JLStorm
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I noticed a few threads regarding Saddleback, so I thought I would throw my opinion in. I originally posted this at the Style Forum, figured someone might benefit from it here.
Review of Saddleback Leather XL Briefcase:
I was so curious about Saddleback after hearing so many pros and cons about the company, that I decided to order a bag to evaluate. Since the company offers a 30 day money back guarantee, I figured I had nothing to lose. I realized from all the differing opinions that I needed to feel the bag for myself, examine the leather, and see if the price was justified.
Some information about me: I am not stranger to fine leather. I have most of my jackets custom made and have a fairly good understanding of horse, cow, and goat hides, tanning processes, construction, and durability. While I am a white collar professional now, that wasn’t always the case. I spent many years travelling several countries and 49 of the states. I’ve gotten my hands plenty dirty and brought many leather items to their breaking point through personal travel and on worksites. Sure, I could have used another material, but I love leather. Several years ago I asked Aero Leather to custom design a leather jacket to live up to my needs, they made me a tank. It’s rare any leather goods impress me anymore, although Aero Leather of Scotland never ceases to amaze me. Onto the review:
The Pros:
The Cons:
Detailed Review:
The bag is as heavy as every stated, although the weight is mostly due to the extremely thick seamed sections edges and bottom. The leather itself is less rigid and lighter than I expected, which was a disappointment, however it is more than durable enough for any circumstance it may face.
I expected this bag to be the bullet proof type leather that my custom jackets are made from and I suppose that was asking a bit too much. While I have several jackets that I knew would be of much thicker and tougher leather than this bag, I really thought that it would be very similar to my 5.5oz chrome tanned cow hide leather jacket I had made by Aero Leather Co. in Scotland, but it is nowhere near as thick or as tough. The bag couldn’t hold a candle to the toughness extreme abuse that my jacket was made to endure. However, that doesn’t mean that the bag isn’t built plenty tough for what is required of it. I just simply expected more. Additionally, I really enjoy the process of using a leather good and have it form a patina or “battle scars” over years of hard use. This bag was clearly made to help the average Joe look like they had put years of hard wear on it, when in reality, it will most likely only take a few months.
So, quite a few people have asked if this bag is worth the price tag that it carries and the simple answer is both yes and no.
If you are looking for a simple beautiful leather bag that can hold up to almost anything that you can throw at it, there are much cheaper alternatives out there that will look just as good and be just as tough. What you are paying for in this bag is the fact that each panel is a single piece of full grain leather and not several hides compressed together, while this may matter to some, no one but the owner will know the vast majority of the time. This is one of those things that you either don’t care about, or that will bother you, but it has no effect on the durability in similar thicknesses of leather. The other feature that you are paying for in this bag is the incredible strength of the seams and the way the hardware is riveted to the bag. This bag has several O rings that can be used as attachment points. These O rings are secured to the bag by such superior thread and metal fittings, as well as several strips of full grain leather, that you could easily hang a 10 pound weight off of each one with no fear of any part of the bag failing. This is a great feature that will be used by almost no one; however there is no doubt, the workmanship is topnotch.
If you do not care about all of these attachment points, or the amount of over engineering that went into securing the hardware to the bag, there are bags that can be had for much less (even in full grain leather) that will fit the bill just fine and last longer than you will. If you want to be able to walk into a jungle and hang 40 pounds of coconuts from your bag for days on end without fear of it breaking, you probably aren’t carrying leather, but in the off chance that you require a leather bag that you can lash 40 pounds of coconuts to, this is the bag for you.
As Dave from Saddleback has stated several times on his website, he is targeting a very small and select audience with his leather bags. He isn’t trying to become a household name and has no illusion that his bag is for everyone and that sums it up fairly clearly.
I’m sure 99% of people that buy his bags are not buying them to use them to their breaking point, because realistically, it makes no sense to carry a leather bag into remote locations where failure is not an option and weight is always an issue; especially when there are so many lightweight durable waterproof fabrics now available. This bag is worth the price for those of you who want to know they have a very over engineered non mass produced leather bag, those people who would be kept awake at night if they didn’t buy a 100% full grain leather bag, who need a leather bag with lots of attachment points and little risk of failure, and those who believe that Saddleback uses the thickest, toughest leather on the planet (they don’t).
Will I keep this bag? I am undecided. I am completely underwhelmed by the thickness and stiffness of the leather, I really did expect much more. However as mentioned before, this has no impact on the bag’s durability, it’s simply personal preference. I don’t know if anyone makes a thicker leather bag than Saddleback in this style, I doubt it, but I would imagine some make them stiffer. Regardless of my personal expectations, rest assured that the workmanship is topnotch. The seams are straight, the cutting is uniform, and the bag is beautiful.
Review of Saddleback Leather XL Briefcase:
I was so curious about Saddleback after hearing so many pros and cons about the company, that I decided to order a bag to evaluate. Since the company offers a 30 day money back guarantee, I figured I had nothing to lose. I realized from all the differing opinions that I needed to feel the bag for myself, examine the leather, and see if the price was justified.
Some information about me: I am not stranger to fine leather. I have most of my jackets custom made and have a fairly good understanding of horse, cow, and goat hides, tanning processes, construction, and durability. While I am a white collar professional now, that wasn’t always the case. I spent many years travelling several countries and 49 of the states. I’ve gotten my hands plenty dirty and brought many leather items to their breaking point through personal travel and on worksites. Sure, I could have used another material, but I love leather. Several years ago I asked Aero Leather to custom design a leather jacket to live up to my needs, they made me a tank. It’s rare any leather goods impress me anymore, although Aero Leather of Scotland never ceases to amaze me. Onto the review:
The Pros:
- The bag is big enough for all of the things I carry, as both a working professional and graduate student. The bag even has enough room to store a few extras when travelling.
- The seams are all incredibly well reinforced
- The metal hardware is top notch
The Cons:
- The leather is quite a bit thinner and less rigid than I expected
- The leather was clearly processed to take on a patina quickly and look worn quickly, rather than over time. This makes the leather surface softer and more susceptible to deep lacerations and scratches, although they would only be aesthetic, not structurally impacting.
Detailed Review:
The bag is as heavy as every stated, although the weight is mostly due to the extremely thick seamed sections edges and bottom. The leather itself is less rigid and lighter than I expected, which was a disappointment, however it is more than durable enough for any circumstance it may face.
I expected this bag to be the bullet proof type leather that my custom jackets are made from and I suppose that was asking a bit too much. While I have several jackets that I knew would be of much thicker and tougher leather than this bag, I really thought that it would be very similar to my 5.5oz chrome tanned cow hide leather jacket I had made by Aero Leather Co. in Scotland, but it is nowhere near as thick or as tough. The bag couldn’t hold a candle to the toughness extreme abuse that my jacket was made to endure. However, that doesn’t mean that the bag isn’t built plenty tough for what is required of it. I just simply expected more. Additionally, I really enjoy the process of using a leather good and have it form a patina or “battle scars” over years of hard use. This bag was clearly made to help the average Joe look like they had put years of hard wear on it, when in reality, it will most likely only take a few months.
So, quite a few people have asked if this bag is worth the price tag that it carries and the simple answer is both yes and no.
If you are looking for a simple beautiful leather bag that can hold up to almost anything that you can throw at it, there are much cheaper alternatives out there that will look just as good and be just as tough. What you are paying for in this bag is the fact that each panel is a single piece of full grain leather and not several hides compressed together, while this may matter to some, no one but the owner will know the vast majority of the time. This is one of those things that you either don’t care about, or that will bother you, but it has no effect on the durability in similar thicknesses of leather. The other feature that you are paying for in this bag is the incredible strength of the seams and the way the hardware is riveted to the bag. This bag has several O rings that can be used as attachment points. These O rings are secured to the bag by such superior thread and metal fittings, as well as several strips of full grain leather, that you could easily hang a 10 pound weight off of each one with no fear of any part of the bag failing. This is a great feature that will be used by almost no one; however there is no doubt, the workmanship is topnotch.
If you do not care about all of these attachment points, or the amount of over engineering that went into securing the hardware to the bag, there are bags that can be had for much less (even in full grain leather) that will fit the bill just fine and last longer than you will. If you want to be able to walk into a jungle and hang 40 pounds of coconuts from your bag for days on end without fear of it breaking, you probably aren’t carrying leather, but in the off chance that you require a leather bag that you can lash 40 pounds of coconuts to, this is the bag for you.
As Dave from Saddleback has stated several times on his website, he is targeting a very small and select audience with his leather bags. He isn’t trying to become a household name and has no illusion that his bag is for everyone and that sums it up fairly clearly.
I’m sure 99% of people that buy his bags are not buying them to use them to their breaking point, because realistically, it makes no sense to carry a leather bag into remote locations where failure is not an option and weight is always an issue; especially when there are so many lightweight durable waterproof fabrics now available. This bag is worth the price for those of you who want to know they have a very over engineered non mass produced leather bag, those people who would be kept awake at night if they didn’t buy a 100% full grain leather bag, who need a leather bag with lots of attachment points and little risk of failure, and those who believe that Saddleback uses the thickest, toughest leather on the planet (they don’t).
Will I keep this bag? I am undecided. I am completely underwhelmed by the thickness and stiffness of the leather, I really did expect much more. However as mentioned before, this has no impact on the bag’s durability, it’s simply personal preference. I don’t know if anyone makes a thicker leather bag than Saddleback in this style, I doubt it, but I would imagine some make them stiffer. Regardless of my personal expectations, rest assured that the workmanship is topnotch. The seams are straight, the cutting is uniform, and the bag is beautiful.
