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
Just getcha some!! Pull the trigger. Quit thinking, "man it's so expensive though." I started with the iPad case and then a little card holder, gadget sleeve and now I've got the classic BC in medium chestnut. OMG! Got it off Dave's Deals but I honestly don't see why it was discounted. Not complaining though. Anyway, my next purchase will be the pouch and then the large pad holder and.... Like I said, just getcha some!!
After months of wanting a Saddleback bag, my wife surprised me with one for my 30th birthday! It was even BETTER in person that the pictures on the site. Really... the pictures and video doesn't do it justice. It's simply an amazing bag. In fact, I'd call it a piece of art. It fits my 17" MacBook Pro, iPad, charger, Bible, and several other things very nicely. Can't wait to carry it to work on Monday morning!
I've been a 100,000+ miles per year flyer for the past 12 years, and got tired of buying the black nylon rolling briefcases with supposedly a "lifetime" guarantee, but I could never seem to get more than 2-3 years out of them before they were shot. Not only that, but they were just like a million other bags out there -- nothing distinctive, and they sure don't build up character over time -- they just look old. Anyway, this time around I decided to go with more of an old-school leather bag, but there's a lot of junk out there in that category as well. I ran across Saddleback in a web search a couple of years ago, and ended up getting a passport wallet, luggage tag, iPad case, and portfolio, all of which are great. I pulled the trigger on a Daves Deal Large Classic briefcase in Dark Coffee Brown about 6 months ago. I'm 6'4" and 220 lbs and supposed I could have pulled off an extra large, but when I fill up this one it is definitely heavy. I think the large suits me just fine, and forces me to think a little about what I really need to be carrying. Since I received it, I've logged over 60,000 air miles with it, and it's gone to China and Germany with me. People are always commenting on it and saying how great it looks. I did have a small issue with a rivet coming loose on the handle, but Saddleback Customer Service was great. They sent me a prepaid return label, and I had it back in my hands within about 3 weeks (this was during the holidays, so it took a little longer). My bag and I are off to China again at the end of the month! If you're like me and you've been debating whether to get one of these, I can recommend that you go ahead and make the purchase. You won't regret it.
I have had my Dark Coffee Brown large briefcase for a little over 3 years now. It is obviously a very durable bag. Also, it gets constant compliments. For example, on a recent airplane trip I got quite a few compliments and lots of stares (with jaws dropped). Most notably were two examples: 1. Boarding the plane one of the flight attendants exclaimed: "Wow - that is an amazing bag. I like it!" That says a lot from a woman who probably sees tens of thousands of bags per year. 2. In the Dallas Ft. Worth airport I was headed down an escalator to try to catch a connecting flight. I could see in the window a man in a suit was pretty well running down the escalator to ask me about this bag. I love this bag. Also, if you pack right it holds a week's worth of clothes, or 6 bottles of rum (or a combination thereof).
3 years ago I received my SBL large briefcase for Christmas from my wife. Ah, I can vividly remember the smell of that rich leather wafting up as I opened the box. I can even now recall how that coffee brown leather had a certain luster to it. Since that day I have carried my briefcase all over the world with me. Mostly as a briefcase but also as a day pack and and even as a tool bag. It's been on airplanes and helicopters with me. It's been on boats with me and even on ATVs. It's a home for my computer and work stuff. It keeps safe my SBL Moleskine journal. Just about everywhere I've taken my bag it gets complimented. People love the thing and I love to talk about it to them. Currently, I have the briefcase, Moleskine journal cover, bible cover, tow belt, passport cover, satchel, iPad cover, and wallet from SBL and all of these items travel with me whenever I go off to work. They are companion pieces. My brother once had his car stolen from him. In full panic mode he called the cops to go look for the car. Was he panicked because of a stolen car? No. He was in panic because his SBL wallet was in the car. The cops finally found the car tore up and abandoned. The wallet was laying in the drivers seat with all the money and cards gone. You wouldn't believe how happy he was. So, these bags and other SBL items aren't just stuff or things. They become part of us. Like a friend or family member they take on special value and meaning to us that cannot be replaced. Should you buy gear from SBL? Only if you want a lifelong love affaire with a piece of leather! ;-)
