Dave's Deals Flight Bag Leather Briefcase - Chestnut

Dave’s Deals

These are items that have arrived from the factory that are fully functional but with cosmetic defects. Some people call them factory seconds. They are still good items that come with our warranty, and we're just knocking down the price because they don't pass Dave's quality and inspection standards. Some Dave's Deals may be stamped with the letter S. Photos shown are stock, the product style and logo may differ.

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Design of the Flight Bag

This bag was designed for pilots, like the one who flew our family to a region of Somalia infested with Al Shabaab terrorist (read the story here). These flight bags are over-engineered with no breakable parts like magnets, zippers, snaps, buttons, etc. We only use the strongest materials we can find. The leather is thick full grain leather and incredibly tough, while the lining is made of pigskin, which is even stronger. The thread is industrial, marine grade, and UV resistant, ensuring it will hold up against wear and tear. The hardware is a custom stainless steel, which is complete overkill — it's like killing a fly with a shotgun. This mid-1800s English style Gladstone Bag closure is just plain cool on this leather briefcase. It opens wide and stays open until you say otherwise (pilots love this feature to put next to their seats). The front pockets are built and then sewn on, so there are hidden pockets behind the pockets. There's a magazine pocket in the back and a floppy laptop pocket inside the leather briefcase.

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Leather in Our Pilot Bags

The leather we use is the strongest we can find (full grain boot leather, but thicker). The top layer of a leather hide has all the grain. The grain is the hide's toughest, most protective, and longest-lasting part. The grain is like the shingles on a roof the best part. Most companies shave off the top layer (grain) of the hide to get rid of scars so they can use almost every inch of the hide in production and save money. But in doing so, it's like they're shaving the shingles off your roof. There ought to be a law.

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Lining of Our Leather Flight Bag

We use pigskin lining, which is stronger than cow leather, instead of some pretty shiny fabric with a world map on it. In addition, this pigskin lining is lighter in shade, making it much easier to see inside in a darker cockpit.

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Thread to Hold It All Together

The thread is unbelievably strong industrial marine-grade UV resistant polyester thread. It's what they use when people could die if the thread fails. Like on sails and parachutes. We use it to hold together leather briefcases.

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Hardware in Our Leather Flight Bags

Our custom hardware is a 316 Stainless Steel (please please google it). It's the metal of choice when your life depends on it. A metallurgist told me it was way overkill and that I didn't need it to be so strong. I guess it's like killing a fly with a shotgun for a leather briefcase, but we NEVER have problems with our hardware.

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No Breakable Parts in Our Leather Briefcases

Do you remember in your childhood, that transformer bag with the cool zippered rear pocket that fell apart and dropped your collection of hot wheels in the hall at school? Then you realize you want to study harder to afford nicer things that don't fall apart. So you decide to become a pilot because you love freedom and only fly what you trust. You don't want to get a part for your plane that you don't trust, no fuel pump or brakes for your Cessna from wish.

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Hinged Frame (Gladstone Closure)

The hinged frame closure comes from the mid-1800s when zippers weren't a thing yet. When you open it, it stays wide open until you say otherwise. Pilots love this feature when the bag is next to them in the cockpit. There is ample storage space for everything you might need. You might only have to carry your pilot certificate, a photo ID, and possibly even an aviation medical certificate, but there's plenty of room for all your electronics, headset GPS, books, and fuel testers.

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External Pockets

The two pockets in the front are great for storing charging cables, flashlight, water bottle, or fuel testers. These pockets are sewn onto the leather bag, so there are hidden pockets behind these pockets to slide a passport, pens or pencils, brochures, etc. The magazine pocket in the back will fit a tablet, magazine, or book.

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Removable, Adjustable Shoulder Strap

We know not all pilots like to carry their pilot bags the same, so we made the adjustable strap so you can fit it just right. The leather strap adjusts from 40-60" and is removable too so you can carry it by hand.

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Leather Briefcase with a False Bottom

Inside the main compartment, there's a piece of leather on the bottom of the bag that serves two purposes. One - it's an extra layer of reinforcement (part of the whole over-engeneering thing). Two - it creates a false bottom so you can hide your passport or cash.