Front Pocket Leather Briefcase

I have been using my front pocket leather briefcase in tobacco for the past few weeks. I have another briefcase from Saddleback that I have used over the past 14 years. Truth be told, its still in perfect condition, just a bit more supple and pliable than when I first got it. I think its finally "broken in." And I have used it heavily & daily over this time. I love working with leather myself and tried to replicate this older briefcase out of admiration for the design and build. Their craftsmanship is second to none. A simple form but a multitude of hidden decisions and thoughts in the design and build that are genius. Designer thinking 10 steps ahead. On inspection of the front pocket leather briefcase, this new one is no different. Approaches perfection. If you appreciate quality, this is it at every level- design, build, aesthetic, form and function, material selection, etc. So, great job Dave and Saddleback team. Keep up the excellence in craftsmanship, it is appreciated.
Also- yes- you should just buy it. you wont regret it.

I've been waiting to get a this bag for a decade. One thing or another kept using the money I had socked away for this (kids and unreliable cars are more expensive than my wildly optimistic imagination). After the wait - 10 years - it lives up to the mental hype! I have zero complaints with this bag.

I cannot wait to see how it breaks in and gets the one-of-a-kind look that good leather, well used, gets. It's only going to look better with time.

I'm so blown away by the quality! Customer for life! It's built like a tank and the smell is heavenly!

Laptop is a 17" Dell Precision 7780 fits perfect!

Even with the laptop in there the bag isn't even that heavy I know people were saying it was a heavy bag I'm 6 ft tall 250 lb the thing is not heavy at all for me.

Thank you for your excellence in leather products. I researched other companies and products over a two year period trying to find the best for a special gift to my son. Saddleback was the company I choice. Dave, quality products, and accommodating staff sealed the deal for me! Thank you so much!

Well made and very functional. Increases in beauty when you condition the leather. I think they're right, my kids will fight over this when I'm dead and gone.

I have been wanting a Saddleback bag since I first became aware of them 8 years ago. Even when I became a leather worker and was making my own bags, I never stopped wanting one. After 8 years I finally got mine, and I love it. The quality of the materials and the craftmanship is rock solid, and designed to go anywhere forever. The bag will be buried with me when I die, and the kids can fight over the shovel.

I got this bag 10 years ago. I’m an ICU doctor and carry this bag with me to the hospital every day as well as on trips. Amazing bag. Amazing quality. Get complimented on my bag all the time. The motto of “they’ll fight over it when you’re dead” sounds about right.

Just unpacked my goodie bag in Abu Dhabi. The main item was the front pocket leather briefcase. After a lengthy spell of indecision between the various briefcases and colors, I took the plunge to replace my tattered Mont Blanc leather briefcase.

The first thing that struck by opening the package, was the care in wrapping and boxing the products acquired (the personal Leather birthday card was a nice touch!). Opening the plastic bag, I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of great leather - wow!

What can I say about the quality that hasn't been said by countless customers before. It's great - the quality of the leather, the buttery softness of the pigskin, the minute details of the stitching, carrying flexibility (the standard carrying handle is perfect ergonomically) and enough storage space, without being clumsy.

I do have one critical comment: Saddleback Leather require better copywriters - your current one's do not do justice to your products (ok, that's tongue in cheek)

One recommendation: the little leather patches will be great as fridge magnets! (You can send me the first one)

I guess I will be frequent client ....... keep up the great work.

Eight years ago, I was in the market for a new briefcase. I was at a stage in my career that I wanted this one to be a good quality leather briefcase. I must have scoured the internet for months, looking for the ideal bag and bookmarking several companies and retail sellers. In all that search, I was never able to feel comfortable enough to pull the trigger on a purchase. I remember reading the reviews of various bags, and if I read one review of a leather bag, I read many of them with this similar phrase: "It's a nice bag but it's not a Saddleback." As my search to find out what this "Saddleback" was all about, I came upon their website. I felt like a kid getting the Sears Christmas catalogue out of the mailbox excited to see all the new toys out for the year! I read about all the bags, how they were engineered, how they were made, and I watched the videos that Dave had produced. I knew then that this was the bag that I was looking for. I ordered the FPBC in Tobacco and it has been my EDC ever since. It has held up well, rugged looking as the day I received it and has developed a wonderful patina. So I purchased this bag once again, but this time as a gift for a dear friend who, a couple years ago, had acquired, what I would call, a "Saddleback" knock-off. During that time, watching him use his bag as an EDC and hearing his disappointment when a strap broke or hardware malfunctioned or when a seam became loose, I couldn't help but say to myself, "Yeah, it's NOT a Saddleback." So when the 20th Anniversary sale happened, I took this as an opportunity to buy this for my friend. Even if he is just half a satisfied as I am with mine, he will be blessed by the use it.

This bag just keeps getting better. I am in construction and my briefcase takes a beating. I use one end pocket for glasses case and the other for small tools (flashlight, knife & leatherman) The interior of the bag holds an IPad, notebook & laptop on one side and the other side is for my cord bag and random other items. The two front pockets are for all the random stuff you need to carry and they hold a ton. The bag is unending, at some point you just realize that this bag will in fact outlast me. I have been using (beating) this bag for 8 years and it just looks better! I know these are expensive, but do not hesitate. I love this bag, every couple of years I use the cleaner and leather milk on it and that’s it. It has been wet, smashed, dragged, and left outside. I actually left it in the bed of my truck for a full day in the rain, it didn’t care and my laptop was actually DRY! These are the real deal, they dont wear out, they just get better.

Ive only owned this for a week, but I can see that it will outlast the 100 Year Warranty. Its true, They will fight over it after your dead. I have probably spent twice as much buying average briefcases every 2-3 years over the last two decades. That stops now, This is the last briefcase I will ever buy. Im looking forward to buying a travel Duffel

This bag is great. Perfect size. Great materials and craftsmanship. Just perfect. I can load it with a lot of stuff and not be afraid the strap will give up. A 15 inch regular laptop fits snug on the sides.

The quality of my front pocket bag is amazing as expected, I am always looking for excuses to go out and show off this amazing bag. I work in the film industry, and I get comments about my bag in a daily basis! I think I have managed to create a few new costumers.

I recently purchased this style of bag in the Cocoa Veg Tanned. This is the best color I have every seen. I love the two pocket style and the fact you can also put things behind the pockets is a plus. I have always had cheap briefcases. This step up has been well worth it! I have received so many complements mostly about the color..

Incredible quality! This will be the last briefcase I'll need. Great day to day and travel bag

I got this bag in large chestnut about a week ago and it's starting to break in a little bit now. It's the perfect size I pack it full with multiple textbooks, files, cords, other novels/books, a couple laptops, workout clothes and room for an umbrella in the side. I highly recommend getting this bag, the quality is unbeatable. Chestnut is beautiful and rich and will age well while maintaining a rugged professional look. Only recommendation is to make the side pockets a bit bigger. Thanks Dave!!

After much deliberation between the Front-pocket and the Classic, I pulled the trigger and ordered the Large Front-pocket in Tobacco. One of the reasons for my choice was the larger pockets on the side which I could slide things into…items which I need to access more quickly but don’t necessarily like to have in my pants pockets, like my phone, calculator, wallet, keys, etc. Even with less interior depth than the Classic, I can still get my Macbook, a PC laptop, folders, books, iPad and even two cable bags (to keep smaller things organized and handy inside.) Yes, it’s heavy but even when I packed out my last backpack with the items above, that became heavy too, and this bag looks so much better. It is expensive, but honestly, anytime you need to make a decision between price and quality…it’s not what you don’t pay, it’s what you don’t receive. For almost a year I complied in my wish list on Amazon a variety of leather briefcases in order to get a sense as to what features were important to me in a briefcase. One comment that appeared in a number of reviews was the phrase, “It’s not a Saddleback, but...” Which of course led me to find out just what a Saddleback is…and I never looked back! Even after just a month of carrying this bag, I feel as I have gotten exceptional value for what I have invested and I predict that in the years to come, not only will I no longer be replacing my bag about every three years (because it wore out or broke down due to poor workmanship or because I got tired of it) but I am confident that I will break down and wear out before it will!

I was first introduced to Saddleback in early 2008. A colleague of mine at the time had bought a briefcase and brought it into our offices. I was in love. Finally after years of dealing with "pretty" but badly constructed briefcases I thought "this was it". I had planed on buying one but my business partner and I had to move our company and I thought it prudent to wait until that had been completed. Unfortunately right after we moved our staff and our equipment the economy crashed. After having to fire our staff of twenty-five and closing our doors forever, my wife and I had to declare personal bankruptcy. Needless to say a new briefcase was out of the question. But I never forgot about Saddleback. About once a year I would go back onto the website and see the new products. I would follow the travels of Dave and his family and see what new adventure they were on. And always in the back of my mind I would think "someday I will get me one of those". Well after eight years I was now finally in a position again to purchase one. Now, I tell you all this so that you understand that this review is truly personal for me. And though to some I am sure that a grown man fantasizing about a briefcase like a eight year old boy would fantasize about a life size X-wing fighter is a bit silly. But to me getting this briefcase.... my briefcase was important. I must say that after years of thinking about what I had seen eight years earlier it would have been easy to have been disappointed if the case wasn't everything I remember. But you know what, it was! I tracked the UPS shipment (the UPS app sucks by the way) and when I was informed that it had arrived I raced home. I did have momentary heart failure when I saw that the box sitting at my front door was open. Thank god everything I ordered was still inside and the case unharmed. The tape used had failed and half the box was wide open. But again it was all there. Once I took out the case I new immediately that not only was it as good as I remember but after eight years it was even better. All I can say is its gorgeous. The first thing I noticed was the smell. The smell of true leather wafted thru the air and "it was good". The next thing was the color. I sat it down and took a step back. The color was beautiful. I had purchased Chestnut and I was glad I did. Finally the construction. This case will last me the rest of my life and I have no doubt that my now seven and nine year old kids will be fighting over it years from now. I have had the thing for less than 20 hours and my seven year old daughter is already asking me if Saddleback makes a kids size. And if anyone still has any doubts. I got up this morning, transferred everything out of my old case to my new one, took my kids to school and am now sitting at a coffee place at the world famous farmers market in Los angeles. While I have been sitting here drinking my coffee and trying to write this review at 8:30 in the morning more than four people have come up to me and have asked me about the bag. Not kidding. Its no joke. Everyone from the guy making my coffee to a group of tourist walking by. All of them saw it and wanted to ask me about it. Dave, you and your family do good work and I will be proud to carry this bag for the rest of my life. Thank you!

I have purchased other Saddleback Leather products over the last few years. That said, I am not a new to this company, reputation and love for serving other communities around the world. I received my new Front Pocket Briefcase yesterday. This has been a year long journey for purchasing this bag and the anticipation and week-long shipping wait is over! Once I opened up the box the smell of beautifully crafted leather was like no other. Needless to say, I received a perfect long-awaited briefcase which meets and exceeds every expectation for my personal/professional needs. I will be a Saddleback Leather product connoisseur for life. Grace and peace to your organization.

Fabulous quality! Exactly what my hubby wanted for Christmas!

Finally took the plunge and purchased my front pocket Saddlebag leather bag, after buying 2 other imposters! I absolutely LOVE my bag ! I receive compliments daily on it ! The pockets and storage are very sufficient ! About as perfect as it gets with leather daily computer/ tote bags !!

I see so many reviews written by people when they just ordered something and they "can't wait to get it!!!!" Well that's crazy. Of course you like it or you would not have bought it. I waited almost two years to write this review because I needed to make sure my opinion was sincere.



I bought this bag in the Tobacco color in August of 2014. I originally wanted to get the darker chestnut color, but when my brother showed me the beautiful patina on his Tobacco Saddleback wallet, I bought the same wallet and this briefcase in Tobacco. Some reviewers commented that the color is a little darker than what is shown in the pictures. This is true but if you look at the videos, the color is consistent with what you should expect.



DESIGN: Loved the design when I bought it. Still love it today. As with any briefcase (or really anything new that you use every day - e.g., a car), there will be some time to adjust to it and how you are going to use all of the features. Yes, you need to open the flap to access the front pockets. Once you are used to this, it's not a big deal. Further, the leather on the flap and the belt have softened so nicely over the past two years (and 100+ business trips) and I'm so used to opening the buckles that I can now open any of them with one hand easily. The pockets on either side of the gussets are a little tight. The leather does stretch, but I still struggle a little bit to get a water bottle in there when my laptop is in the bag. I'm 32 years old and going on 60 so I still get a print newspaper every morning that I read at the office. The external back pocket is perfect for this. The two front pockets are great. I use one for computer cords and the other for pens/pencils/highlighters. I put ballgame tickets in the area behind the front pockets and this is the perfect place for keeping them from getting destroyed. I use the little key chain for my Secure ID token and I may be the only person in my office who has never lost that token as a result. It would be nice if the pads on the shoulder strap had something to better grip on my shoulder because it can slide (especially if I'm wearing a sport coat).



USE: Is it a little heavy? Yes. Do I notice anymore? No. People pick up my bag all the time and comment on how heavy it is, but (1) I always carry a lot - and this bag facilitates that and (2) Too may people are used to carrying these wimpy little light weight bags and I've never had one that lasted more than 1.5 years - hence my decision to buy a bag that may last me the rest of my career. The bag always fits below the seat on any airplane (and I've been on over 100 since I've bought it) and the outside pockets can be convenient for pocket items that you need to remove when going through security. I've never felt the need to use the backpack option.



WEAR AND TEAR: Mostly nothing but the good kind. I will say that because Saddleback doesn't paint or seal the edges of their leather (and I fully understand and appreciate why) the leather on the main belt used to seal the flap has frayed a bit on the edges. It's not enough so that anyone notices (except me of course) and it's not even a problem. I could just see some people complaining about that. I love the fact that it looks well-worn and the leather has softened beautifully over time. I always carry the bag with the front pocket side away from my leg and, as a result, the inside has been worn a little more and has developed a beautiful dark patina. I'm looking forward to the rest of the bag aging similarly.



Overall: Very satisfied. I was never tempted to return or replace this bag - not a single time in two years. I do get a lot of compliments, but that shouldn't be the reason you buy it. If it is, you're making a mistake. Like any briefcase, it's not for everyone. But if you're looking for a briefcase that looks great and won't need replacement, and you can handle the other factors discussed above, this is an amazing buy. It has met every expectation I had.

I’ve been looking at Dave’s bags for a couple of years and was also looking at the front pocket weatherproof canvas bag and the thin front pocket brief case.
My wife got this for me for my 50th and I couldn’t be any more pleased! I like the fact that I have the extra internal pocket compared to the thin and that it stands up on its own without falling over. My water bottles are to big for the side pockets, I’ve been using one for my work phone with case which is still a tight fit to get it in. Looking forward to carrying this around for a long time! I’ve also received compliments from co-workers.

This briefcase is perfect for carrying my 15" laptop with neoprene sleeve in one main compartment, with my over-the-ear headphones, laptop cord & charger, and eyeglass case in the other main compartment. My wallet fits in one of the front pockets, and my keys are on the attached lanyard in the side pocket. The bag is beautiful and solidly built. I can commute with this one item on my motorcycle very comfortably. Fantastic briefcase.