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
My XL tobacco classic briefcase came in this evening. One word. Perfect! I was concerned that the XL would be too big, but I was able to get all my daily items in it with room to spare. Not much weight difference between the last bag I had with all my times in it and this one. Craftsmanship. Purely top notch. My boys are already debating who gets this bag and who gets my front pocket backpack. Lol. Saddleback does it right. Excellent quality, superb craftsmanship, and overall a fine piece to really be proud of. Thanks Dave and the team!
I first came across Saddleback leather when watching a Youtube video of an English leather worker called Ian Atkinson, making a leather belt, explaining how he punches the holes 3/4 inch apart just like Saddleback Leather. I clicked on the Saddleback Leather website, just to have a look & almost immediately wanted a Classic Briefcase. I didn't need one, but boy oh boy did I want one. I have the XL in Tobacco & it is everything & more than I expected. It is beautifully made with awesome quality leather & fixings. At first it was lighter in colour than I had hoped but after only a couple of weeks daily use, the colour has darkened a lot & the natural shading & wear marks are beginning to shine through beautifully. Never have I owned such a stunning bag which really does get better with age. If I could only use 2 words to describe the leather & workmanship, they would be; 'IMPERFECTLY BRILLIANT'! Initially my work colleagues asked me why I had such a big bag and I must admit it is very big. I could have got away with a Large but I, like most men figured I was better to have too much than not enough. I fully intend to use it for more than just work & am really looking forward to using it on trips including taking it all the way across Route 66 on a Harley when I go over to the States in September. The front section has 4 internal pockets, one on each end, which I use for my wallet & small notebook and 2 which are attached to the central divider. These are perfectly placed so you can still use all of the 'floor space' of the bag & have smaller stuff in the pockets, not rolling around getting lost like in other bags. I carry lots of work files, a thermos of tea, a water bottle, my lunch, my leatherman, my camera & a lot of other 'man stuff' * there's still loads of room to spare. The strap is long, I'm 5'10" so wear the strap quite short but it's easy to shorten by tucking it up like the front buckle strap, so don't worry if you're tall. You would have to be a giant to find this strap too short. All in all this is a stunning bag which I intend to enjoy for years. During my working day, I visit my customers in their homes & my bag lives in the boot (trunk) of my car which now smells of gorgeous Saddleback Leather. Car air fresheners are now a thing of the past. I calculated that each car air freshener costs $1 and lasts around a week so my bag will have paid for itself in about 12 years. That means I will have 88 free years until my warranty runs out. BARGAIN!!!!
I purchased the medium classic briefcase three months ago and have been very pleased. Here are what I have found to be the pros and cons of the bag so far. Pros: 1) The bag is beautiful and the chestnut color looks even better in person. 2) The build quality appears to be as good as advertised. Very thick, sturdy leather with heavy stitching. 3) The medium bag does fit my 13inch MacBook Pro in a neoprene sleeve. It's tight, but it fits. 4) The size is more than adequate for day to day use. I had considered getting the large bag, but the medium has amble storage space and and pockets. I use the back section of the bag for my laptop and charger and the front section of the bag for papers, files, and lots of other daily carry items like a leatherman and pencil case. 5) Although the bag has some weight to it, I don't find it at all to be too heavy. Cons: 1) The water bottle pockets on the outside are a little too small. I have a fairly small16oz Nalgene bottle and it is not close to fitting in the pockets. It seems like the pockets were built for a 12oz can of soda. I have since bought a carabiner to attach a water bottle on one of the exterior rings.
This is my first Saddleback purchase .. but definitely not my last. This is the best constructed and best looking bag that I have ever seen and I am more than happy with my purchase. Bad thing is, this may have become sort of an addiction with me as I am constantly looking on the website for what I want next. Dave, when are you going to start making boots and my GF wants a conceal carry purse
I've had my X-Large dark coffee brown classic briefcase for about 6 months now and it's really starting to look good. Yes, they are all that people say and even then, there are no amount of flowery adjectives that can completely encompass the true awesomeness of these bags. I had been looking at this site for quite a while before buying. I got mine at a 15% discount, and all I can say is that the criteria must be on the zealous stringent side, because I studied the bag from top to bottom, and for the love of me, I couldn't see what merited the discount. I laugh when I see people mentioning that they are too heavy. Really? Well then, sell it to someone who has a pair and go buy a pink vinyl micro-purse instead. They are not the cheapest, but when you start comparing Saddleback leather to any other out there, they're actually less expensive, since no other companies offer anything remotely close to the quality designs and craftsmanship that you get here. The 100 year warranty is probably very conservative. Well cared for, these bags will be around for way longer than that. What else can I say. I you're like I was and you're pining for one, devouring this site daily, coveting a sweet sweet leather piece, just take out the old credit card and do it. You'll never regret owning such a fine piece of hand-crafted awesomeness. My next will probably be a beast duffel, and also, a suitcase to match. When I retire, I plan of having pics of myself, my Saddleback leather, and the great natural and man made wonders of the world in the background. Oh, by the way, the new colours are pretty amazing too! Well done Saddleback!
