Saddleback Leather Co. Medium Thin Briefcase – $461.00
Editor’s Note: Dappered correspondent, Ben Madeska, has owned his Saddleback thin briefcase for three years now. Head here for the growing archive of these annual updates.
Entering the fourth year with the Saddleback Thin Briefcase in Dark Coffee Brown, there’s really no novelty left in using it. It’s firmly entered “favorite old pair of jeans” territory. After three years of regular use it just works. It’s comfortable. I know what it can do, and what it shouldn’t do. The leather is really starting to break in in places and take on some character, but still is solid overall, even rigid. A loose thread I noticed in the previous review hasn’t even loosened any further.
Having moved once again since the last update, this is now the third city and second state in which I’ve had this briefcase. It’s been used on multiple day and weekend trips. I probably won’t be taking it with me on long vacations anymore. I’ve taken it on a few longer trips, and it seems to be simultaneously too small and too big. It’s too small to be really useful for overnights, much less long-term travel, and I find it too big to be a handy second bag while on vacation. The classic briefcase would probably be a better choice for weekend getaways. This may just be me talking myself into getting a second bag from Saddleback.
I like using this as a daily briefcase. I no longer work in an office and don’t attend many meetings, but I still consider it my “commuting” bag. When I first reviewed this after one month of use in 2011, I wrote:
On a daily basis I carry:
- My ancient 14″ laptop and assorted cables
- Two notepads
- Small notebook
- Calendar
- Two pens
- Pencil
- Magazine
- Miscellaneous papers
That list is rapidly looking archaic (Spiral bound paper calendar? Really?) but it’s not too far off from what I still carry. The laptop’s smaller and lighter now, and I carry fewer paper files with me. If anything, this briefcase is better able to accommodate my needs now than when I first got it. It’s the perfect size for trips around the city if I’m meeting people for lunch, going back and forth to my studio, or hitting a coffee shop to do some writing (as I currently am).
Flexing and getting softer with age. Still tough as nails.
This briefcase hasn’t really been abused Indiana Jones style, but in three years it has been tossed around, been in the rain and the sun, survived a few polar vortexes, and handles the bus and subway just fine. It has always protected its contents admirably.
This is still a bigger, heavier bag though. I’m 6’4” so I tend not to notice the bulk, but other people comment on it (coworkers making exaggerated groans of effort when I ask them to hand it to me). According to Saddleback, with my height I could use the large size, which adds a couple inches to the dimensions and about a pound to the weight. The medium suits my needs just fine though, and I haven’t regretted choosing it over the large.
97 years to go.
Two heavily used items. The case, and the easel.
Really pleased to see more Saddleback love. With every item I buy from them my respect for Dave and his quality bar grows.
Proud owner of the Large Classic Briefcase in New Tan, Front Pocket Briefcase in Chestnut, Side Pocket Duffle in Coffee Brown, The Big Wallet in Coffee Brown, Medium Bifold Wallet in New Tan, and the Front Pocket Wallet in Chestnut.
Any thoughts on what I should get next? Thinking a Medium Notepad Holder in Chestnut…
Holy crap. That’s a fan right there. And that duffel. Man, that thing looks incredible. Do you find that it’s a little cumbersome due to the weight while travelling? Or, like the brief, is it something you just get used to?
Nice write up!! My thin briefcase is going on 2.5 years old and still looks new. Soft in some parts, but overall not nearly as broken in looking as yours. Maybe it’s because it’s loaded with things so there’s not much movement. Also pretty much goes from my house, to my car, to the office, and back.
On the other hand, my regular briefcase is going on 5 years old and it is my primary travel bag for weekend getaways and short trips to warm locals. It’s packed and ready to go for my trip to Mexico tomorrow and it looks nice and aged and only gets better with time!
Typical with consensus, Saddlebacks are heavy, yes. When I travel the duffle is far over my shoulder so it hangs against the small of my back, and the classic briefcase is usually in my right hand. I’m 6’2″ at 200 lbs, and carrying these can be a little workout, but you get used to it. Plus, all the jealous stares from men and seductive gazes from women while wearing these boosts the ego and imbues the user with Herculean strength.
Attached the wrong picture. Above is actually my Filson Original.
Beautiful bag. I’m happy you are happy with it. However, I do take exception to the line, “as Saddleback says, if you want a bag to age well you need to use thick, heavy leather.” That is just not true. Saddleback uses thick leathers to make up for the comparatively lower quality of their leather. He uses lower quality leathers to keep the price down, not to cheat people or anything, so there is nothing wrong with it, but also isn’t some virtue either. A nicer, thinner leather can be seen in more expensive bags like JW Hulme. My grandfather had a Hulme bag, it still looks beautiful 60 years later, and it is about 1/3 to 1/4 of the weight of a saddleback. Of course that same bag costs $1000 now.
Great… I already have a “shoe problem” and a “jacket problem”. The last thing I need is a “bag problem”.
I’m glad someone pointed that out. To be clear, I love Saddleback’s bags and want their thin briefcase about as badly as I want any one accessory. But I do find claims like the one you noted to be misleading and a little patronizing to the consumer, playing to a bigger-is-better mentality. For a company as transparent and consumer friendly as Saddleback appears to be, it just strikes the wrong chord.
They’re currently in the process of getting the new, remodeled bifold wallets in stock, but just a word to the wise for anyone who might find an old model on Ebay….they will eventually break just about every card you try to store in them. Something about how the leather was cut, but after repeated daily use, the cards will start to crack right along the line of each card slot. They acknowledge and apologize for this in the video on the site where they introduce the redesigned model that fixes the problem (and also includes an RFID shield). Looking forward to getting a new one as soon as they’re back in stock.
I’ve found that most wallets will do this if given enough time.
Well, enough people complained to the company that they did a complete redesign, so hopefully they’ve managed to fix the problem. Good on them for trying to actually do something about it though!
I myself never considered thin leathers to be lesser quality and my mind didn’t go that way when I read that line. That said, if Saddleback is “lesser quality” leather, you should see some of the sub $100 shoes I’ve tested (and yes, no lesson on bonded, corrected grain, etc… is needed here, but thanks). I suppose it all depends on what one person considers to be “quality.” You want a smaller diamond with less inclusions? Okay. You want a bigger rock that’s not quite as clear under the scope? Okay. Sure.
That was my path… got hooked on Allen-Edmonds, which led to Suitsupply, which paired nicely with Saddleback and Filson.
I completely agree with everything you wrote. Again, I love Saddleback’s products, but their marketing lingo, which often refers to the thickness and stiffness of their leather as a mark of its quality, is a little too cocksure for my taste. Maybe it’s that Texas bravado. That said, their bag is tops on my most-wanted list.
Gotcha, and I agree about their marketing lingo.
Allen Edmonds is a gateway drug.
I agree that it might be splitting hairs. But as you noted on Greg Haney’s post above, the weight of a Saddleback is certainly something to take note of. So all I am saying is that you can get a lighter bag that will still last forever, while the piece above explicitly states that if your leather isn’t as thick and heavy as theirs it won’t age well. And that is misleading.
Hi Ben, I always look forward to your annual review – one question though, in last years review you mentioned the wear on the strap clips. Has this become worse? (I notice in your photographs that there is no sign of the strap – do you still use the strap or not?
Dark coffee.
Rob Allman
Still using Eddie Bauer case after 20 years. Original cost: $295. They don’t even offer anything close to this now. A little conditioner or mink oil and it keeps going.