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 ordered the Large Classic Briefcase in DCB, and I'm very happy with it. With regard to the quality, it is as durable - almost overbuilt - as it's advertised to be, and the design is well thought out. A lot of reviewers say that it's heavy, but I haven't found the weight to be an issue, given that I'm loading it up with 20lbs of gear and books anyway. My 17" MacBook Pro fits snugly, so I'm glad I didn't go for the XL. I've found the backpack option to be particularly useful, once I sorted out how to arrange the strap. Overall I'd recommend this briefcase to anyone who goes in for high quality stuff - the materials, construction, and usability make it worth the price. Thanks Dave!
Just a pic of a week old bag... ...further to my detailed review, weight is not an issue. I man you don't buy such a bag if you want nylon weight. You buy it because it is so solid. I love it.
I've had a tobacco brown medium bag now for about 6 months. My beautifuly Johnston and Murphy bag now sits in the corner. I love this bag! I carry my 15" laptop in it all the time. I use the straps and wear it as a backpack all the time for work. Get complements all the time. Fits under an airplane seat. Best thing? I strap it to my motorcycle to and from work when I ride. I did struggle with the caribiner type clasp for the straps: they would not stay screwed on tight. So Bettsy at your shop had me sent it back and you're putting the clasp on it. Terrific! I just had you send me some Chamberlain's leather milk to condition and maybe darken it a bit (coffee brown). Now I'm starting to lust after the backpack...dark coffee brown...gotta be. Thanks for a great product! Jerry.
As a frequent business traveler, I've always used a backpack. They're pretty comfortable, and easy to throw around. After seeing far too many people with the "swiss" bags, I decided it was time to class it up. A friend referred me to Saddleback, and I'm glad he did! I debated on the size, but ended up with the Large Dark Coffee Brown. I carry 2 laptops most weeks (a Lenovo 12.5" and a MacBook Air 13"). They both fit in the bag perfectly along with all of my other supplies. I constantly get compliments - from jealous dudes and, more importantly, women who notice my fashion forward style. One thing I'll say is that the bag can get a little heavy when fully loaded. That's to be expected due to the nature of the materials and construction. Since I'm used to wearing a backpack, I bought a caribiner that attaches to the center ring. I quickly attach and detach the strap for easy conversion to a backpack and standard shoulder strap. It's also great to quickly clip the bag to your carry-on for easy maneuvering through the airport. Overall, I would highly recommend this briefcase, and I look forward to seeing how it wears in over the years!
Not just a bag, a new member of the family!
