Hey there, just thought I should share my review for the Saddleback Satchel. After much research from different brands, materials, feedbacks I ended up trying this brand for the durability that it promised.
I decided to purchase the large satchel (Chestnut)
For those assuring themselves of buying a saddleback but can't figure out which one (its was the briefcase or satchel dilemma for me) let me just point out a few things that made me decide to take the satchel. I felt that the briefcase was too big for my daily carry whether office or weekend use. The bag is not cheap so having my first saddleback I wanted to make sure I use it as much as I can.
Why Large? For me the shape seems to look more appropriate for an office bag compared to medium which may seem to be more like a camera bag at times and the small which looks like a pouch. It's like having a briefcase shaped office bag thats not too big for what I wanted to bring, the interior space is also in the middle between having a thin briefcase and a briefcase. The satchel is convertible to a back pack so you got to anticipate how it will look like if your having medium. And lastly ITS CHEAPER than the briefcase!
Why Chestnut? This is a personal preference. A week after I bought mine I saw that they are removing the color "carbon" from the selection. I would have taken the carbon if I had known earlier to make mine rare after they pull out all the carbon. I chose chestnut because after reading a page in their site Dave mentioned that the scars that were naturally incurred by the cows will show from the bag as long as this doesn't make your bag looking bad or affecting its durability however it was mentioned that the brown and black might be the most to get this characteristics so I tried chestnut. I love all the colors so it didn't bother me too much just the hope of getting fewer or no scars for the chestnut. This doesn't mean I don't expect the bag to get scuffed once I use it I just wanted it looking pristine when I get it.
So here it is coming right out of the box...
It didn't even made me open the bag to see the quality of the product. Consistent, neat stitching can be seen immediately, rivets and polished buckle already proves durability. Taking it out from the bag will make the place around you smelling like leather which for me is a good scent but some might find it a little too much. As you may have read from other reviews and from the saddleback website itself this bag is H-E-A-V-Y. You will feel the weight even if its empty and to no surprise you will know why, the rings and buckle are thick, the entire bag including the strap and the pad on the strap is thick. There's also numerous rivets, even the small leather strap to hook your keys in is not stitch, its's riveted! To be honest I found it a little too big of what I expected somehow the measurement I've been doing to assume the size I will get seemed incorrect. I realise after putting it side by side with my old office bag it's not much big of a difference it seemed big because it's stiff so its always going to be upright unlike other leather bags when empty it will almost fold when you put them down. This is different. This bag is proud.
Having a thick leather it will take some time getting used to. My old bag was a Longchamp cavalier messenger it's soft and lining is cloth so there a lot of difference. I anticipated the change in feel of the bag however i failed to anticipate the stiffness of the strap and buckle. That buckle just won't open until you put some elbow into it. The strap on the other hand seems like it can tow a car, even the pad that should be giving you comfort made me uncomfortable in less than a minute. The good thing is these are also the parts that move the most so they are likely to be the fastest to break in and get softer. The buckle seemed easier to open now just after a week of use.
Other than the bag being Heavy the next common comment here is the price. It will cost you $408 for the Large. Somehow I'm not sure if expensive is the term for this. If you look at it $408 for a bag with 100 yr warranty is not a bad thing. Even if 100 yrs is an exaggeration I don't think the bag will give up under 10 yrs which for me is already worth it considering your also paying for a full grain leather. So if your not using it for years and you plan to just keep on buying an office bag every year then yes 408 is kind of pricey but for those buying to use it for as long as its intact 408 will go a very long way.
Pros
- Durable construction (from rivets to marine grade polyester thread stitching)
- Neat design for a rugged bag
- Quality materials (full grain leather, pigskin lining)
- Convertible to a back pack
Cons
- Heavy
- Expensive (if you don't plan to use it for long)
- Need some time to break in
