Big Mouth Leather Backpack

8.00 lb

18.00

16.00

10.00

$679.00
(44 reviews) Write a Review
100 Year Warranty

Risk Free Guarantee

Big Mouth Leather Backpack by Saddleback. Full grain leather bag with a 100 year warranty.
Big mouth leather backpack from the side in the color dark coffee brown. Buckle and gladstone closure keep the bag shut. Made by Saddleback
Front of the tobacco leather big mouth backpack that has two front pockets, two side pockets, and two tabs for easy opening. Made by Saddleback
Inside of the big mouth leather backpack, displaying one main pocket and access to the two side pockets. Made by Saddleback
Front pockets that open at a 45 degree angle.
Backside of the chestnut big mouth leather backpack with two shoulder straps and a top loop. Made by Saddleback
Dark coffee brown big mouth leather backpack from the front. Gladstone closure for the main pocket and both front pockets. Made by Saddleback
Backside of the dark coffee brown leather big mouth backpack. Two shoulder straps to make carrying easier and a loop to hang bag from. Made by Saddleback
Inside of the dark coffee brown leather big mouth backpack. One large pocket and access to both side pockets make this backpack ideal for travel. Made by Saddleback
Side view of the chestnut big mouth backpack that has a gladstone closure for easy access to your things. Made by Saddleback
Inside of the chestnut leather big mouth backpack that has one main pocket and access to the two side pockets. Made by Saddleback
Front of the chestnut big mouth backpack with two front pockets and two side pockets. Made by Saddleback
Side view of the big mouth leather backpack and a sneak peek of the shoulder straps. Made by Saddleback
Backside of the big mouth leather backpack that has shoulder straps and a loop for easy hanging. Made by Saddleback

Details

  • 100 year warranty
  • Fits a 16" MacBook Pro

Dimensions (W x H x D) 

  • 14" X 16" X 7"

MATERIALS

  • Full Grain Leather
  • Pigskin Lining
  • Custom Stainless Steel Hardware
  • Industrial Marine-Grade Polyester Thread
(44)
5 Stars Write a Review
  • 5
    If you love the Flight Bag and want a backpack . . .

    I have had (and will never part with) SBL’s Large Classic Leather Briefcase and the Flight Bag. The Flight Bag was a game changer for a lighter, everyday briefcase. I wanted that Gladstone and flight bag experience in a backpack. SBL delivered with this new design, and I jumped at it. Here’s my review after only two days. I can revisit if longer use changes anything. I purchased the bag in DCB because I love how DCB marbles and shows battle scars from wear and tear. The main topside Gladstone opening is brilliant for a backpack. It opens wide and stays open, so you can keep it next to your desk on the floor and reach in and get what you need easily when you need it. The bag sits straight up, no wobbling or leaning. Makes loading it up easy. The shoulder tubes are new to me, but I can already see the advantage they have over the older shoulder “pad”. They are comfortable and easier to move where you want them. They’ll take some time to break in and become more flexible and soft, but that’s SBL quality at work. The front mini Gladstone pouch is working out fine for quick-grab essentials. The two buckle straps are a little annoying, but I’ll probably just let them hang unfastened, until I’m walking around in a crowd of strangers. The pouch stays closed fine without them. I like this feature more than a pocket with a flap and buckle — the bag has a slimmer, cooler profile and access is quick. All of the interior pouches are made of soft, flexible, but obviously tough material (pigskin?). A killer feature for me: because the interior side pockets are made from this soft, flexible material, they can, if empty, be pushed essentially flat, or forced to give more space to what you throw in the main storage area. Thick leather interior pockets don’t have this flexibility. This allows me to put a stuffed letter size Redweld file folder in the bag horizontally, not vertically. This makes the bag far more versatile for work. I hate when file folders have to go into a backpack vertically, as the file contents fall out and the papers get crushed and bent, or you have to add rubber bands, etc. to the folder. This makes the bag a perfect briefcase-backpack hybrid. (I never took advantage of the briefcase-to-backpack conversion offered by the Classic Briefcase by re-rigging the straps through D-rings; I always thought that made for a cool SBL video, but was unrealistic for everyday use). My 16 inch MacBook Pro laptop slides comfortably into the rear laptop pouch. The pouched slot in front of the laptop slot is surprisingly helpful. It holds folders and small storage bags just fine. The shorter keychain in the interior is a nice design choice; I’ve always disliked the long chain that forces the keys to the bag’s bottom, where they get in the way or the expensive car fob gets crushed. The interior storage space is substantial. I use separate little storage bags for computer gear and cables, etc., so I have no need for lots of interior pocketry and zippers and velcro like other bags — SBL gives me what I need: just a big chunk of space. I get as much in this bag as I did the Flight Bag, plus room for more work papers/files, a sweatshirt and lunch. This will easily double as an overnight bag when not for work. I’ll probably get little use out of the exterior side pockets. Large items there can interfere with the Gladstone opening. They do indeed hold my water bottle, though. No doubt a small umbrella will fit fine. Glad they are there for when I may need them. I’ve seen criticism that the shoulder straps are not detachable. Doesn’t bother me at all. I bought a backpack with the intention of keeping it a backpack. The only real negative for me is the weight of the loaded bag. It’s going to be heavy when carrying over one shoulder, the way I like to do. But I’ll take a heavier SBL bag any day over a lighter nylon bag. I would have liked to see two side D-rings near the top of the exterior pockets, towards the back of the bag, that could function to secure a luggage strap. I need those D-rings more than I need 4 on the bag’s bottom. Overall, I’m really impressed with the bag and glad I purchased it. The quality and construction I’ve always gotten from SBL in other bags is here, too.

  • 5
    Big mouth

    Purchased a big mouth backpack. It was money well spent.

  • 5
    The tank with an upgrade

    Recently purchased this for my wife. She has been a "tank" user for quite some time. I am a flight bag enthusiast and doctors bag when traveling. I love the gladstone closures. I initially wanted to purchase in DCB for myself. I am a DCB person and all my SBL stuff is DCB. I either missed the initial allotment or they haven't been released yet. My wife is a Tobacco fan, so she received her first. It is an awesome bag to say the least. We have 6 kids so my my wife packs her "purse" the tank quite full. Having the Gladstone closures makes it easy to access contents and locate the Basketball jersey, random mouth guard etc. with plenty of room for her items. I cant wait to get mine. Hurry up SBL I need my DCB Bigmouth.

  • 4
    Big mouth backpack

    I’ve been a fan of the Saddleback Leather Co. since I read a review on the Gadgeteer website back in 2008, before purchasing a Large DCB Classic, which I still own today. Since then, I have bought, traded and collected just about every model bag that SBL makes. Currently, my assembly includes about a half-dozen prized chestnut bags. As a long-time collector and an enthusiastic member of this group, I was thrilled when SBL reached out to me about the opportunity to try and share my thoughts on their brand-new Big Mouth Backpack. I’ve been using this bag for about a month now, but I focused my review on a typical week’s usage at my job. I’m excited to share my thoughts on what I think is a really unique new Saddleback product. I’d seen the teaser videos Dave posted, and I glimpsed at a few hidden of the photos that’d been posted on the SBL Instagram, so I had an idea what this bag was all about. Even though the bags I currently own are chestnut, I asked for the Big Mouth in tobacco. I’ve owned many types of SBL tobacco over the years. Because I’d heard the current tobacco was the more “velvety” material we all love, I wanted to see it for myself. I can say confidently that the current version will make fans of TB very happy. The first thing that stands out, of course, is the signature feature of this bag – the Gladstone closure. Although I don’t have one currently, I’ve owned three previous bags from SBL using the Gladstone. Anyone who has used one of these clasps before can vouch for how great they are. Better yet, with this bag, you get not one, but two Gladstone closures. The opening gives these bags a feature that most others don’t have – it lets the bag stand wide open, allowing you to see the contents without having to poke around in the dark. This bag is no exception, and it immediately jumps out as something you may not have realized you were missing, but that you’ll appreciate having. This bag also scores big points out of the box for the intangible “SBL coolness factor.” It’s completely unique and unlike any other bag in the coffee shop, in the airport or in the boardroom. It’s definitely a head-turner, and it will likely attract the inevitable “nice bag” comment from passers-by.  Size wise, this is a nice, Big bag.  It’s as tall as my square backpack, but it’s wider and much lighter. It has a large main compartment with very good organization. There are four different floppy pockets inside, all of which can be pushed in easily when not being used. One pocket would work for a book or an iPad. There is also a dedicated laptop pocket and smaller pockets for chargers, pens, business cards, a flashlight and other small EDC items. The sides each have a large external open pocket. These are pretty big and can hold a lot, although one thing to beware of is that the Gladstone closure can sometimes get blocked or rub against whatever you keep in the side pocket. If it’s too tall or too wide, the Gladstone won’t open properly. For example, the pockets fit a plastic, store-bought water bottle rather easily, but none of my Yeti / Kleen Kanteen / Hydroflask types would work. The bag simply would not open with the taller bottles in the pocket. (See my 40oz Hydroflask being used in the picture)   The straps on the bag I received use the “tube pads” as opposed to the smaller shoulder pad type we have seen on recent bags. In the video Dave posted awhile back, the straps had the shoulder pads on them. Personally, I much prefer the tube pads, and I’m glad they included them on the bag they sent me. I’m unclear what the final release will be. However, the tube pads can always be purchased separately.  Finally, we have the really cool mini-Gladstone front pocket. This is something I’ve never seen on any bag before, and it’s a welcomed addition. The inside of the pocket is very spacious, and it can hold numerous things that one may want to keep separate from the main contents of the bag for easier access. Because the Gladstone holds this pocket so tightly closed, you don’t really need to buckle and latch the front-pocket straps. In fact, if you plan to use this pocket often and to access it quickly, you may want to just leave it unbuckled. It will not fall open on its own. So, onto a typical week’s usage... I own a sleep away camp for kids, so for my review, I thought I would put the bag through a typical week’s worth of activities at Camp Manitowa. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has resulted in no “official” summer camp being held this year, but we do have a steady flow of cabin rentals, so I’m still out here giving my bag a workout!   First, I brought the Big Mouth Backpack to our campfire circle. My bag was loaded with a Mountainback Firestarter kit, a mini fire extinguisher, my guitar strap, a small bag of marshmallows, some Hershey’s chocolate bars and graham crackers (my classic camp director bag-load for a night around the fire). The bag spent most of the night tossed on the ground, despite it being rather dusty. I left the straps unlatched, so it was easy to get my things in and out of the pockets as needed throughout the night, while playing guitar and roasting marshmallows with our guests. The bag had plenty of space for what I required!  The next day, I took the bag to the lakefront. The Big Mouth easily held my towel, sunscreen, first aid kit, water bottle, hand sanitizer, and lifeguard whistle, all the while leaving room to spare. I tossed it in the canoe and headed out to check our buoys to make sure they were fastened. The following day, I took an overnight trip down to our sister camp, about an hour away, to talk things over with our caretaker. I used my Big Mouth as an overnight bag, and it held my Mountainback Dopp Kitt, Birkenstock’s sandals, shorts and a t-shirt.   Finally, we needed a little trail maintenance done, so I took the Big Mouth with me while I hiked up to Pioneer Point.  As I put this bag to work throughout the week, it felt like just about every other bag I’ve ever owned from SBL. It was sturdy; it was solid; it was reliable, and it did it all while looking really cool – the latter being, pretty much, an SBL guarantee! To be honest, I was concerned a bit about the Gladstone receiving the typical abuse that my SBL backpacks often take. The other Gladstone SBL bags I’ve owned throughout the years were duffels or briefcases – bags that typically don’t get tossed in canoe or in the back of a work truck. I knew the Gladstone could stand up to use as a weekender bag or as a commuter briefcase, but a backpack is different – at least for me and the way I use it. For example, I’m tougher on backpacks, and, with my job, I can’t spend time worrying about how and where I set it down.  So, I was concerned if the bag, and, specifically, the closure, would hold up. I am happy to report that at no time did I worry about damaging the bag. In typical SBL fashion, the product is solid, and being that it has the 100-year warranty, there is even less reason to worry. It’s sturdy hardware that can stand up to rigorous usage.  So, that brings me to the final part of my review. I often read bag reviews that are all positive, and they never mention anything that could be improved or anything they didn’t like. When I read these responses, they come across, to me at least, as being fake. Therefore, I am also going to highlight a few nit-picky details so that nobody can accuse me of being a biased fan-boy! I think SBL wants me to give honest feedback as well… First off, I would have loved to see lid covers on the side pockets, or maybe even just for one side. It’s my pet peeve. I think this way about nearly every bag – it’s just me lol! But I worry that stuff will fall out, so, to me, the pocket is just more versatile with a lid.  Second, and this is another comment/opinion that I have about seemingly every SBL backpack, is that I wish the straps were completely removable. Again, this just makes things more versatile, easier to mix and match, use different straps etc. I like it better that way!  Finally, the grab handle on this bag is the typical, floppy leather loop that we’ve seen used on most recent bags. This type of handle is sufficient; there is nothing wrong with it, but I am nostalgic for the old, beefy handle used on briefcases and some prior backpacks and messengers. When you’re in the car and you need to lean to grab this big ol’ bag and lift it over the console, the added heft of those chunky handles makes things a bit easier. And, who is kidding who, they just look cooler!  I recognize all three of my suggestions are likely influenced by cost. I get it, but I’d still love to see all three added! (Hello Men Werro)! Oops... one more thing. I’m a swag guy, and this bag, unfortunately, lacks anyplace to affix my cool stuff. With all this cool hardware, I’d have loved to see a D ring someplace. Gotta hang my luggage tags! In summary, I am aware of the anticipation in the group for this new model. It’s perhaps the most innovative backpack SBL has released in a long time, and many people have been saving their money in anticipation of its reveal. Well, I don’t think you will be disappointed! This is a fantastic bag; it’s beautiful; it’s functional, and, personally, I see it as a home run bag for SBL. Big thanks to David Pope for suggesting me to SBL. And much love to Dave, Suzette, Cross and the whole SBL family! :v:️:heart:️ - Andy