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
Dear Dave, After searching forever for the "right" laptop bag I finally found it. I travel a lot for business and this bag is perfect for my needs. I can put my feet on it and never worry about it or its contents. At first its empty weight was a little shocking compared to the tech fabric laptop bags that are so common, but that just comes with the very thick leather. It's really freakishly tough for a bag and it holds way more stuff than I need. I've had two laptops, power supplies, a canon DSLR, pens, notepads, cables of all sorts, and still had room for a thin jumper. I get compliments everywhere about it. I love thing and after 10 months of use it's still going strong! Keep up the great work.
I have had my medium dark coffee brown briefcase for almost 5 years now. My "new briefcase" hunt used to be an annual ritual to replace a bag that had aged - no more! This bag has only gotten better with age and the compliments keep coming. One of the few items I own that is not disposable and that makes me enjoy it all the more. Now have a wallet as well and enjoy that as much (that had been about every 6 months for a new one and going on two years it looks like it will wear as well as the case). Thanks to Dave and crew and congrats on your well deserved and growing success.
When my father asked me what I wanted for graduating law school? I told him I wanted a classic briefcase from saddleback leather. I received the Ipad cover for my birthday and as soon as I got it, I knew I needed more. When I opened the box and saw the chestnut classic sitting there it was better than I had imagined. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing, if that bag is on my arm, someone is complementing me. It is a great bag, great quality, and I am more than happy with the outcome. Thanks saddleback!
We live in the most skilled and sophisicated marketing society ever developed. Our every waking moments are filled with testimonials and promotions promising perfection and happiness if we would only purchase from them. Unfortunately and often, the quality we are seducted with isn't present in the real time product. Dave and Saddleback is the real deal. Dave is honest, straighforward and he clearly is a man of integrity. The joy and pride he feels when he tells you about the extraordinary quality of his product is visceral. I have searched worldwide off and on for two years for the perfect briefcase/messenger bag and could not find all the essential components, regardless of the cost. But I did with the large, chestnut briefcase from Saddleback. It is more impressive and quality laden then the pictures express. It took two days for me to digest the price and make the purchase. When the bag arrived and I examined it, one of my first thoughts was " this briefcase is worth more than the asking price." It is a true deal at the current price. I appreciate that Dave expresses his faith and the extra gift he places in the bag. BUY NOW!!
We've used and enjoyed so many wonderful leather products over the years. Discovering Saddleback is like putting kids in a new candy store!!
