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Front Pocket Leather Backpack

$579.00
(234 reviews) Write a Review
100 Year Warranty
Videos

Leather Backpack Review at Head of the River Nile

How to Knock Off a Saddleback Leather Co. Briefcase

  • 12" X 17" X 7"
  • Weight: 6 lbs

(234)
5 Stars Write a Review
  • 2
    Tried to love it

    This is a negative review. I'm really sorry SB…I really like the other SB products we have, and I tried to love this bag, hoping it would grow on me over time, but I really don't…and after eight months, I'm currently trying to sell it. I'm giving it two stars because I love the color (carbon) and of course, the quality is really lovely in materials and construction, and SB customer service. In general, this is a beautiful bag with quality construction and materials. Obviously, it's not a pack that should be used for bedbug riddled, hostel hopping, or slumming it around the world, or serious outdoor excursions. But for developed-world travel, car trips, or just throwing it in the back of the truck for a gear haul, it would be great. I have to mention that I really like the pockets. Not only are they huge, but the way they're sewn onto the bag so that there is a small space behind them to slide in tickets or a notebook is really fantastic. I also love that I don't have to baby my SB products...in fact, aside from conditioning every once in a while, I don't give them a second thought...it's like the meaner you are to them, the *better* they become. However, I've run into several problems with this pack: 1) This pack (I bought the large, in the smokey carbon color) was intended as a luxury carryon and car travel piece, but the external measurements on the website are off and don't include the pockets (why?!). So the bag ends up being roughly 15.5 inches wide and 11 inches deep…too wide and too deep to squish into the carryon dimensions unless you flip the bag upside down…some airlines will be more picky about this than others. You might be able to get away with it, but you also might not. 2) It's bulky, stiff, and unwieldily. This is not something you can just slide into your lap or flip onto your shoulders…well, maybe if you're over 6 feet tall…which I'm not, I'm 5'5, and female. Of course it would become softer over, say, a decade of use, but frankly, I'm not willing to invest nearly $600 + 10 years in hopes that I'll love it later. I've found this as cumbersome to wield (put on and take off, and sit/store beside me, in the car, stow in the overhead, carryon cabin etc) as my old, fully loaded Dana Terraplane...that's really saying something considering how huge the Dana is and how much more weight it carries. (I realize the Dana and the SB are two completely different packs, to be used for completely different things, I'm just giving an example of how difficult the SB can be.) 3) Doesn't carry weight well, even when packed correctly. This is to be expected for something that's essentially a rucksack and I don't expect it to carry beautifully, but the whole back and shoulder area are just uncomfortable...and I'm no stranger to wearing packs. Maybe it's just not suited for a woman's frame. Not to mention, it's heavy. Yeah, the weight is listed, but it's a different game once the thing is loaded AND not carrying well. 4) I find the cinching, top closure difficult/time consuming to fiddle with and use correctly, and it doesn't close completely, unless the bag is almost empty. The cinching can be remedied quickly enough with some webbing and a buckle, in case anyone else is tired of fumbling with it. CARBON, A note about the carbon color: This is my favorite color from SB (I have a small satchel--which I'm quite fond of, in carbon also). It's very difficult to photograph well: it's a grayish-black, dusty/smokey sort of of color, soft to the touch. As it ages, it becomes a little more shiny and darker--that's the patina. A very rugged, post-apoc, looking color. It might not be the attention getter that tobacco or chestnut is, but it's definitely the "baddest" color. Obviously this pack was a bad fit for me. However, should you find it might be perfect for you, you'll never be disappointed with the quality materials and construction, or SB customer service.

  • 5
    Simply Amazing:bangbang:️

    I purchased this backpack in May of 2014. I wanted to experience this piece before writing a review. I bought the large dark brown size and it's a very sound investment. I get 10 compliments a day about the style and look of it. If your considering another backpack (perish the thought) if you have another backpack throw it away and get this piece. Your mind may be wrestling with $600 bucks for a backpack, I promise you will not regret it. No cheap zippers and crazy moving parts to easily break. It is simply a work of art:bangbang:️ GO BUY IT ALREADY :)

  • 5
    The best travel companion I have ever had!

    I had my medium front pocket for a little over two years before I decided to sell it for some new leather but I loved every day I had it. My FPB took me all over New England and the tri-state area. On every trip I was able to pack more than enough clothes if needed and used the pockets for chargers and toiletry storage. The long strap on the main compartment meant that I could overload the heck out of the pack. A great buy.

  • 4
    Ongoing Chronicle of the Bags

    I purchased the Medium Front Pocket Backpack in Chestnut and the Large Classic Briefcase in Tobacco. 4 Stars are for the cinch system in the backpack not closing all the way tight. I will be documenting as much as I can from unboxing to deeply worn in. My videos are honest, showing what I think are flaws, as well as awesomeness. My playlist is here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt38FZPTgXG_caLAAkyV3YfhJv7gGSzOa . Simply copy and paste the link to your browser of choice. Let me know what you think.

  • 5
    "Awemazing"!!!!!

    Yep! I just coined another word to describe this beast of a backpack. I had a friend come visit me in Toronto from Houston and saw the Squared backpack in the trunk of his rental car and that marks the beginning of my obsession!! I could not stop thinking of this pack throughout our trip from Toronto to Ottawa as I was longing to get access to a computer and do a little bit more research. Eventually I was able to research and my findings pointed to the front pocket backpack (large) in chestnut since I am about 6" 3' 210lb. I ordered it and surprisingly got an email about some few hours later that my order had shipped - faster than a Sputnik eh. I had braced myself for a long wait since it had to cross the border but my wait only lasted a week and some days. Anyway, not to bore you with unnecessary rhetoric, I got the pack and the ride had been smooth ever since. The pack spent a couple of days with me on the same bed (was was not around) as I could not get enough of the sweet leather smell. I was struck by the enormous attention to details in producing this pack and I instantly realized how expensive the pack would have been if it had one of those popular designers' logo on it. A backpack doesn't come better than this. I wasn't sure if I should be carrying such a beauty to work on a daily basis since the pack has the tendencies of drawing attention away from me (already jealous) - wink. But I figured I have to break the leather somehow. I have not changed the pack since the very first day I started carrying it (mind you, I have 3 other backpacks that I now consider totally inferior). I am going to resist the urge of telling you all the different accolades I have received for they are too many and some of them are very hilarious - like an attendant in a leather products store going completely berserk on seeing my pack (a story for another day). Anyway, I have succeeded in gaining my wife's buy-in and I will be ordering the Beast Duffel Bag pretty soon together with some 'girl's' stuff for the wifey also. Top 3 of my best investments for 2014. One last thing, I did not see any of the tracts in my pack and I was wondering if you have succumbed to the pressure of those who are against putting such tracts in their order. May be you can solve the dilemma by including a check-box at check-out to include the tracts so it will be at the request of the customer. Just a thought........... Thanks Dave!!!