I'm always frustrated by reviews that compare products like this to $30 items purchased at Walmart. Let's get a few things out of the way:
1. nobody *needs* a $550 leather bag to carry around papers, laptops, and pens.
2. yes, a kevlar bag purchased from k-mart will last ten years no problem.
3. $550 is a lot of money.
4. killing cows is a morally questionable practice.
We agree on all that? good. now let's actually talk about this bag. I've owned mine for about a year. I'm a normal guy. I don't take jungle safari's every saturday. I'm not a CIA operative trained in close-quarters combat. so does this bag do anything for me that a cheaper bag wouldn't? Very little. But here's what I like about its functional features:
first off, it's simple. I had a Timbuk2 bag and honestly I could never find anything when I needed it because there were so many storage locations that I'd end-up searching through 4 zippered pockets before finding the red pen I wanted. This bag has no zippers, 3-4 storage slots, and a strap. Surprisingly enough, that takes care of my needs.
secondly, it takes wear/age gracefully. My old bag lasted 5 years before I handed it off to my cousin (who's still using it). But with each year, the wear made it look more tattered. this bag accepts abuse with a certain dignity... I think eventually it's this quality that has sustained the enduring relationship between humans and tanned animal hide. it "ages well".
i like that it's a crafted item. yes, they're made in mexico. but leaving out the political angle for a minute.... i find it refreshing to handle a piece of merchandise that looks, feels, and smells like the careful work of an artisan. it's a lost quality in our world (but one which is hopefully making a resurgence).
most importantly however, this bag does what few inanimate objets can-it becomes a part of your life. It becomes a memento of things you've done and places you've been. if you've ever handled a small personal affect or trinket that's been in the family for generations, then you know the feeling. I have my grandfather's pocket watch. Whenever I look at it, I remember him and imagine what he might've been thinking when he was my age. it's silly I know, but it speaks to the appeal of Saddleback products (and other similar ones).
best bag ever? no.... who wants to argue about that?! it's just plain silly how much we apparently need to assign rational qualities to retail our habits. for god's sake it's just a bag. but unlike so many things we buy daily/weekly/monthly... it might be one of those things that gets carried along with you as you make your way.
yea... lousy pun, but still true.
I received my backpack from Saddleback Leather about a month ago and it is gorgeous! The leather is incredibly thick and has a fantastic smell to it. It is also the perfect size to house my laptop, glasses, ID badges, 1L water bottle (inside) insulated commuter mug, and still has room for some additional odds and ends. Thus far their is only one down side; I am now addicted to Saddleback leather! Within a week of receiving my backpack I was already eyeing one of their wallets. After receiving that and find myself looking at more! The customer service is exceptional and the product quality is outstanding for the price they charge; a bag of this quality from a retail shop would easily sell for over $1000.
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Great service, great product. Exactly as it looks. The clasps are strong and the shoulder straps are well made to fit in spite of being stiff.
Survived being checked luggage in spite of my stupidly not removing the shoulder straps and stowing them.
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I purchased the dark coffee brown Saddleback Leather backpack a little over a month ago and I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed. As soon as you open the box, you can smell the leather. The whole bag smells amazing. Clothing that is transported in the backpack carries a slight leather smell that dissipates in about five minutes or so. The backpack is much heavier than bags of equal or even slightly larger size. To get an idea of the approximate weight of the bag, it would be best to put 7 pounds in a backpack and carry it for a while. The heft of the bag is considerable, but worth the weight if you love quality leather products. The quality throughout the bag is great for such a thick leather product. The finish of the bag is very easily scratched or scuffed, but this only adds to the character of the bag and does not detract from its appearance. If you prefer a bag that shows little signs of wear, you may want consider the carbon black backpack. The backpack is extremely stiff out of the box but will soften with use. I've only had the bag for about a month and it's getting softer everyday. The shoulder straps are very well made and can be attached in a number of different ways to offer multiple carrying options. Saddleback Leather uses Chamerlain's Leather Milk on all of their bags and I highly recommend their products. I applied the Water Protectant to all of my dark coffee brown products from Saddleback Leather. The Protectant didn't darken the leather much, if at all. I would say it richened the color more than it darkened it. With a padded insert, I can fit my D700 with the 24-70 2.8 attached and room to spare for lenses and other photographic equipment. For clothing, I can fit a couple pairs of jeans, a few shirts, and undergarments without an issue, if all folded flat. One could fit much more if the items were rolled and stuffed into the bag. The side pockets expand to fit larger items. The front pouch is a perfect fit for my 13.5" MacBook Pro. A neoprene slipcase may offer more protection from impact than the leather alone. If impact to the bag is likely, the inside of the bag would offer better protection to a laptop than the front pouch. Overall, the Saddleback Leather backpack is a wonderful alternative to the average everyday backpack. One that will stand the test of time.
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Let me start with the positives. This is a great backpack. I highly recommend it, and I do believe it will last 100 years. The leather is of the most highest quality, is very thick, is dyed perfectly, and smells great (although the rich leathery smell dies out over time, which is good because it is very strong when you first get it). In general, the workmanship is the best I have seen on any backpack. Also, this bag impresses people when they see it. Then, they hold it, and they cannot help themselves but to ask "How much did THIS cost?" It definitely screams "QUALITY" and if you go to Saddleback Leather's web site you can learn all about how they make the bag and that they pay and train their workers well (it is made in Mexico, but by highly skilled laborers unlike the Vagabond brand backpacks that are knockoffs of these and made in China with lesser quality dye jobs on the leather and typically uneven stitching/poorer workmanship). This is a heavy duty bag that can hold a lot. I fit a Dell Precision laptop that is something like 7 or 8 lbs in it on most days along with a big textbook (about 1.5 inches thick), some papers, and an iPad on most days. I have no trouble fitting this stuff in there, but it is a snug fit. I could not fit too much more, but who would want to?
Now for the negatives. There is one (only one) stitch that is missed on the entire thing, but it happens to only be noticeable on the inside part of the top flap where the strap is that you connect to the buckle on the front to close it (look at the picture of the front of the bag where the strap is connected with stitching and three rivets on the inside part of this is what I am talking about). For some reason this annoys me because I see it every time I open the bag and you really do have an expectation of perfection when you pay the kind of money this costs and watch videos of the owner describing the high quality construction. However, I do not expect it to cause any structural issues in the long run since it is re-enforced with the rivets and the other stitches are firmly in place. It is kind of like an itch I want to scratch though so it just drives me a little nuts.
Other than that, the bag itself can be a bit uncomfortable on the back if you keep the shoulder straps a bit loose so that a lot of the weight of the bag rests against a single bottom ridge pressed into your back. However, there are two things that help this. After I treated the bag with some of the Chamberlain leather milk that they recommend, this problem is much less of an issue now as the leather is now softer and it will continue to soften as it ages. I also settled on adjusting the straps to keep the bag fairly tight against my back and this has helped a lot. I carry a lot in the bag though, and if I lessen the weight then this is a non-issue.
Also, the metal part of the shoulder strap that connects to the D-rings on the bag might make fairly regular high-pitched squeaking noises as you walk, which can be a bit annoying. The connection is right by your head, so you will certainly hear it if it is there. There is a fix for this if it happens to your purchase (see the update below).
Given all of the above, if I had to do it all over, I would buy this bag again and I think it is worth the money. The company is in the USA and all money from suppliers/laborers seems to stay within either the US or Mexico market. I also plan on buying the messenger-style bag for a lighter option on days I only travel with my laptop and a few papers or single book.
UPDATE on 5/8/13
I called customer service yesterday. They are very friendly, and I explained/demonstrated the squeaking D-ring problem of the shoulder straps over the phone. The lady I talked to explained that the leather was rubbing tightly against the metal and this will go away in time, and she suggested that I pour a little bit of baby powder into the area where this was happening. It worked like a charm and there is no more squeaking. This definitely improves my experience with the product. I have changed my mind and will purchase the "large" version of the thin briefcase instead of the messenger-style bag that I mentioned above.
This is a great bag. It was made well and the leather is very nice. It's big enough for an iPad if you don't have a cover on it. Would definitely recommend this purse.
