Our hope is that you’ll be proud of your bag because of the compliments you get and how long it lasts. But our deeper hope is that you join our community of those nurturing the vulnerable and loving the unloved. We do more than just quality leather bags; we do quality in all areas of our business.
Our purpose is not to change the world by loving orphans, single moms and ex-prisoners one at a time. It’s to work with a Love 41 community/family of loving and nurturing people to do it. If you want to but you’re not sure how, then join us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to learn more. We’ll help you get plugged in.
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The materials in our leather briefcase are full grain leather, pigskin lining, 316 stainless steel hardware, and German industrial marine-grade polyester thread. Our leather is tough and resilient, and our pigskin lining is super strong. Our hardware is 316 stainless steel and is rated to hold up to 750 lbs. Our thread is UV-resistant and German industrial marine-grade polyester thread. In addition, our hidden reinforcing straps ensure that the bag will never stretch and those straps will never deteriorate. This is over-engineering.
Full Grain Leather is the key to a quality leather briefcase. If you take off the top part of the leather (grain) it's like taking the shingles off of the roof. They get rid of the toughest and most resistant layer of the hide. When tanneries get a leather hide from the slaughterhouse, it's really thick. So, the tannery splits the top half with the grain from the bottom half. Now they have two hides to sell. The tough and beasty hide that still has the full amount of grain (full grain) is expensive, and that's what we buy. The bottom half is great for making low quality budget leather briefcases or laptop bags that will dry out and fall apart in a short time.
We glue and sew tough, strong pigskin leather to the cow leather. And the pigskin is even stronger than the cowskin. We've chosen this instead of using a shiny pretty fabric lining. We want all of our real leather bags to be durable, rugged, and sturdy.
Our custom hardware is 316 Stainless Steel. If you are a metallurgist, then I'm sure you just gasped. It's the metal you want to be used when your life depends on it. The testing laboratory told us that our clips were rated to hold up to a 750 lbs. bag of cats.
Our thread is unbelievably strong and UV resistant German industrial marine-grade polyester thread. It doesn't deteriorate when the sun hits it like nylon thread does. And we use the thick double ought version of it. It's the same thread used on ship sails and parachutes (things your life depends on).
Polyester is good and bad. The good is that it doesn't stretch and never deteriorates. The bad is that it never deteriorates. When it comes to polyester in your sheets and blankets, you won't sleep as well. But, when it comes to polyester straps sewn into the stress points of a bag, it's the best there is to get that extra strength.
The classic leather briefcase converts into a laptop backpack with a shoulder strap with two shoulder pads. Clip one end of the strap onto a d-ring on the bottom, run the strap through the o-ring, and clip it to the opposite side and you've got yourself a backpack. Now your hands are free to carry the wife and kid's luggage.
You can remove the side straps to use as an emergency size 36 full grain leather belt, tie-down, or tourniquet (hopefully you won't need that). But on the bag, they are great for holding wet umbrellas and blueprint tubes to the top of the flap.
The d-rings on the bottom are designed to strap on blankets, dirty boots, fly rod tubes, or blueprints. And you'll use these d-rings to convert your leather briefcase into backpack mode. The d-rings up top are great for clipping keychains, carabiners, or extra gear too.
The shoulder strap is adjustable (40" - 65") and it's removable. You can take it off to tie down the Christmas tree to the roof of your car. The shoulder strap comes with two strap pads for backpack mode.
There is a hidden flap on the bottom of this leather briefcase for hiding passports, extra cash, your collection of rubies, or whatever else you don't want anyone to know about. This false bottom can be a lifesaver in itself.
A small detail, but the main center strap has a hole all the way at the tip for closing when your laptop bag is really overstuffed. This gives you that much extra space in your leather briefcase, for "just in case." Comes in handy when you need it.
There is a pocket on the side, a pocket on the back, and pockets on the inside. From a place for your pens to a spot for your wallet in case you lose your pants. With two main compartments inside, you can take two laptops if need be, with room for chargers and accessories. These quality leather briefcases will protect your belongings and your reputation.
Classic Leather Briefcase Explained by Dave
Large Sized Briefcase Comparison
The Classic Briefcase in depth description and explanation on design
How to Knock Off a Saddleback Leather Co. Briefcase
This bag is perfect as a professional briefcase and for travel. The two extra straps have saved me on more than one occasion: When I overpack, girlfriend buys too many souvenirs, or need a place to store my heavy coat - boom! Stick the extra stuff under the flap, secure it down with two leather straps, and I'm ready to go. It's like having an extra 16 in.³ on a moments notice. When I first bought the bag, I never imagined how versatile the extra two straps make it If I have one regret, it's that I didn't buy it sooner. Thanks, Dave!
Got my large classic briefcase last year for father's day...I absolutely love it. I have tended to overstuff my previous bags (non-SBL) over the years and all have broken/ wore out in a similar fashion. I researched many other bags that could withstand a beating and were of good quality and kept coming back to this one. Bottom line is that it is a great bag that you can put a lot of stuff in and is very durable. I have received numerous compliments about it; I think what makes it stand out from the rest is its conservative design...it is just a simple looking bag and is nice because of that. While I know many criticize the products because they are on the pricey side, I really invite you to navigate the website to the "rivals" section...many of the competitor bags are at the the same price point and I would question whether they are of the same quality (just watch a few of Dave's videos and you will start to learn a little about leather products). As for the features of the bag, I will be honest and say that I don't use the strap features often and use it mostly as a traditional "briefcase". While it is nice to know that it doubles as a backpack, I am not sure I will use it that way...If I had to walk with it over a distance, I would probably just use it as a shoulder strap. About the only thing that I would agree with on the negative side is the fact that there aren't a lot of extra compartments/zipper/pockets etc. I carry a ton of junk in my bag and had some trouble deciding how to arrange things given the equipped pockets. I ended up purchasing some cheap pencil cases at an "office" big box store, and they work just fine supplementing the bag. To that end, I understand why there aren't more zipper pockets, etc., because they are the parts of the bag that fail the quickest. I will say one final word, and if that doesn't convince you to buy your next bag from them, nothing will. They have outstanding customer service. I recently got a water bag from them, and had to exchange it for the larger size. The representative "William" was extremely helpful and accommodating in a very complex set of circumstances involving the exchange (won't bore you with the details but SBL ended up getting me the specific bag I wanted after a promotion had ended and did not have to do it)...I have no doubts that they value every customer they have. Hope that helps you with your purchase.
Just wanted to add an updated review for those considering a classic briefcase. I have now had my large classic (in tobacco) for three years. I LOVE IT! It is easily one of the most valuable things that I own. It's been great and just looks better and better. The ONLY suggestion I might have is - if you carry just general business items (like I do) - you may want to look hard at the THIN briefcase. The classic is rather large and is sometimes TOO much room for day to day use... That being said, get you some Saddleback! You won't regret it.
This is the bag that started it all for Saddleback and that started my obsession with leather! I have had this bag for a few years now and wanted to wait until i owned it a long enough time to give a "real" judgement. I love it! The bag is my EDC for work and i have more than enough room for my laptop, note pads, etc...On top of that i am still waiting for it to break in! Seriously! They made this so well it takes a patient man to wear it in....buy one when your kid is born and it could be ready by middle school! Worth every dime!
Hello, Howdy & Waz up, My bag arrived on day 5 of an 8 day heatwave and to add to that, our home heating and air conditioning system had to be replaced. So for 2 days, I left my poor briefcase in the box it was delivered in. Once the home unit was replaced and the house was cool, I was in the right frame of mind to really enjoy the entire experience. Yes, the bag weighs a bit more than other briefcases on the market. Yes, I ordered the XL briefcase and it's like a mini suitcase. Yes, it was expensive. Yes, I put everything in it including the glasses that would go in the kitchen sink. Yes, I'm a big guy, 6'4, 280 lbs. YES, YES, and Y-E-S, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Unboxing I realized, just like the advertising, this will be the last briefcase that I'll own. It's a work of art. I received numerous comments the first day that I started carrying the bag. But even if I didn't get one remark, I love the bag. Having said all of that, if I wasn't a pack rat, I'd probably go with the large or the medium bag. It would have probably been big enough. But once I start throwing things in it, I just tend to keep going. When I say this bag holds a lot, it holds a lot. My other bags were bursting at the seams. This one is up for the task at hand. The craftsmanship of the bag is just like is listed on the site. It's like the bag is made out of one giant piece of leather. I had no issues with the stitching, the buckles, the strap, the fixtures, the rings, the straps. It was in perfect condition. The ONLY thing that I might say is that although I want to be the one that puts the marks/wear & tear on the bag, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't find any marks, scars, bug bites in the leather. My bag was in perfect condition. As for some of the comments about the bag leaning to one side and falling over. Yes, it's a friggin' leather bag that has not had any use and comes really stiff. Really stiff. But one night on the chair filled with the stuff I was going to take to work the next morning and the crookedness from being packed in the box was all gone. The bag is not for those that are used to carrying the chic, exotic, butter soft leather bags. I have a few of those. They're nice and get the job done. But this bag is work of art and (going to be a ) workhorse. That said, it's got some weight to it. So if you are used to those 'other' bags and want that same kind of look and feel. This bag is not for you. But in the off chance, you want something that is stylish, something that you won't see on every shoulder, will be a workhorse and yet distinctive and you are not afraid of carrying a bag that has a little bit of weight to it, THIS IS THE BAG FOR YOU. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Everything that is except be in the middle of heatwave and have the home air conditioning system need replacing. I really dig my new bag and can't wait till it starts to petina. That's going to be the best part of all. Lastly, I'm in a space in my life where the nylon backpacks don't do it for me any longer. I want something that I can take to a client site that shows I 'get it'. You don't bring a nylon backpack to an interview or pull documents out and put those on a conference table for clients to review. Subtle, but you want to be heard in a positive way before you even open your mouth or hand over that first document. Rongo!
