FYI, a backpack made with a lot of little pieces sewn together makes it cheaper to produce because it saves leather in the cutting process, but it makes for a weak backpack. To see what I mean, watch our fun leather seam explanation video, where I show a leather duffle bag made with 85 pieces of leather.  

Old Sailmaker Wisdom Went Into This Leather Backpack

In New Zealand one time, I interviewed an old sailmaker. He said that a sewing machine is a perforation machine because all of those needle holes next to each other tear easily. So, they try to keep the needle holes as far apart from the next one as they can. That’s why we only sew our leather backpacks with 5 stitches per inch, so there is more leather between each needle hole.

A Leather Backpack Designed For Generations

This leather backpack is designed for you to be the first owner. So break it in good because several generations will use it. It’s like planting a tree that you may enjoy a little bit, but it’s really for those to enjoy who come after you. And that’s why we over-engineered this leather backpack. It’s just the right thing to do. 

Materials

This backpack is made from the best materials, starting with tough full grain leather. Then we have pigskin lining to strengthen the bottom of the backpack. Our hardware is made from 316 stainless steel, which is the strongest grade. Our thread is a German polyester thread used for making sails for ships. It’s UV resistant and industrial marine-grade. These are the materials that make a high quality leather backpack that will last for generations.

Made With The Toughest Full Grain Leather

This big mouth leather backpack is made with the toughest leather we can buy. It has a full 100% of the grain on it (full grain). The grain resides on the top of the hide and goes about a quarter of the way down. Those fibers are tough as nails and tightly woven together too. The grain resists water and stains, and tearing.

Cheap Leather Backpacks are Missing The Grain

A lot of companies ask the tannery to shave off the top of the hide to get rid of the natural blemishes so they can use almost every square inch of the hide, and they save a lot of money. If they remove most of the grain, it’s called Top Grain Leather. If they remove all of the grain, it’s called Genuine Leather. Read our easy explanation of what’s the difference between full grain vs. top grain leather here.

The Best Leather Backpacks are Full Grain

The grain of the leather is the toughest, tightest densest part of the hide, and it’s mineral tanned with Chromium (Cr). Chrome tanned leather is super corrosion resistant, so your backpack will laugh at the rain, and extreme heat and just plain thrive on neglect. Read here to learn more about leather, simplified for 5th graders to understand. 

A Leather Backpack with Surgical Grade Hardware

Our hardware is 316 Stainless Steel. If you’re a metallurgist, then I’m sure you just gasped for air and a tear formed in your eye. There are different grades of stainless steel, but this is the toughest grade. Our clips can actually hold up a 750 lb bag of cats over the edge of a 2000 ft. cliff without breaking. But add one more whisker, and it’ll get ugly. So let’s just say it’s the metal you need to be using if your life depends on it. 

The Best Leather Backpack Uses The Best Thread

And I would be remiss to not mention our thread. It’s a German thread they use for making sails for ships. It is a UV resistant industrial marine-grade Polyester thread and the strongest and toughest we could find. Nylon thread deteriorates with heat and when the sun hits it, but ours doesn’t. Polyester is good and bad. The good part is that it lasts forever. The bad part is that it lasts forever. It’s perfect for you if it’s in the form of a thread. It’s really, really bad for you if it’s in the form of bed sheets or underwear. Super bad. To read our eye-opening explanation of Polyester, click here. Apart from using witchcraft or something, we don’t think there could be a longer lasting, more durable leather backpack made like this one.

Functionality Of These Cool Backpacks

Coolness features are where it’s at, and this leather backpack has at least two. We used a similar Gladstone Bag closure for the Leather Flight Bag. It opens wide and stays open until you say otherwise. You can reach down into it if it’s on the floor next to your chair or if it’s wide open laying on the table in front of you. And the second coolness feature is the smaller front pocket that opens 90 degrees with that same metal frame closure. It doesn’t have a zipper, so it takes a little to open, but if you open it in front of strangers, they’ll tell you how cool that is.

A Single Leather Strap and Buckle For The Main Compartment

I chose a single leather strap with holes punched all the way out to the very tip, just in case your backpack is way overstuffed or if you want to stick your umbrella or blueprints under the strap horizontally or leave the laptop bag open to stick your stuff out vertically. 

Plenty Of Pockets in this Leather Backpack

I heard you asking for it, so here it is. This leather backpack has two side pockets that are large enough to fit a big Yeti tumbler or Nalgene water bottle. There are also two big interior back pockets and two smaller side pockets for pens and whatnot.

Fits All Of Your Essentials

This leather backpack will accommodate all the essentials. You can fit a 16” MacBook Pro, an Ultrabook, an iPad, and some books and your charger. There are pockets to pack and store your accessories and keep things organized. Many people have even walked away from their briefcase and started carrying their business essentials and laptops in these. Of course, that is an option, but remember, we make leather briefcases that can also be worn on your back. I also understand these are really cool backpacks to carry around.

Adjustable Shoulder Straps in this Classic Leather Backpack

The best Leather Backpack must be comfortable when wearing on your back; otherwise, you can just carry a leather bag around. We made adjustable straps so you can adjust the tightness to your liking when wearing it. The adjustable shoulder straps make it so easy. These are the best backpacks around for a daily commute or even longer trips. The quality is not something you will find in a department store. It is beyond a good backpack. Good is not enough, so we strived to make the best backpacks.

Pick The Color For Your Personal Style

Everyone loves a brown leather backpack, but some people have a personal style for their brown leather backpack. So we created this one in the classic tobacco, as well as chestnut and dark coffee brown. The only problem is these backpacks, just like our leather briefcases, laptop bags, and other leather designs, they sell out fast. See, these are not made in some factories on the other side of the Pacific. These leather designs actually have skilled leather craftsmen making them. It is the old way of making leather goods, but the way they are meant to be made, so they can last over 100 years. When you discover Saddleback Leather Co quality, you learn why our leather backpacks are so sought after.

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