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
As the VP of Construction for a midsize real estate developer, I needed a bag that could go from the Jobsite to the boardroom and look good doing it. After 8 months of heavy use, this bag has exceeded all of my expectations and hopes. I take it to job sites and don't worry about putting it down and getting it dirty or scratched. I can also walk into a meeting with an equity partner or bank knowing that I have a the best looking bag in the room, I get regular compliments. The leather has started to softened and has conformed to my side when slung over my shoulder. I am 6'-0" tall and find the bag very comfortable when slung over my shoulder. I don't find it's weight or size cumbersome at all, as some other reviews have noted. It easily fits my laptop and all the paperwork I need. plus my misc items (sunglass case, calculator, pens, highlighters and drafting materials). I regularly use the external lash points to attach 8" to 12" rolls of plans to the outside of the bag. I have even used the bag to make overnight business trips stuffing it to the gills with clothes and work. All in all, I am proud to cary the best made bag in the world. My wife wants me to plan on giving it to one of my children when I retire, but I am sure that I will find a use for it in that stage of my life, so when they are old enough I will make the investment and get each of them one too. Thanks Dave for the best of the best.
I have an extra-large classic briefcase. There are many nice things about this bag but the best is that the more you beat on it the better it looks. Mine is stuffed to capacity: current contents include i-pad, i-pod, MacBook, 9 CDs, 14 file folders, one book, three magazines, three bottles of water, a set of screwdrivers, lottsa change, two packs of peanut butter crackers, a newspaper, a beeper, an extra t-shirt, and two cell phones. It is big, if you aren't at least 6'5" then don't get the extra large unless you have a sherpa. It fell down the stairs and nothing inside broke. A very cool product.
I first discovered Saddleback Leather by accident when I looking up black labs. For some reason I stumbled across Blue, Dave's black lab. I also have a black lab, who resembles Blue. Blue, of course, brought to my attention the briefcases at Dave's website and I have been studying the various briefcases for nearly a year now. I wasn't sure which case would best fit my needs and being somewhat tight fisted I was leaning towards the smaller, less expensive cases. What I really wanted was the classic briefcase. I even ordered the messenger bag, only to discover it was too small, so I returned it. My wife said I didn't need another briefcase and I should just get over it and appreciate what I already have. She also didn't like the looks of the rings on the case. She was unyielding. Well, my father and mother would gift all the kids in the family money each Christmas. My dad recently passed away, but my mom decided to continue this tradition. This gift allowed me to purchase a briefcase and I will carry it in my father's memory. I spoke with customer support, who are awesome folks, and they felt the large classic size briefcase would best meet my needs, based on what I carry.I have carried the case for a little over a week now and they are spot on. I have no regrets. I was concerned about the weight and the possibility it would be too large, but to my pleasant surprise it is not. For those people who require more room for their things I highly recommend the large classic briefcase. The quality is consistent throughout all the various cases, but the organization of the large classic briefcase is just perfect. Oh, my wife has also admitted it looks nice and she sees why I prefer this case to what I was carrying. Thanks to all you great people at Saddleback!
I rate this at 5 stars because for my uses it is a 5 star bag. But it won't be that for everybody, just continue reading for a true review. I have had my briefcase for a little over 2 months now. I absolutely love this bag. I carry it everywhere. It has all of my necessities and plenty of room for a laptop and textbooks and such. Weight is not an issue for me, I am just over 6 feet tall and weigh in near 270 pounds, and I spend many hours a week in the gym. This bag is perfect for me. However, that will not be the case for everybody. It is big, and heavy. If you are of a smaller frame, I recommend the Satchel or Med. Briefcase. I personally had a Satchel for a while, but it just wasn't quite big enough for my stuff. It also lacks some of the "conveniences" that those used to nylon bags would like (zippered pockets, lightweight...etc.). So that is a consideration to make also. The quality is outstanding. The leather is beautiful, the stitching is solid, and the pigskin lining that I got is amazingly durable. I have no doubt that it will last well past my lifetime. If you have been looking at these bags, you already know that and there is nothing more for me to add. It is beautiful to look at. I used to carry a canvas bag I picked up at a military surplus store. I picked it up in highschool, and it served me well for 3 years, but it looked terrible. I didn't carry it when wearing a suit or anything like that. Nor would I carry a nylon bag with a suit. But this bag, no issues there. It looks formal just as well as it does casual. Overall, for me the bag is worth 5 stars. My life is in that bag. But, for some it may not work as well. It just depends on what you are after.
It's hard to even put into words how great this bag is. It's absolutely beautiful. If you appreciate good leather, you'll love one of these. The smell alone is amazing. The briefcase is very functional and holds quite a bit. I'm an attorney and can carry most of my files to a trial or deposition in it. On the weekends, it will fit a laptop, iPad and several other items. It would be nice, as others have mentioned, to have a way to close the interior pouches. It would also be nice to have more pouches available for various accessories. The bag is also quite heavy. The large and extra large versions run around 8 lbs. empty, so with a few books, a laptop, etc. the total weight can pretty easily exceed 20-30 lbs. I don't even notice this, but my wife for example wouldn't be interested in one of her own due to the weight. But these are such minor criticisms of such a great product...kind of like driving a Ferrari and focusing on how the drink holders could be designed better. I love this briefcase and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates quality products.
