Flight Bag Leather Briefcase

8.00

$649.00

(230 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
It's a piece of art.

It's a piece of art. Great bag too!

Posted by Richard V. | Dec 22, 2020
5
You won't regret it...

I decided to level up my flight bag game at work, and the design of this bag delivers on its promises to me as a pilot. It's not too big which has me carefully choose what I really need with me all the time, and it is not too small to hold those essentials stylishly. Thank you Saddleback!

Posted by David B. | Dec 10, 2020
5
So Satisfied

Absolutely love this bag! Great companion to my classic briefcase! I get so many complements on how it looks. Envious family members went and grabbed themselves one once they got to carry it around the office. I have loved every product from Saddleback, totally worth every penny.

Posted by James F. | Dec 10, 2020
4
Great bag, but not perfect.

Very nice bag, made with outstanding quality. Limited storage options/pockets is the only reason I won’t give it 5 stars. It could really use pen holders; it’s a pilot bag after all. The two outside pockets are useful and secure. The leather is thick, but the straps are still easy to open and close. The top opening is really nice and stays open. This makes it easy to access items while seated in the flight deck. Going back to my issue with the bag, it has one internal divider. I carry a headset, two iPads, spare battery pack, small sun shades, a book, and a few loose items like pens, ear plugs, AirPods, ibuprofen, spare batteries, and charging cables/bricks. With only two compartments, the loose items end up at the bottom. This requires a little fishing around when trying to find things. An extra pocket inside the main compartment would be helpful. Overall, very happy with the bag. I get compliments from other pilots. I leave the shoulder strap at home and carry it by the handles on my roller board J-hook. When I’m lucky enough to fly locals, I just carry it as it is not too heavy.

Posted by Christian C. | Dec 09, 2020
5
Flight Bag Black

I am huge fan of handmade products. I have been using a backpack for years and inevitably I am forced to replace a $200 bag every couple of years. I was looking for a briefcase made with care and quality in mind and was very happy to discover Saddleback Bags! I went through the internal debate of value vs. quality and in the end I am ecstatic that I made the wise decision to order the Flight Bag in black. Saddleback bags live up to the old saying you get what you pay for; and with them, I would say you get more than you pay for. This bag is killer, I love it. I am looking forward to the time when I need to order another piece of functional art from Saddleback bags! I sincerely hope they are open and prosperous for very long time to come.

Posted by Dave H. | Dec 08, 2020

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