Apple's most expensive iPhone bodies are made of. It's costly, but we decided to never have a problem with the hardware of our briefcases and satchels... EVER.

Engineered Thread, Another Key to Quality Briefcases

Leather briefcases sewn with low quality nylon thread fall apart fairly quickly because nylon thread is made from a lot of really short fibers that are wound together to make long threads. Those fibers come apart from each other with not much friction, heat, or UV light, and then the satchel falls apart. Our expensive German thread was engineered to last a long time. It is made from long continuous filaments of Polyester with no breaks at all. And we use the thick double ought for all of our leather briefcases. 

FYI. Polyester is a disaster when fabric is made with it but great when thread is made with it. In sheets and clothing, it causes bad sleep, infertility and skin rashes, but when a leather briefcase is sewn with it, it causes great rejoicing in your life and big fights in your death. 

Only Large Pieces of Leather 

HUGE KEY TO STRENGTH: Our leather briefcases and satchels are designed with as few pieces of leather as possible. Usually only two pieces for the body, but sometimes three. This has taken a lot of trying and failing to get the briefcases to look and feel just right, but it was worth it. The reason is because seams are where briefcases always start falling apart. So we designed our leather satchels with as few seams as we could. Check out our fun video on measuring quality by Seam Feet. It will explain what I mean.

Stitching That Can Carry Gold Bullion

SURPRISINGLY IMPORTANT: A sewing machine is actually just a big perforation machine and each hole is the start of a tear. We set our German and Dutch sewing machines to stitch the briefcases at five stitches per inch so we could get the needle holes as far apart from each other as we can without the briefcases looking weird. Suppose the holes are too close, then the leather tears like a sheet of perforated paper. Most leather briefcases I've seen are around seven stitches per inch. You might not be running around with gold bars in your briefcase, but our leather briefcases are stronger than you'll ever need.

Cheap Leather Briefcases and Satchels

Grain is to leather what shingles are to a roof. Imagine you hired someone to put a new roof on your house. They tear off the old shingles and then just paint on new shingles to make it look nice. I'd be mad at them with you. That's what happens when low quality briefcase manufacturers buy that very cheap bottom half of the hide called split or genuine leather, which doesn't have grain anymore. The tannery presses it and paints it to look like full grain leather and sends it to companies for their soft little tear stained handed workers to make crap briefcases and satchels with. I made a video to share with them to help them make more money. Check it out here. Then they sell them to fine people who are ignorant of quality leather. And those other briefcases will dry out before they should because the leather doesn't have that tough, dense top layer to hold moisture in or protect against damage.

More than a Laptop Bag

Our leather briefcases and satchels are not just for laptops. Our leather briefcases can easily fit your laptop, with enough room for your iPad, phone, charger, pens, notebook, keys, and other accessories. Everything you need for a busy day at the office or the courtroom. The internal compartments are designed with organization in mind, so you can grab what you need without searching through a big black hole.

More than a Work Bag

A work bag is something you bring with you to the office and then leave at your desk or in your cubby. However, Saddleback leather briefcases and satchels are not just for work. They are perfect for travel because they meet most airline carry-on size restrictions and have a place for everything. Then, when arriving at the hotel, you can grab your laptop and go work in your room, or better yet, find a nice cafe.

The Perfect Size

We have several options so you can find the perfect size that will fit your gear, from huge laptops to a small Ultrabook, along with your Kidnap and ransom insurance and your collection of Texas postcards.

The Perfect Color Briefcase

You know your briefcase makes a statement about you. Make sure it is making the correct statement. You have choices from Tobacco (Tan - Light Brown), Black, Chestnut (Reddish Brown), and Dark Coffee Brown briefcases. Some love a brown briefcase, and some might want a black briefcase. The choice is yours.

If you are in a board meeting and need to look serious, a black briefcase says, "I mean business". On the other hand, if you are trying to close a deal with a big client and want to come across as approachable and easygoing, then a brown leather briefcase is a perfect color to help you connect.

A Mans Leather Briefcase

You could show up at the meeting with a cheap laptop bag or backpack, and they'd probably understand. But why do that when you can show up with a real authentic man's leather briefcase or satchel from Saddleback Leather?

If you want to make that perfect impression, this is how you do it. Of course, you could also buy a cheap briefcase, but then you'd have to explain why it's falling apart. With a Saddleback leather briefcase, you never have to explain anything; the statement has already been made.

The Last Briefcase You Will Ever Need

We Over-engineered our pieces to last, so you will not be shopping for another one next year. Shopping for a brand you know won't last is not fun. Save yourself from regret. Shop for things that will keep their value, unlike that Enron stock that you've spent 20 years regretting.

The Most Rugged Briefcases

We design our leather briefcases and satchels to be rugged. You might just go from home to the office, but we think it makes sense to design our briefcases as if you might have to hike 10 miles through the rainforest with them. If it can make that journey, it will do just fine, taking it to a business meeting or any other everyday carry needs. Perfectly built ad well priced briefcase for the quality of materials, design, and craftsmanship. Rugged and professional, practical and stylish, that's the Saddleback difference.

The Best Briefcases

From the elegant material we use, the construction, the hardware, and even the pigskin we line our cases with, we only use the best of the best. That's why our briefcases last longer and look better as they age. The briefcases also come with a 100-year warranty so that you can pass them down to your grandkids. We're that confident in our craftsmanship.

THEY'LL FIGHT OVER IT WHEN YOU'RE DEAD

Best Selling Briefcases

You can see why our designs are the best-selling briefcases on the market regarding high-quality leather briefcases. It's because people appreciate quality and understand that a Saddleback briefcase is an investment, not a disposable piece of junk from across the pacific. You can't blame the little ones over there putting it together; they have to work as fast as their soft little hands can work. But you can blame the company for knowingly selling you cheap leather goods that won't last to make a higher profit.

Don't take shortcuts regarding your look, your image, and how people perceive you. Instead, go with a quality briefcase from Saddleback. It is about more than just carrying your laptop, pens, and other accessories around.

Leather Briefcases that Won't Fall Apart

Tell me if this ever happened to you. You buy a leather piece, and within weeks it starts falling apart. The stitching comes undone, the color rubs off when carried on your shoulder, or it just breaks. It's happened to a lot of us at one point or another. And it's because most leather pieces on the market today are made with low cost material, and poorly constructed. It's ok, you didn't know better, but now you do.

At Saddleback, we only use full grain leather to create our designs, including our leather briefcases. This is not something you will find when you shop for a briefcase in a typical store. Even most "luxurious brands" of briefcases, bags, backpacks, luggage, and more are created with cheaper leather. It's about profits to them. To Saddleback, it's about having fun creating the best leather designs that will last a lifetime.

Briefcase VS Satchels

Briefcases are great for carrying your essential papers, laptops, law degrees, and other things that need to look good when you pull them out of your case. But sometimes, you need a rugged bag to carry your stuff. That's where our satchels come in. These bags can take a serious beating and still look great.

If you're unsure which one you want to wear on your shoulder, give us a call, we are happy to help you decide on the perfect design. Even better, get one of each to add to your Saddleback collection. Your shoulders will never look more classy.

Leather Satchels VS Messenger Bags

A leather satchel is an excellent choice for those who want a more sophisticated look, while a canvas messenger bag is perfect for a more casual style. But both bags are functional, with enough room to carry necessary items such as headphones, chargers, bribery money, and other gear. If you are shopping for the best canvas messenger bag, be sure to take a look at the Mountainback page on our site. But first, look at all of our satchels and briefcases to make the best decision.

There's a lot to consider when choosing the right bag for your needs and style. But one thing is sure; you can't go wrong with a Saddleback briefcase or satchel. So take your time, browse our selection, and find the perfect match for you. And don't forget, we offer a 100-year warranty on all of our pieces, so you can rest assured knowing your Saddleback piece was made with quality material and will be around for generations to come.

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