Customer Reviews

Saddleback Leather Briefcase Classic Medium Dark Coffee Brown

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not a person who gets attached to material possessions; they are built to serve a purpose, not become an item to identify me as a person. However, I do have 'comfort' items that I feel are necessary for certain tasks and I won't feel comfortable unless I have them (i.e. pen and pocketbook when going to work. A water bottle and first aid kit when hiking. etc).

When I travel this bag has to be with me. *EDIT* The XL complies with the carry-on baggage measurements *EDIT* It holds everything I need and keeps everything safe and undamaged. People say there is a large heft to the bag. I like that. If I wanted something that's light weight I would keep buying the same junk that will be ruined in 3-5 years. The heft of these bags means quality materials and work has been put into them so that they last for centuries (I can only vouch for a year so far).

I have this bag in an extra large. I'm 6'4", 200 lbs and this fits me perfectly. It's not too large or too small. I can easily pack two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, three t-shirts, two dress shirts, some underclothes, my toiletry items, a book or two, my notebooks and some pens without having to cram things in. If you have all three straps buckled you are going to find it's a pain to get into, do as the picture shows and tuck the left and right straps back up and through the loops and only buckle the middle one if you know you are going to be pulling stuff out of it all the time.

The price is high, but you really do get more with this item than you will with any other bag in this price range. The main website even has their competitors linked on their site so you can do a comparison against their items.

+Quality material and work

+'Waterproof' to a point

+Plenty of room

+Durable

-Price

-Pain to get into with all three straps buckled

3/27/2011: The leather is really starting to get soft, like a pair of boots do after wearing them a while.

Also due to all the airlines charging for checked luggage I have problems now finding space for this XL guy. I've had to check it at the gate a few times, but I just quickly take off, and pack, the shoulder strap followed by strapping down all three closure straps. There's a bit of fear that someone might go through it (especially traveling to some international locations), so do be careful of that.

I flip bags. I buy one, use it, enjoy it, get bored with it, then sell it on eBay. I kept looking at the Saddleback medium briefcase, but I kept looking at the weight, 6 pounds, and could not bring myself to buy one. After all, I go to so much trouble and expense to find lighter and lighter laptops, so why add 3 or 4 pounds to the empty bag?

But then I realized, when I fly, and hike with a Macbook and several other electronics through a huge airport, I can take another, lighter bag. But when I'm in town and not walking far, I can enjoy the amazing Saddleback. So being a cheapskate, I bought a pre-owned one on eBay, thinking, if I regret it I can sell it on and not lose much at all. I usually shun anything preowned, but these do have a 100 year guarantee, and a new one is only new until you use it, so I did it, and it seems to be good as new, except with enough scratches and patina to allow me to use it with abandon and not worry about the first mark appearing.

Anyway, I am not disappointed. I love my briefcase and it gets looks and comments everywhere. To be specific. it's the medium size in dark coffee brown. You cannot find one in a showroom or a store, so unless you run into someone like me, you can only judge it from images or videos online. But let me tell you, if you like bags, if you like good leather, and you want a distinctive piece of craftsmanship, treat yourself to a Saddleback briefcase a.s.a.p. You won't regret it. Like me you'll sit and look at it for hours, and take it everywhere you go.

This is a tremendous briefcase. The leather is quite heavy duty. My medium briefcase is in dark coffee brown, and while the leather scratches quite easily, it really does look better with some wear. The small pamphlet of religious materials included didn't do anything for me, but I can respect someone standing by their beliefs, even if they are not mine.

The briefcase is somewhat heavy, but I have not found it to be overly cumbersome. The medium fits my MacBook 13" perfectly, but I think it would be a just a bit snug for a 15" laptop.

Highly recommended. I look forward adding more pieces to my collection over time. This briefcase has gotten many comments over just a few weeks of ownership.

This is a nice bag. It's tough. You can throw it in front of a speeding train and it will survive (the contents of the bag probably won't though).

If you live in a humid environment, you need to use it everyday or store it in a room with a good dehumidifier. Otherwise, this bag will get moldy really fast.

This bag is heavy. It's not for people who complain about carrying things. If you're the type of person who will complain about heavy bags, don't buy this bag. Get a bag with wheels.

One more thing, I don't recommend using the backpack mode too often as it can lead to scoliosis due to the odd weight distribution. I used to use this bag in backpack mode all the time. Then my doctor found that my spine was slightly curved. Ever since I stopped using this bag, my spine has recovered.

BTW, this bag has a 100-year warranty. And the customer service people of the company are really nice.

I have to start off by saying that this briefcase is incredible. I'm 6 feet tall and bought a large dark coffee brown, which is perfect. I was searching for bags for a while to find a replacement, and I was so lucky when I found this company. I debated over the DCB or chestnut color and the chestnut was just too red for me. The dark brown will go with just about anything. I use it for professional and casual purposes. I definitely recommend the briefcase and the color. Also, the Saddleback story is great and I will happily support them in the future by purchasing other products.

First Off: The ONE MISSING STAR is 'cause of the weight, and no other reason. It's the trade-off for the quality, I get it, but OMG this puppy is going to make me diesel! That aside...I took the ENTIRE contents of my awesome (but childish) Marmot backback and neatly fit it all into my large sized briefcase. I even have a Maxpedition EDC organizer fully loaded in this puppy. The smell is awesome, straps are thick, and color/tanning is even throughout. Very nice. We'll take this from three angles...Outside...Inside...Functionality.

Outside: Great color. Smooth leather. Hardware is as promised, and straps are AWESOME. I am going to order extra shoulder strap just 'cause. The adjustments for securing the bag as perfect. The outer pockets are a little loose; I'll have to find little containers to keep things to stay in 'em better.

Inside: Roomy. Lining is as promised. Segregation is darn near ideal for me. Key-fob inside is neat & SBL keychain is appreciated. I think it could benefit from thinner leather inside, but over time everything will soften up. The two 'pockets' are a bit odd in placement and shape, and i think could benefit from a closure of some kind, but I am happy to get a few things into each pocket easily. I like the feel of the inside, and iPad plus 15MacPro should NOT be an issue at any point.

Functionality: I am an Electrical Engineer for a Defense Contractor. That makes me nerdy, and over-prepared. That said, I carry more than I will EVER need in a backpack. I actually was able to stash a change of undies, socks, and tshirt in the base of the Marmot. Didn't do that with this classy bag, but I could. My every day carry is simple...Rear main compartmentSaddleback Leather Notepad holder. Two manilla folders. A 'Grid-It' (large) to hold lose items from sliding around. I added a bunch of little things to the key-holder. Soon there will be an iPad &/or Kindle too. I already ordered a Kindle holder from SBL, but I have to wait on the iPad sleeve till Xmas. It's full there, trust me. Main compartment, front area, top pockets, I have packet tissues, eye-glass case with my back-up glasses, in large pocket. To the right, or small pocket, I fit my Ziplock of important papers, my waist-pack with a light & Gerber multi-tool, and I have a StreamLight Sidewinder Compact clipped in. Both pockets full. Trust me. Main compartment, front area, main 'area' is 1/2 full. Tote umbrella - 10 years old & rocks! - and compact Tyndale bible - covering coming! I have a Bausch & Lomb contact lens travel pack, loaded with extra goodies. Finally, I have a FULLY outfitted Maxpedition EDC Organizer. Another flashlight, multi-tool, small folder, pens, screwdriver, lighter, and SMALL first-aid setup. PERFECT fit. Keeps it handy, all together, and I can pull JUST the EDC if I need to.

Notes: 1) laptop will make this WAY heavy; iPad & MacAir = way to go 2) Very stiff - gonna take long time to break this puppy in 3) I am 5'8" tall, around 190lbs. and wifey says this thing looks silly on me - HUGE

Oh...Yea...I want another one in a different color!!! Stop looking at it, and buy it. I will take 5 months to pay it off slowly, but it will last lots longer. GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS! VR/SD in CT

when people ask me where I got this bag, (believe me, people will ask you too) I have to lie and say "I dont know, it was a gift" because I dont want everyone going out and buying this bag.

I got the dark coffee brown and I am thinking of getting the same bag in another color.

Ive read reviews where some people have said this bag is expensive. Are you kidding me? If you have a job where you need to carry a briefcase, you can afford $600, which is about the same as a mass produced tumi alpha (pretty decent bag but zero style) and one tenth of the cost of a hermes or louis vuitton briefcase.

The quality and excellence is unbelievable. Nothing but compliments everywhere I go. The leather bag is excellently a piece of art. Attention to detail is absolute and amazing. The bag is amazing. I never say that or even write reviews on bags but after handling this leather piece I had too. This is the only bag you'll ever need its made with the best of the best in all areas. The smell of leather is great. All I have to say is...AMAZING BAG. Get one, you won't regret it. You can fit your laptop and other books very well too !!

This is a great bag and almost immediately got earmarked as a family heirloom! Solid build quality and holds a LOT! The only downside is the bag itself it quite heavy and once I have it jam packed with a couple of laptop computers and various other goodies it's a heavy burden on the shoulder... but that is nothing to do with the bag that's just my own obsession with carrying heavy stuff around :)

This is my fave bag and gets lots of positive comments from the security boys and girls whenever I fly. It fits in the overhead lockers on every flight... even the small planes (but it sometimes needs a little jiggle to get it in).

Thumbs up!

I just received the large coffee brown Saddleback leather briefcase, after first purchasing a ski mask and robbing the local Duncan Donuts and Citgo station to pay for it. They're not giving the briefcase away, and when you see the total amount of cow that goes into its production, you too might debate just buying a whole cow and making one yourself. Would I pay that much again? Absolutely...but please don't ask me to.

To be sure, it's a heavy bag - 7.5lbs - but it doesn't feel unwieldy when you have it on your shoulder. It's extremely tough leather coming right out of the box, but I'm certain that it will give with time. Similarly, it very snugly fits my Lenovo W520 laptop with 15.4" screen when the computer is in a neoprene sleeve...still, it fits. My primary concern was that the bag would be too big given its 9" depth; however, the side pieces collapse some so it doesn't seem that large. And when you look at the interior space, it really doesn't come across as too big especially if you put a computer in there.

I'm used to former bags having a zipper on them, and these will be missed since a buckle just takes more time. There's not a bear's chance in hell that I'm ever using buckles #2 and 3 unless I rob another gas station and need to run from local law enforcement while I'm carrying my briefcase. They are handsome looking, however. A shortcoming of the bag if there is one: the shoulder strap is really heavy, at least a pound. Combine weight with stiffness, and you've got a strap that doesn't relocate anywhere convenient when you are moving it out of your way. I lump this into the category of "things you'll just learn to deal with and over time won't even notice."

In summary, some of the most beautiful leather I've come across and a bag I'm proud to own. I waterproofed mine with Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP as soon as I got it which didn't darken the leather at all, since it was so dark to begin with. I would have bought the Chamberlain's water protectant that pairs with the leather milk Saddleback uses, but they charge an ungodly amount for shipping and the products are very similar.