SKU 01-60-0009

Leather Duffle Bag a.k.a. The WaterBag

11.00 lb

22.00

14.00

12.00

$849.00

How It's Made | The Saddleback Waterbag Leather Duffle Bag

How to make a leather duffle bag like a cow. With as few holes as possible

What People Think

5

Great

I needed a bag for traveling a week at a time. I'm a simple jeans t-shirt guy. This bag fits everything and then some. I unpack and use it for quick easy access to clean undergarments and socks when I'm at my destination. The biggest challenge with these saddleback bags is deciding which one to get. I recommend hitting a department store with a tape measure. Finding the right size. Then finding the saddleback that fits best. I almost bought the doctors bag , which would have been a mistake for my needs. I bought this when SB had a brown leather sale. Don't hesitate. Dopp kit coming soon.
19th Nov 2018
Alton V.
5

Get it!

I love this bag. The versatility is its best feature. When it is packed, and buckled up for a day or more, you can pull the belts to make it even smaller. The color (tobacco) was rich. It is well made and gets better looking with the miles. I've received a lot of compliments.
19th Nov 2018
Alvin H.
5

A work of art

I've had my eye on this bag for about a year now. With an African trip coming up I felt it was prime time for a new purchase. Sadly, both sizes of the Tobacco Waterbag were out of stock. While on the page ready to purchase the Utility Duffel, I thought, eh what the heck, I'll check the status of the Waterbag today just to roll the dice, you never know. Lo and behold, the medium was in stock in tobacco flavor! I immediately maneuvered a remove-and-add and waited a few days for it to arrive. This is my second SBL purchase, the first being a DCB Thin Front Pocket Briefcase, which I adore. The tobacco is gorgeous, and the build exudes superlative quality. I have no doubt this will fit over a week's worth of clothes and sundries. I'm also confident that it will last a century--it's a rugged piece that is sure to endure years of use and abuse. The multiple configurations and size make for a very versatile piece that will be your favorite bag in no time. Stop waiting and deliberating, it's worth the extra money, you'll never need another similarly sized bag in your life! Also, it's true, just looking at it is enough to give me a dose of wanderlust. I'm in love!
19th Nov 2018
Amanda
5

Brilliant!

I love Large Dark Coffee Brown water bag! Wherever I travel I get comments on it. If you plan on using it as a carry-on I would recommend the medium instead. I have flown a ton with it as a a carry-on, but I usually have to sweet talk a gate agent to get them to look the other way for my very slightly oversized piece of carry-on(don't try to put it in the sizing bin, it wont fit). It travels every week with me in my car, a touch big for me as a true overnight bag.
19th Nov 2018
Amber C.
5

Great Versatile Travel Bag

I own a medium Waterbag in Tobacco. My purpose in purchasing was to have a bag that could be used for 2-3 days trips to see family and for short business trips. This bag will definitely work for such trips. But this bag will also do more. I recently took a week long (seven days) trip to China to visit friends and see the land. Because I wanted to be unhindered, I did not want to have checked luggage and only go with carry on. So I pulled out my medium Waterbag and packed it with seven days worth of clothes (using packing cubes). I cinched the the three straps down and the final dimensions were within carry on guidelines by the airlines. The medium Waterbag fit within every one of the three planes' (ranging from a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 to a Boeing 787) overhead compartments. For some people the only downside will be carrying the bag through the airport. It has a handle and strap. I carried the bag throughout the Beijing airport for three hours when transferring from international to domestic air travel. I was tired at times, but never burdened. If you are looking for a bag to see family for a few days or to see the world for a week, the medium Waterbag is your travel companion.
19th Nov 2018
L M.
This leather duffle bag is popular for overnight travel because it is versatile and has no breakable parts.

Product Details

100-Year Warranty

Shoulder strap adjusts long from 34" - 59"

Dimensions (W x H x D)

20" x 18" (unfolded) x 9" or 20" x 14" x 9" folded closed

Weight: 7.0 lbs.

Design of this Leather Duffle Bag

This leather duffle bag is our most popular overnight travel bag and the most versatile one. It is just one solid giant piece of leather with no breakable parts like zippers, snaps, buttons, etc. Any place that might get stress has been reinforced with rivets or hidden polyester strapping between the leather. The reason it's built with just one solid piece of leather is to reduce the amount of seams (watch the video above with bull to understand this better). Since we sew at only five stitches per inch, there is more leather between the needle holes. You see, a sewing machine is really just a perforation machine and so the fewer the holes to start a tear or let water in, the better. So when it comes to seams, less is more.

Materials To Make These Leather Duffle Bags

Full Grain Leather-

The cow leather I chose for this leather duffle bag is the strongest there is (full-grain boot leather, but thicker). Leather is like a roof. The shingles are the toughest and most protective layer. Leather has what is called "Grain" and it makes up the top layer of the hide. Some companies shave off the top layer to get rid of scars and blemishes because they don't want to throw any leather away. That's money. But in doing so, they shave off the shingles from your roof. It's really dumb, but they do it. We don't. We use high quality leather with the full amount of grain still there to make all of our leather travel and overnight bags.

This leather duffle bag is built to be durable and versatile, with no breakable parts like zippers, snaps, or buttons.

A Durable Liner

The bottom of the leather duffle bag has a liner covered in tough pigskin, which is stronger than the cow skin. It gives it form, but is removable and the removable liner is covered in pigskin, which is stronger than the full-grain leather. Other bag makers might line the interior with some stylish cotton fabric or nylon material with a pretty map, but we wanted durability, and we think you do too. So pack in your clothes, gear, toiletries, and collection of cool rocks, these rugged bags can handle it.

Thread To Keep The Leather Bag Together

Our thread is super strong industrial marine grade UV resistant polyester thread. It's the most expensive for a reason. It's so strong and doesn't turn into dust like the half priced nylon thread does. Watch out for low quality companies that use nylon just to save a buck or two. When you want a leather bag to stay strong and durable, you want this thread.

Our leather duffle bag is the most popular overnight travel bag because it is versatile and has no breakable parts.

Hardware

Using 316 Stainless Steel for hardware is like killing a fly with a shotgun, but we've never once had a problem because of this hardware. A lone tear just dropped from the eye of a metallurgist somewhere. Our clips were tried and found they can hold up to a 750 lb bag of cats over a cliff without breaking. It's the kind of hardware people use when their life depends on it. Ocean and parachuting stuff. And the metal of fancy watches and iPhones. There's no other overnight leather duffle bag or any leather bags that we know of that uses hardware this complete.

Functionality Of These Leather Duffle Bags

We haven't heard of any other full grain leather duffle bags as versatile as this Waterbag. Let's go over some of the functionality, from the ability to go from a tote to a backpack, down to it's carry on approval.

Leather Duffle Bags That Convert Into A Backpack

The shoulder strap makes it quickly to a backpack. So when you are going to be carrying your leather bag for a while, why not use it as a backpack? Unlike other leather bags you might find in some random department store, we thought this functionality would be important, and everyone loves it. When you have it on, you will barely feel it on your shoulders, and it will still look classy.

This leather overnight travel bag is made with a single piece of the strongest leather to reduce seams and increase durability.

Tote

It has a built in handle so it can be carried as an 18" high wide open tote. I used it more than once in Africa this way carrying a whole bunch of toothbrushes, toys, and dolls, and you name it. The removable handle can be disconnected and reconnected to the corner d-ring so it doesn't rub against your leg when walking.

Two Shoulder Strap Anchors

Attach the shoulder strap to the lower D-ring to wear the bag angled across your back or attach it to the upper D-ring if it's more full. Again, we wanted you to have options for the best way to carry our duffle bags.

Watertight Duffle Bags

If the top is rolled closed, this leather travel bag turns pretty much watertight. It can be left in the back of your truck in the rain and what's inside should stay dry. It's worked for me many times. But if you try to test the limits and dunk it in a river, make sure your last change of clothes isn't in there.

For 1 Day or 5 Days

You can strap it down to lay 4" flat if you're alone or folded over on top to be 14" full. This makes it great to work as an overnight bag, as leather weekend bags, or longer, such as a road trip bag with all your gear.

This leather overnight bag is made with full-grain leather and has a pigskin liner for durability. It can be carried as a backpack, tote, or duffle bag, and is watertight.

Carry On Approved Travel Bags

As carry on luggage, it is within all international limits. This leather duffle bag fits into all overhead compartments and under the seats. It's our go-to travel bag for sure. Just be aware, with as much class and style this quality bag brings to the room, you will probably have to stand around answering questions about it and yourself.

Dual Closures

It can be closed with one strap while the other two tuck through slots to the inside or strapped down with all three. You can pull the three straps tight to compress it small.

Holds Long Objects

Because of the nature of the closures, fly rod tubes or architectural plans can be put deep down on one side, stick far out the other, and still buckle down nicely. If you need to, stick longer objects under the three straps and then cinch them down tight. This makes packing long objects so much easier than with other bags. There is so much storage space in this sturdy full grain leather duffle.

The cow leather used in this leather duffle bag is the strongest there is and has been reinforced with rivets or hidden polyester strapping between the leather to reduce the amount of seams.

Is It Called Duffle Bag or Duffel Bag

We've heard both, but we prefer to call it a leather duffle bag. Some even call them kit bags, but that's probably a bit over the top for us. You decide.

Either way, it looks awesome and will get you there in style. That's what we like about it the best. Have fun out there!

No matter where you're headed, this leather duffle bag will make your journey easier and more enjoyable.

The Waterbag leather duffle bag is versatile and can be used as a backpack, tote, or even carried on as luggage.

How this leather duffle bag got its name, "The Waterbag" 

Since I grew up in Oregon, there were some things we used to do that I didn't realize aren't all that common. One kind of weird, actually. Since it was usually really cool and rainy, when the sun came out and it hit about 70 degrees, almost all men took their shirts off to bask in the sun. I didn't think much of it until I went back to visit with my wife in the summer and, no kidding, one third of the men walking around downtown, in shape and not, were bare chested. My wife started laughing and then I did too. I forgot how common it was. I thought everybody in the world did it too.

The other thing that we did in the short summers was float down one of the dozens of rivers on innertubes and little rafts. Seemed like every other weekend maybe. The river was usually snowmelt and super cold, but that didn't matter, we took our shirts off and floated. Anyways, something that pretty much everybody had with them was some sort of way to keep their things dry from the water on those floats (and for the 8 solid months of rain for the rest of the year). It was usually some kind of a dry bag or smaller bag for gadgets that would tie to the tube or raft and make the 5 hour float with you. It was a long plastic or rubber bag that rolled up and then half way rolling down the bag, a strap or clip or ziplock thing was there to keep the rubber duffle bag rolled up.

The Waterbag is a versatile leather overnight bag that can be used as a backpack or tote and features watertight construction and a 100-year warranty.

I figured the whole world knew about them, but have since learned that they're not very common away from oceans of rain and watersports. But it was common to me and when I started this company, I knew that I just had to make one out of strong water-resistant leather. And so I did. And I made it with as few seams as possible because that's the only vulnerability where the water could get in when it's rolled shut. Now don't submerge this bag or anything, but it is really good at generally keeping water out when it's in a rainstorm or for when you're using it in backpack form on a hike. I just recently walked all over London in the rain using my own Leather Duffle Bag in backpack form to carry little things we bought along the way. Quite the duffle bag it turned out to be.

Keep Your Stuff Dry And Your Brain Tickled With Our Newsletter

The waterbag will take care of keeping your things dry, just don't go deep sea diving with it. So now that is no longer a concern, sign up for our newsletter and get ready for some amazing stories. We can almost guarantee that you won't be disappointed; with adventures from all over the world, inspiring stories, and of course quality leather designs, you will never run out of things to read about. So join us today and get an insider look at our exciting world – we believe it's worth your time!

Write a Review
  • Posted by Alton V. on 19th Nov 2018
    5
    Great
    I needed a bag for traveling a week at a time. I'm a simple jeans t-shirt guy. This bag fits everything and then some. I unpack and use it for quick easy access to clean undergarments and socks when I'm at my destination. The biggest challenge with these saddleback bags is deciding which one to get. I recommend hitting a department store with a tape measure. Finding the right size. Then finding the saddleback that fits best. I almost bought the doctors bag , which would have been a mistake for my needs. I bought this when SB had a brown leather sale. Don't hesitate. Dopp kit coming soon.
  • Posted by Alvin H. on 19th Nov 2018
    5
    Get it!
    I love this bag. The versatility is its best feature. When it is packed, and buckled up for a day or more, you can pull the belts to make it even smaller. The color (tobacco) was rich. It is well made and gets better looking with the miles. I've received a lot of compliments.
  • Posted by Amanda on 19th Nov 2018
    5
    A work of art
    I've had my eye on this bag for about a year now. With an African trip coming up I felt it was prime time for a new purchase. Sadly, both sizes of the Tobacco Waterbag were out of stock. While on the page ready to purchase the Utility Duffel, I thought, eh what the heck, I'll check the status of the Waterbag today just to roll the dice, you never know. Lo and behold, the medium was in stock in tobacco flavor! I immediately maneuvered a remove-and-add and waited a few days for it to arrive. This is my second SBL purchase, the first being a DCB Thin Front Pocket Briefcase, which I adore. The tobacco is gorgeous, and the build exudes superlative quality. I have no doubt this will fit over a week's worth of clothes and sundries. I'm also confident that it will last a century--it's a rugged piece that is sure to endure years of use and abuse. The multiple configurations and size make for a very versatile piece that will be your favorite bag in no time. Stop waiting and deliberating, it's worth the extra money, you'll never need another similarly sized bag in your life! Also, it's true, just looking at it is enough to give me a dose of wanderlust. I'm in love!
  • Posted by Amber C. on 19th Nov 2018
    5
    Brilliant!
    I love Large Dark Coffee Brown water bag! Wherever I travel I get comments on it. If you plan on using it as a carry-on I would recommend the medium instead. I have flown a ton with it as a a carry-on, but I usually have to sweet talk a gate agent to get them to look the other way for my very slightly oversized piece of carry-on(don't try to put it in the sizing bin, it wont fit). It travels every week with me in my car, a touch big for me as a true overnight bag.
  • Posted by L M. on 19th Nov 2018
    5
    Great Versatile Travel Bag
    I own a medium Waterbag in Tobacco. My purpose in purchasing was to have a bag that could be used for 2-3 days trips to see family and for short business trips. This bag will definitely work for such trips. But this bag will also do more. I recently took a week long (seven days) trip to China to visit friends and see the land. Because I wanted to be unhindered, I did not want to have checked luggage and only go with carry on. So I pulled out my medium Waterbag and packed it with seven days worth of clothes (using packing cubes). I cinched the the three straps down and the final dimensions were within carry on guidelines by the airlines. The medium Waterbag fit within every one of the three planes' (ranging from a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 to a Boeing 787) overhead compartments. For some people the only downside will be carrying the bag through the airport. It has a handle and strap. I carried the bag throughout the Beijing airport for three hours when transferring from international to domestic air travel. I was tired at times, but never burdened. If you are looking for a bag to see family for a few days or to see the world for a week, the medium Waterbag is your travel companion.