Front Pocket Leather Backpack

10.00

$649.00

(228 reviews) Write a Review

Design of the Front Pocket Leather Backpack

There is no luck in making a quality leather backpack. And this leather backpack with pockets is no exception. It was purposefully designed with no breakable parts like zippers, snaps, or velcro. And any stress spot is reinforced with Polyester straps hidden beneath the leather and riveted. The body of this leather backpack is built with just two big pieces of leather, which means there aren't many seams. The fewer the seams, the stronger the backpack because backpacks come apart at the seams before anywhere else. And then we only sew 5 stitches per inch, so there are as few holes as possible. Quality can be measured in Seam Feet (how few feet of seams a bag has. We made that term up).

---

Materials used to create this Leather Backpack with Pockets

This backpack is made out of strong materials. The full grain leather is very tough and more resistant to water. The lining is made from pigskin, which is even stronger than cowhide. The hardware is made from 316 Stainless Steel, which is very strong and will not rust. The thread used to sew the backpack together is Polyester, which does not deteriorate in the sun as nylon thread does.

---

Full Grain Leather

The leather of this backpack is the strongest and most water-resistant we can find (full grain), and then we line it with pigskin, which is stronger than the cow skin. It's rare for a low-quality company to use full grain to make a leather backpack because it's so expensive. When I say "Full Grain Leather" I mean that it still has all of the tough, tightly woven fibers on the top of the hide.

---

A Genuine Leather Backpack is Missing the Strength

Most companies shave off the scars and blemishes from the top of the hide (watch how they shave it here at minute 6:30) and shave off the strongest and best part of the hide (the grain) while doing it. They shave it down to genuine leather. They do it, so they don't have to cut around the marks and throw those pieces into the trash as we do. We throw away 25% of the hide. They don't throw hardly anything away. But since it still has leather, they can call it a genuine leather backpack. It will not last nearly as long and is missing the beauty.

---

A Vegan Leather Backpack is Plastic Garbage

Vegan leather is ridiculous. It doesn't even make sense. It's usually polyurethane or PVC, which is a plastic. Do you want to wear a plastic backpack? No? We don't want you to either. You and I both know that will not last longer than your carebear backpack as a kid.

---

Seriously Strong Hardware in this Leather Backpack with Pockets

I know using 316 Stainless Steel custom hardware is kind of like killing a fly with a shotgun, but we did it anyways. Check that one off the list of potential problems. Our large pieces of hardware on our backpacks are rated strong enough to hold a 750 lb. bag of cats before it gives. Seriously, I hope you google it to understand more. If your life is going to depend on any metal, let it depend on 316 Stainless Steel.

---

The Best Thread to Hold it all Together

We sew it all together with thick and strong Polyester thread. It's industrial strength and doesn't deteriorate with exposure to the Sun's UV rays like Nylon thread does. This Leather Backpack is very strong from the nature of the materials we use.

---

From a Brown Leather Backpack, to a Black Leather Backpack, you have options

We know not everyone has the same style. So this leather backpack with pockets comes in four different colors. The light tan color (called Tobacco) develops a beautiful patina over time. There's also Dark Coffee Brown, Chestnut (reddish brown), and Black. So find the style that will suit you.

---

Very Spacious Main Compartment

The interior main compartment has enough space for your 17" laptop, a charger, other electronic gear, some personal items, your passport, a book, or possibly a few books. You could probably even fit a monkey in there if you had to. But we wouldn't recommend that. This is a very durable leather bag with plenty of room.

---

Adjustable Shoulder Straps

We want this leather backpack to be easy to carry on and off your back. So we made the most comfortable straps that are easily adjustable. This makes for easy access as you take it off to grab something out and toss it back on your back.

Details

100 Year Warranty
Fits all 17" laptops
Hidden Pockets Behind the Pockets

Dimensions (W x H x D)

12" X 17" X 7"
Weight: 6 lbs

MATERIALS

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

2
Uncomfortable pack, and exceptionally poor return policy

Beautiful piece of leather, and my second Saddleback. My Front Pocket Briefcase has been fantastic in every respect. So, when I ordered this >$500 backpack, I did so with confidence, given my 100% satisfaction in the briefcase. When I received the backpack, it was sturdy, well-built, and looked well thought out. I took off the tags and proceeded to wear this backpack during a long 5 day weekend vacation with my family in DC. And while the vacation was fun...this pack was incredibly uncomfortable. Narrow shoulder straps that cut into your clavicle, hard fold in the pack that rides your lumbar, and side pockets that rub the back of your arms. Saddleback advised me they would not accept a return since the pack had been worn. This makes little sense, as it would be impossible to determine whether the pack was comfortable without wearing it. Saddleback's customer service actually said that my best option was to sell this 5-day old, $509 dollar pack on Ebay or Facebook. So while I love this company, and love my briefcase, this particulat backpack and the return policy leave much to be desired. Saddleback needs to provide better options to customers buying a super-premium luxury product including a robust returns policy for packs that just don't work. That would only reinforce customer loyalty, rather than insult it.

Posted by Rich | Oct 30, 2015
4
Front Pocket Backpack

I've received my front pocket backpack today. I'm always a bit concerned when ordering anything due to the new leather with more natural marks. I'm actually OK with healed marks, but the pigskin on one of my previous orders had unhealed marks that were actually holes--not cool. I'm happy to report that the cow leather and the pigskin were both in good shape on this order. The design of the bag is great, but the first thing I noticed was that the shoulder pads did not have the padded sleeve. I called customer service and they told me that they phased the pads out. Unfortunately, Saddleback has not updated their website to reflect this. Half of the front pocket backpacks pictured have the pads and half do not. Customer service did apologize. I assume that this is another cost saving attempt, but the pads would be value added. Still, I'm keeping the backpack and I would recomend it.

Posted by Paul | Aug 30, 2015
5
Easy Rider/Perfect Bag

This bag is absolutely beautiful and made for the adventurer in all of us. I bought the large FPB and have used it as my daily carry bag for a while now but the main reason I bought it was to be my luggage bag for my Harley motorcycle. I have to say that it exceeded all expectations when it came to doing what I bought it for. The rings located on the bottom of the bag provide the perfect place for some bungie cords to go through so that the bag sits on the back seat perfectly. I have just gotten back from a 400 mile ride and it didn't move one bit and it turned the heads of more than one person on the road. Thanks Saddleback for making a perfect backpack for my bike and me.

Posted by Walnut B. | Jun 09, 2015
5
To the top of Africa - one year with the Saddleback Front Pocket Backpack

Last summer I took this bag to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was absolutely overkill for the six day hike, and carrying the extra weight of the full-grain leather was not especially great for my back. But I ABSOLUTELY had the coolest backpack on the mountain, and knowing some of the scuffs and scars on the bag were from VOLCANIC ROCK is a pretty great way to build memories. Overall, the bag has been a phenomenal purchase. It's incredibly sturdy, absolutely gorgeous, and has more space and pockets than I know what to do with. I don't always use the D-rings on the bottom, but with a couple of utility straps on hand, they're super helpful. Unless this bad boy gets stolen at some point, I'm sure it'll be something I keep with me the rest of my life. My only complaint is with what the bag looks like when it's not totally full. When there is nothing pushing it up from below, the top flap goes kind of concave, and makes the bag look a little bottom heavy. Generally, I'll just roll up a Maasai blanket and keep it under the top flap, which makes the bag look like it should. And hey! My Maasai blanket is handy whenever I need it. So that's cool. All that to say, I'm a world-traveler (26 countries so far) and I tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this bag is PERFECT for staying on the go. I haven't regretted the purchase for a single moment.

Posted by Bruce B. | May 13, 2015
4
Love backpack, wish tobacco color was as it used to be!

Love the backpack, it holds so much and is comfortable to wear-- I am 5'2" female. But wish the tobacco was a creamier color as several items other I have from a few years ago. I don't like the smokiness of the new tobacco and wish I had ordered any of the other colors.

Posted by Laura | May 01, 2015

Featured ITEM

Saddleback