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
Boys and girls, do your homework! I am two years into a large classic that has been all over the US, Hawaii, and England. It will be in Paris next summer. The bag weighs 8.5lb. Questions? I was buying a department store bag at $70 bucks every couple of years. My math: 1 @ $70/2 years = $35/year x 100 years(warranty) = $3,500 My 10 pound Dell 17" laptop/charger was killing department store bags at the rate of one every couple of years. I grew tired of buying these bags at increasing prices, and after my third I thought there must be a better choice. I did the research I suggested you do and arrived at the bag I purchased. For me, the choice was clear. Two years ago I paid $550. You will pay $610. Our math: $610 vs. $3500. Questions?
It's all true, both the good and the bad. The quality is excellent and exactly as shown. The metal hardware is shiny and very heavy duty, the leather is gorgeous and of the best quality. The rivets, the stitching, the lining, it's all just like Dave says it is. It's also heavy. And a little big. No one out there is lying to you about these bags. So why buy it? Why spend the money, when you could have probably 8 or 9 Target-grade backpacks for the same investment? I think the answer is: you have to be the sort of person who cares about certain things. You have to want a thing that will work and be beautiful and durable forever. You have to want honesty in materials. You should be the sort of person who knows what quality is, who cares about it, and who is happy to pay for it. It's not just a briefcase. It means something. It exists because Dave wanted it to exist. It expresses, irrefutably, a set of values. It is certain. And it may sound self-important or pompous, but I wanted to invest in these qualities. I paid for them, I got them, and here they are. They smell good, they feel good. It's all true.
I just received my briefcase and I love it. I was recommended to Saddleback when I saw a co-workers backpack that I had been admiring. When he turned me on to the website I knew I would be getting one. But how to choose? I decided to get the Classic Briefcase in Tabaco. What quality and workmanship. I just retired my last leather briefcase. It couldn't hold a candle to this bag. I now have the daunting task to figure what one to buy next. You will not be disappointed, and coming from me that is saying a lot. I am very particular and have and eye for details.
Having tried many bags as backpack for my bicycle commute I attest that the SB Classic Briefcase is the best bag I have ever used. I own the large classic as I am a big man. I carry laptop, books and the necessities of life such that the combined weight is considerable. Herein is the magic. Thanks to the design features of the bag the weight is distributed evenly across my back so the bag is comfortable. The straps have large pads so they do not dig into my shoulders. The conversion from satchel strap to backpack strap is simple. The effect of tightening the two side straps around the bag is to round out the base so that the leather base of the bag is not sticking into my back. It is waterproof. The weight moves with my body as opposed to what happens with any pannier system. Thanks to this bag I no longer have to pack a cycle bag as a separate entity to my work bag. The two are one and the same.
When I took the bag out of the box, it was everything SBL & the YouTube reviews said it was. Strong sturdy construction made from wonderfully aromatic leather! What more could you ask for? Here's the but...I thought I was purchasing something that would take a bit of time to break in. I got it as a gift Father's Day (2012), and it has softened considerably more than I thought. Is it a deal breaker? No, absolutely not! It's just the joy of a long story laden break in period has come to a screeching halt. Long story short...Buy the bag already! A nice chunk of change, well spent!
