Flight Bag Leather Briefcase

2.00

$649.00

(223 reviews) Write a Review

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.

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FOR THE KIDS ABOUT A AL-SHABAAB ON VACATION

The last small plane we were on was from Nairobi to Lamu. From there, we took a 2-hour small boat ride to an island off the Northern Coast of Kenya, next to Somalia, where a Kenyan friend of ours told us it was a super cool place for holiday. We didn't know about all of the Al-Shabaab terrorist activity and kidnappings in the area, or we probably wouldn't have chosen it for our family vacation, but ignorance is bliss. The last night there was a little freaky. Okay, a lot of freaky hanging out and discussing theology with the witchcraft-practicing angel prophet of Islam, but that's for another place and time (or bag description).&&So we finally get to our destination, Mike's Camp, run and owned by a British Kenyan named Mike. A charming chap who had made a barefoot luxury Gilligan's Island resort built almost entirely from woven reeds. The walls and floors were 100% woven, and the ceilings were thatched. All of it was supported by branches and sticks.&&It was SUPER COOL. Unbelievable. And that's why billionaires fly in to stay there all the time. Of course, since we're not billionaires, we flew into Lamu and then took the little skiff to the island, but some people fly in at low tide, land on the beach, and walk up the sand dunes to the camp. It's where you completely unplug. No laptop bags are allowed. To read about the Angel prophet of Islam and our walk through the terrorists, go to the Slim Leather Briefcase page.&&Small plane bush pilots that land on the beach or take people to Lamu have a smaller flight bag briefcase next to their seats. It's just what you do when you need all of your things in a tiny cramped place.

Details

100 Year Warranty
Fits 17" Laptops
Removable Adjustable Shoulder Strap
Hidden Pockets Behind Two Front Pockets
Key Strap
False Bottom

Dimensions (W x H x D)

16" x 12" x 6"
Front Pockets: 6"W x 7"H
Strap: 1.25" W x 40" - 65" L
Shoulder Pad: 3" W x 7.75"L

MATERIALS

Full Grain Leather
Pigskin Lining
Custom Stainless Steel Hardware
Industrial Marine-Grade Polyester Thread

5
Balance of Professionalism and Ruggedness

I wanted to get some use out of my Flight Bag (in DCB) at work before putting up a review and well the easiest thing to say is I'm very happy with the Flight Bag in its namesake use! Owning a nice leather flight bag had always been a goal for me and so far this bag is meeting all my expectations. It's just the right side to hold my iPad, clipboard, headset, and glasses case, with plenty of room to spare in the main compartment. The front pockets are just the right size for keeping my accessories (charger and cables, keychain, passport/licence, postcards for kids welcomed aboard, etc) organized for easy access. My only "gripe" is when attaching the luggage strap that I had also ordered. With the positioning of the shoulder strap D-Rings being offset, the luggage strap's clips don't sit all that nicely on one of the sides. Besides that, I can't forget to mention the frequent compliments this bag gets from colleagues! For me, it strikes the perfect balance of professionalism and ruggedness that looks stunning and will truly last a lifetime! This is my first Saddleback Leather product and I'm glad I did my research! I'm looking forward to having this bag join me through my career and the adventures that are to come! Cheers from Canada!

Posted by Kevin K. | Aug 21, 2024
5
Best Designed Bag

This is the best designed modern leather briefcase made today in my opinion. It has a wide mouth without a troublesome flap that stays open until you close it. It allows easy access to the well designed interior that contains no superfluous additions only workable space for your items. The two outside pockets are very well placed and will safely contain any extra pens, pencils, small notebooks and message pads. I love this bag!

Posted by Dennis L Sexton | Aug 07, 2024
5
Flight Bag

Perfect bag (look, size, durability, you name it)

Posted by Luke | Jul 19, 2024
5
Flight Bag

My sister is a luthier (makes violins) and we both love quality hand made products. She sent me a link to Saddleback bags website years ago, and had always wanted one, but unfortunately they remain out of my price range. My son was graduating from high school and going into a 4 year university program in commercial aviation management and will also get his commercial pilot license. I was back on Saddleback’s website admiring the products when I saw the flight bag, and realized that it would be the perfect graduation gift for him. I had ordered the he bag to go to my daughter’s apartment in Vancouver, but I forgot to add the unit number. I got a notice from the USPS that the item was undeliverable, but I could not locate it. I contacted customer service at Saddleback and over several days, spoke with several ladies who were very understanding and sweet although there wasn’t much that they could do. The he best part was being put on hold and hearing Dave’s stories!! I’d never thought I’d like being put on hold!! I want to call back to see how the story about running off the road in Mexico turned out. So eventually I got Canada post to change the address, and the bag was delivered…. The bag itself is fantastic. It will definitely last several lifetimes! It is every bit as great in real life as it looks in the website photos. My son loves the bag, and loves wearing it on his shoulder walking through airports or flight school. It definitely looks the part! The bag is a perfect size for everything he needs in a 172, but not so big that it takes up too much space in a small cockpit. A very well designed and constructed bag. The customer service and product could not be better.

Posted by Derek Pickell | Jul 14, 2024
4
Flight bag reveiw

Hi, the bag is great, but it REALLY needs a piece of leather that ties the two handles together with a snap. It would work better with my rollaboard hook. Let me know if this is something you could retro fit.

Posted by Rosemary Albrecht | Jul 09, 2024

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