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
There are two common questions we all had or have about SBL bags: which color and which size? It seems most of us are able to decide on a style (classic briefcase, thin briefcase, satchel, etc.) rather easily (some just buy one of each!) but the color and size, at least on the first purchase, seem to be major points of contention. I certainly won't pretend to be the definitive answer to such a subjective and personal (and expensive) decision, but I will wade in and share my own thoughts and experiences. I, like most people, lurked around the SBL site for months before finally pulling the trigger and buying something. In 2012 I finally purchased my first bag: a large chestnut classic briefcase. The moment it arrived I was blown away by the quality, even though I expected nothing less from all of the countless photos and YouTube videos I had poured over in my research and quest for the "perfect SBL bag." I was, however, pretty unsure about the size (large) sitting in front of me. I'm 6'0" 195lbs and this thing was BIG. I threw my reservations aside and promptly loaded it up with my MacBook and other tech essentials and took it on a weekend trip. When I returned home I still felt the same way: it was just too big. My wife very much agreed. The bag was gorgeous, but as an everyday office commuter it looked like I was carrying a suitcase over my shoulder. I've read plenty of reviews by several like-sized people who say a large is fine, but I quite frankly felt silly wearing it. For a weekend bag it would hands down be a perfect choice, but for an office bag (a briefcase as it is designed) a large was just too much. Since I had now used the bag I wasn't able to return it, so it sat for a couple of months. Eventually I found someone looking to trade their large thin chestnut briefcase for a large classic. I made the trade and I was much happier with the thin as an office bag, but I never had the same smitten type of love for the style the way I did for the classic. I had also decided chestnut was just not my color as the red content of it gave a bit of a cowboy look. After a few treatments with Chamberlain's Leather Milk the color darkened a bit and it didn't seem quite so red. I was happy enough, but the classic briefcase still called to me" SBL changed their tobacco (and carbon) colors in the past year or so and I found my least favorite color was now the epitome of perfection! This, coupled with the lust for a classic briefcase, led me back down the rabbit hole that is Saddleback Leather. I knew for certain a size large would not do, so I began considering the medium. Looking at my daily use I realized a medium would do just fine. I carry a Dell Latitude E6440 "14 inch" notebook for business (company issued) and it fits perfectly with plenty of room to spare. I was also recently robbed of my 15" MBP by my wife and forced back to my 13" MacBook, so the medium also made sense for personal use when not carrying the Dell. I received my bag on Friday and I could absolutely not be happier. The size is perfect and the color is phenomenal. I have finally found the perfect bag to accompany me through life! Thank you Dave and crew for continuing to make such a tremendous product!
After 8 years of admiring the XL Classic Briefcase in Tobacco my beautiful wife of 35 years purchased this amazing bag for me for Christmas. It is exactly as described on the website and more. The leather and craftsmanship are outstanding. The claims about high quality leather and stitching are accurate. I inspected the bag thoroughly on Christmas day and the closer I looked, the more I was impressed. If you are reading these reviews like I did (weekly) thinking about purchasing this bag and what color to pick (like I did for 8 long years), I recommend the tobacco color. It looks like a leather briefcase should look. Casual and sophisticated at the same time. On a separate note: The customer service at Saddleback is incredible. Exactly what you would hope for in an organization. Knowledgable, professional, friendly and very personal. Dave has done a great job of attracting a very talented team of professionals. They really add to the total Saddleback experience. Great job Saddleback.
Just got my large bag tobacco this week. I'm a bit of a briefcase addict but I think I finally found my last bag. The pictures do not do this bag justice. It is a substantial bag that dominates the room. Wherever you put this bag, eyes are drawn to it. There are reviews that made me concerned that the bag would be too stiff. While it is stiff, it is perfectly fine. The bag stands up which is appreciated over other leather bags that I have that just sorta flop in the corner. While the tobacco color is a shade darker than other Saddleback items I have, I really like it and I think it will show less dirt over time than a lighter bag. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and looking forward to many years of adventure.
Just turned the big 5-0 and my parents gave me this briefcase as my present. They bought me the Large one in Chestnut. This is my first (and not last) Saddleback Leather item. My first thought was that I love the Chestnut color! This is my personal favorite color of leather. The design and layout of the pockets are perfect. It stands up well even with my laptop in it. I do have a 15" Dell lap top that fits in the inside back pocket snuggly. Since the fit is snug, the outside, side pockets become a bit compressed which makes it difficult to put a water bottle in. I am passing my laptop down to a colleague and will get a 13" laptop next. This size works for me and I believe the XL bag would have been too large. I am sure this will live well past my working life. I just have to figure out which one of my 4 kids will get it after that.
I have had this bag for about one month now. I wanted to wait because my reactions to the bag have changed over time (positively). Initial Reactions: This bag is big, like a lot bigger than I thought. It's heavy. Big and heavy mean people will notice (I wanted something a little unassuming). After carrying this around for a few weeks, my views have completely changed. Yes, the bag is "big" and "heavy" but I am now used to the size/weight. I am a stocky 5'7'' guy, I thought the bag would look to big on me, but I have gotten used to it. I am a teacher and all that I carry fits nicely (two textbooks, lots of papers, chromebook, charger, miscellaneous stuff). The bag is breaking in nicely which at six weeks of use means that I am now used to the bag and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Suggestion - if you are worried about the size of the bag, "build" one out of paper, meaning trace out the dimension and put the pieces together.
