Saddleback Leather Company - Official Affiliate thread - Page 94

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saddleback4Life 

First off, I want to thank everyone who posts reviews of their Saddleback Leather products.  It was very helpful in my decision making and deciding what products to buy.  I was in the market for a briefcase but once I started shopping I couldn't stop!  Below are photos of the Saddleback Large Thin Briefcase, small laptop sleeve, business card holder, cable back (in darb brown) and mouse pad.  Everything except the cable bag is in Tabacco.  

 

Once I opened the box that everything came in I was excited to see that the tabacco color they are using now is darker and is much darker than their stock photos.  I was thinking that it would have to get worn it to get that nice patina but It was just how I wanted it right out of the box!  I went with the tabacco color because I though that it ages better based on some of the other pictures of older products that were posted online.  The construction of amazing.  It is just right for what I use it for.  I am 6' 1" and around 200lbs and this bag fits me like a glove.  It is not light but not too heavy at all.   

Congrats on the goodies!  Thanks for taking the time to take pictures and sharing your thoughts.

I have the one with the extra pockets and, as far as I could tell from the pictures on the SBL site, they're essentially the same bag except for the pockets.  If you want a sleeker look and don't need the extra storage that the two side and middle outer pocket provides then get the simple backpack.  I bought mine because it looked a little more rugged and outdoorsy and because I felt the extra pockets would make organizing things easier and make smaller items (gloves, scarves, straps, sunglasses, knife, etc.) more easily accessible.  Honestly, the price difference isn't that much so if you're unsure I'd go for the pocket backpack.  I've had it for maybe a month now and have no complaints.  It really is built rugged and - for something as simple as a backpack - draws a lot of attention and compliments.  The D-rings on the bottom are pretty handy.  I'd recommend buying some utility straps along with the bag since it's not that much and it makes strapping things down there very easy.  I got the sample set with small, medium, and large straps in each color so I can use the chestnut ones for my chestnut bag.  

Still haven't taken it on a long hike, just into an Austrian town for shopping, so I can't show any weathered pics just yet but I will in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djst 

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum and only registered to post in this thread. I need help from someone who owns a Medium Thin Briefcase from Saddleback Leather as I've been considering buying it for some time now but I am unsure of how much it will fit in terms of depth/thickness.
What I usually carry is my MacBook Pro 13" (the new retina model, which I think is a little thinner than the previous one), a moleskine notebook -- and then my camera, an Olympus E-M5 with a 20mm lens attached on it. The camera is my worry, because it's approx. 3.5" thick, and from what I can tell on the Saddleback product page, the thin briefcase (both Medium and Large) have two compartments each 2 ¼ ” (5.7 cm) deep. However, I've seen some photos which suggest that the depth is a little flexible, especially if you don't fill the first compartment fully. Since my laptop is pretty thin, I'm wondering if I'm still going to be able to fit the camera on the outer compartment without the bag bulging out unreasonably.
Does anyone here own a Thin Briefcase, and if so, could you post some photos of your bag stuffed with a 13" laptop and a camera-sized object of roughly 3.5" thickness in the other compartment, and then try to squeeze in some other stuff in the bag too for good measure? It would really help to get some visual evidence of what the bag is capable of before I go ahead and order one. I'm ok with a little bulging, but wouldn't want the bag to become completely deformed.
Many thanks in advance!
- David

I've got the Medium Thin briefcase, I'll see what I can do for you picture wise when I get home.

While my knowledge of Macs is limited, from  my understanding they are pretty thin, I don't think you will have any problems.  I have a 15 inch laptop, which I put in the back compartment, then the front is stuffed with their notepad holder and a full cable bag.  

Once I get home this evening I'll throw up a few pictures for you.

I just placed an order for the medium thin briefcase in chestnut. I'm looking forward to getting this to replace my ugly nylon bag. I was torn between the chestnut and the dark brown. Does anyone have any real-life pictures of both side-by-side?

Quote:

Originally Posted by djst 

The bag is just a beauty! I'll probably get both the bible cover and a gadget sleeve and I'll see what works best for me. They're pretty cheap anyway, and pretty versatile too, so I'm sure I'd find some use for them both eventually.
Thanks again for the photos! That's what's making this thread so interesting.

Thank you! You'll love everything you get from them.  I have the bag, 2 medium gadget sleeves, cable bag, notepad holder, and a set of the utility straps.  Will be buying more once I save up enough money again 

Quote:

Originally Posted by msulinski 

I just placed an order for the medium thin briefcase in chestnut. I'm looking forward to getting this to replace my ugly nylon bag. I was torn between the chestnut and the dark brown. Does anyone have any real-life pictures of both side-by-side?

msulinski, the only thing I have in chestnut is a utility strap, I can take a picture of that on my DCB and let you compare if you would like.

Here are some photos of the Old Bull Belt

Again, it's built pretty solid and should last much longer than my last black belt.  

It definitely feels waxier than the tobacco brown belt.  Only wore this a few times so can't say much but it's comfortable and I haven't had any squeaking problems while sitting.

The notepad cover...

I use it upside-down or backwards rather than how I think it's intended to be used.  Notice how the green book ends are visible in the first picture but the saddleback logo is visible in the one above?  I like having the book be visible so I have it wrapped around the book so that the visible tips are on top and the logo is on the back cover (and upside-down).

For size comparison.  The color is pretty accurate in the first photos; this one is too dark.

This thing is pretty handy and just as solid as everything else in their lineup.  

I received a lot of compliments on this at meetings.  Plus, in a pinch it can double as a mousepad as I just realized.  

I also took the time to condition some of the items I use more frequently with leather lotion.

I love this wallet and it has held up pretty well...haven't noticed any scratches that I couldn't rub away with just my finger but I thought I'd just see how it would react to the leather lotion.  

It darkened at first but in the morning it wasn't much different than before.  It was noticeably softer and more supple to the touch...other than that not much of a difference.

I'm glad that the lotion softened my satchel...it's always been a little too stiff for my liking.  Perhaps I'm just not using enough.  I can feel that it's starting to break-in but I need to work on it some more.

It's only been a couple of months so I can't say I've put it through much abuse.  I can definitely say I have no regrets splurging on the saddleback bags and other random stuff...don't know why I did at the time but hey, no regrets...really freakin' solid.

I'll post pictures of the backpack and drybag after the holidays after I've put on a few more miles on them.