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
I am super happy to join the Sadddleback Leather Family. I got the XL Classic Briefcase in Black. I can't describe how amazingly impressed I am with this bag. All the positive you see on this review site is absolutely true. The Leather is super thick and substantial. The workmanship and built quality is steel strong and overall looks and feels like a quality product. The leather bags you see in retail stores and even most online and even those with designer names on them are only shiny looking on the surface but lack the QUALITY ingredients that Saddleback gives. This lacking in other leather products is so manufacturers can save cost and maximize profits. If you want a true quality leather briefcase that will get even more beautiful with age, this is the briefcase. The initial price is hard to swallow but when you hold the bag in your hands, every penny feels well worth the cost. The Briefcase especially in XL is heavy but only because that's what real, thick, cowhide leather is ..if you want a light weight product, there is plenty of "leather" spray on and imitations out there. In the end, it's true that you get what you pay for. Thanks for the fantastic, delicious, well-built Leather, Dave .. I love the personal and family touch you have injected into your products, customer service and your company. Keep up the superb standards !! Best wishes from your neighbour up North :)
I don't know what to say but...I'll say it. Wow! I researched "other" leather briefcases only to come back to Saddleback. If you ask me why I cannot give an answer. When ordering the bag the ordering process was quick, easy, professional. It arrived within a few days after I ordered it. When it arrived after I opened the packaging the wonderful smell of leather literally filled the room. My two cats eyes honed in on the bag. Uh oh. My wife when she came home from work, having a nose like a Bloodhound said, "what is that smell? It smells really good!" The bag is absolutely beautiful from start to finish. The first day I brought it to my office my colleagues immediately said "wow, where did you get that bag?!" Being in sales, when visiting a client, no joke, after putting the bag down in the client's office the client soon said, "your bag smells incredible and its gorgeous. Where did you get it?" Kind of embarrassing but a compliment. I've only had my bag for a few weeks. Already some wonderful scuffs and wear marks are appearing but like with any quality leather purchase, it makes a statement. I can only hope (and truly believe) this bag will serve me for many years to come. I truly envision passing this bag on to a family member after I am gone for their enjoyment. Then again, maybe I'll take it with me. The craftsmanship is second to none. When I put my bag in my car in the morning there has been nothing more satisfying than smelling a fresh ground cup of coffee along with the wonderful smell of leather this bag produces. I really can't describe this. I'm not some "leather expert" by any stretch. My cat(s) I think are jealous when I leave and my wife has been eyeballing many of the woman's products now as well. Fantastic product and I have been very pleased with this investment. I've owned many other leather products but this truly takes the cake!
I have been working in Chicago for decades, and have carried numerous bags, whether a laptop bag, briefcase, etc. I have NEVER received comments on any bag I carried until I got this bag. I have the XL Coffee Brown, and have had so many compliments on this bag already, and I have only had it about 6 months. I love walking into meeting carrying this thing, heads turn!! I have a 17" laptop, and it fits perfectly inside, with plenty of room for files, tablet, charger, small hand tools, phone, etc. I can't wait till this thing gets beat up because it keeps looking better and better. Best bag I ever purchased, what an amazing product!! Btw: Customer service is amazing too, what a pleasure to deal with them! Thanks for everything!! We are already repeat buyers, my wife got the leather tote and the classic travel case. No fair, she got two and I only have one! Just a matter of time... Same quality, and she gets all kinds of compliments too. Can't wait to cash in on the 100 year warranty, my grandkids will thank me.
I'll talk about the briefcase itself at the end, but I thought it might be useful to say something first about the costs of getting it to me in the UK, in case it helps other potential buyers on this side of the pond. My briefcase was dispatched late afternoon (Texas time) on Monday and arrived here on Friday morning just after 09.00. I chose the discounted UPS 'flat rate to Europe' which turned out to mean the UPS International Expedited service which I think is available all the time, but I only paid $25 for it. The main question is how much did it cost, when the import duty, VAT and handling charges were added. Well, including the discounted shipping the XL Classic was $689, which at the Visa exchange rate of $1.61 to the £ is equivalent to £428. The additional costs were as follows: Visa foreign currency charge £11.76 VAT £89.08 Duty £12.78 UPS brokerage £11.00 Total taxes and fees were therefore £124.60 (or $200), of which I had to pay £112.84 to the UPS driver by cash or cheque (or I could have phoned up to pay by debit or credit card). If you aren't going to be in then you'll need to work out how the driver can be paid. They will try to deliver 3 times (Monday to Friday only) before returning the package to sender. They can't leave it without being paid. So, all of that brings the total cost of the purchase to £552.60 (or $884). Overall, I'm just a tiny bit disappointed. I had worked out what the tax and other charges were going to be, and I'd set my expectations in line with that amount of money, although the reviews I've read here and elsewhere played a big part too. It is a marvellous piece of luggage, it will last as long as they say and ultimately I can afford it, but looking at the briefcase right now in its raw, unused, not-broken-in state, I'm not sure I can quite see £552 worth of value. If I had paid what a US buyer would pay then I'd feel 100% satisfied. As for the briefcase itself, the leather is as stiff and strong as everyone says, and it is going to take quite some time to soften up and develop a bit of character. I bought the XL, which is big enough to carry all my work stuff with room for a medium size dog or a small child besides. For some trips that means not having to take a separate bag.
Just Quality and Pure Quality !! Unbelievable Leather !!
