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 have owned my bag for several years now and I have come back to write this review. This is the best bag I have ever owned, and with a twice a year light application with a quality leather product my bag still looks brand new. I frequently receive compliments on my bag, and even while working among executives in a few Fortune 500 companies, this bag is unrivaled in quality, class, and style. I see many other leather bags carried by my peers, most of which appear worn and by contrast poorly made, and using hardware that will eventually fail. This bag is amazing and well worth the investment in your future and your image, and I have full confidence it will still be as good looking and classic when it reaches the 100 year mark.
This is an all leather, thick leather bag. This thing is massive, it is a beast!!! I purchased the large in tobacco and I love it! I have never seen a bag that is this high quality. The craftsmanship is second to none! Is it heavy? Yes it is a heavy bag before you put anything into it. I use this for school and loaded with everything I need for college on a daily basis since I got it and it is fantastic! I get tons of compliments on it. Everything is constructed very well, stitched together very solid, the leather is very thick, the light tobacco color has the look of natural leather. I would recommend this bag to anyone looking for a nice bag that will last a lifetime. I will use this through the rest of my years at college and into my career as a teacher.
I've had my medium dark-coffee brown class briefcase for six years now. I'm happy I bought it, as it was my introduction to BIFL products. The quality and durability are next to none. However, I don't think I would buy a Saddleback luggage or briefcase piece again. This briefcases and similar pieces are not sleek, professional, and practical for a young, urban businessperson. They are clunky, heavy, with awkward features (all the D-rings) and a disproportional size-to-weight ratio. There are certain individuals and lifestyles where a piece like this would fit in and make sense. I don't universally recommend against purchasing the briefcase. Bottom line is that if you are an urban professional, this is not a stylish, modern, or practical piece . Especially with the recent price hike, you have a myriad of options from other vendors that are at least of equal quality. Don't let Saddleback's campy, over-the-top marketing mislead you.
I want to first thank Dave and everyone at Saddleback for producing a magnificent and functional piece of art I plan to take with me on adventures everywhere. After watching countless videos and saving my pennies I finally pulled the trigger and couldn't be happier with my decision. The briefcase is better than advertised and I immediately felt like I was transported to an Indiana Jones movie. The leather on this bag is exceptional quality--great care, thought, and love went into the making of this briefcase. Thanks Dave, Blue (may he Rest In Peace) and everyone at Saddleback for a job well-done!
I've been on the fence about this bag for several years now. I have bought a few other Saddleback products before, but I just kept balking at the moment of truth and not clicking buy. After buying this bag I am now filled with buyer's remorse - not for having bought this bag, but for not having bought it sooner! This bag is amazing. I have searched negative reviews on the web and routinely find comments that this bag is too heavy. What do you expect? This bag is very solidly built, high quality, extremely durable leather. What you should expect is that to carry this bag you're going to have to man up a bit. This bag will ask that of you (man-ing up) - and because this bag is so awesome, you're going to give it. I've had mine for a week now, and after switching to it from a roller-bag, I still can't be happier with the decision to buy the bag. It feels good, and it looks good, and it starts conversations with random strangers. Get this bag. It'll make you more attractive. Or at least, it'll give people a reason to talk to you. Because if you're like me, you need an accessory to get the ball rolling. This bag is that accessory.
