Conestoga Leather Amia Tote Review – $269

The name Amia in French means “beloved.” Conestoga Leather bestowed this name upon their Leather Amia Tote because they hope it will become your favorite bag. Beloved. Let’s see if it lives up to the name.

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About Conestoga Leather

Maryland-based Conestoga Leather features craftsmanship by the Amish community nestled in the Maryland area and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Their handmade product line, which includes folios, bags, and valet trays, has a heavy focus on functionality and design. Their main focus is on luxury portfolios, one of which we recently reviewed–  “The Professional” Folio.

From their website: “Our goal is to offer quality, American made products that are handcrafted by artisans. We desire to be fairly priced but realize that we do not have the advantages of large companies who build items by the tens of thousands. Our products are often crafted one at a time.“

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The Leather

Conestoga Leather exclusively uses North American bison hides that are tanned in the U.S. The Amia Tote is made of thick full grain bison hide, inside and out. The leather is both durable and beautiful. Bison hide always has that distinct rustic grain that separates it from cowhide, so you can immediately tell that this tote isn’t your everyday cow leather bag.

 

The bag comes in five color options – Mocha, Ocean Blue, Peanut, Red Rock Canyon, and Saddle. My Amia Tote is “Peanut” colored, a pleasant nutty brown that complements the bison leather grain well.

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Construction & Function

The Amia Tote is pretty simply constructed, with two sturdy copper rivets attaching each end of the long tote handles, which have about a 12″ drop length. This gives the tote nice long straps that allow you to carry it over your shoulders comfortably. The copper rivets create a metallic pop that adds visual interest to the bag.

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At 12″ x 10″ x 4″ the bag is on the smaller side. It comfortably fits everything you would fit in a standard purse, but don’t expect to fit anything much bigger than an iPad in there. There are leather slot pockets on both sides of the bag, which are about 5″ deep and run across the width of the tote. These are sturdy and good for collecting the little items you don’t want rolling around the bottom of your tote.

The top of the bag is closed with a nice strong magnetic clasp, which effectively holds the thick leather together.

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Aesthetic

The Amia tote is beautiful. The quality of the bison leather is very high. It’s one of those bags that you like to touch and feel. It’s sturdy thanks to the thickness of the leather. The deep grain comes through nicely in the peanut color I requested and received. It’s one of those bags that gets noticed right away too. So, be prepared for questions, comments, and “can I feel it?”…because it will happen.

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Conclusion

The Conestoga Leather Amia Tote is a versatile bag that is quickly becoming “beloved.” If you’re looking for value, this is probably not the tote for you, as this is a luxury item handmade in the U.S. with top-notch materials. But, if you’ve got the money, the Amia tote won’t disappoint and will provide many, many years of great service.

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Conestoga Leather “The Professional” Folio Review – $299

After spending several hundred dollars on a tablet, the last thing you want to do is scratch it, shatter it, or otherwise damage it. Thankfully there are tons of options out there when it comes to high quality tablet cases, tablet sleeves, or folios. We’ll be looking at The Professional, from Conestoga Leather. Conestoga Leather focuses almost exclusively on luxury tablet folios, with three goals.

1) Design it to be undeniably beautiful and extraordinarily functional
2) Use only the finest of domestic bison leathers
3) Place those leathers in the hands of the best artisans in America.

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About Conestoga Leather

Colorado-based Conestoga Leather features craftsmanship by the Amish community nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Their product line, which includes folios, bags, and valet trays, has a heavy focus on functionality and design.

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From their website:  “Our goal is to offer quality, American made products that are handcrafted by artisans. We desire to be fairly priced but realize that we do not have the advantages of large companies who build items by the tens of thousands. Our products are often crafted one at a time. “

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Construction

Handcrafted from genuine bison leather, this zippered folio’s construction is impeccable. It’s quite large, at 11” x 9.25 x2.5, but it’s cushioned for drop protection and can fit everything you need for a meeting or business trip.

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The Professional has three multipurpose pockets with plenty of space for your tablet, a 5×8 notebook, and pen. There’s a center leather flap with credit card slots, and a diagonal-cut sleeve for loose-leaf paper. The riveted piece on the front hinges outward to act as a desk stand.

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The tablet is held in the folio with leather straps at the corners. Upon purchasing, you can choose what tablet you will be using, and the straps will adjust size and position accordingly. You can also choose whether you are right or left-handed, and whether you want brown or black bison leather.

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FUNCTION

My brother has been using this folio for several weeks now, and has quickly become a daily staple. Here’s what he has to say about The Professional:

“High quality, very functional, not too bulky. The snaps to remove and install the iPad are easy to use and durable. The notepad holder works very well. The card holder pockets are handy and easy to use. The leather stand is surprisingly durable and handy when you want to view your iPad for an extended length of time. I still don’t know what the purpose of the front top pocket serves. If I had to choose, I’d rather just have a larger storage pockets there or two more additional small pockets. It is difficult to access the power button on the top of your iPad to turn it on and off.”

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CONCLUSION

The iPad is very secure and protected in this case. It is a good looking, good smelling case that is both functional and stylish. This is not a minimalist folio. It has a much more traditional aesthetic. If you’re looking for something simple, this is probably not the case for you! However, you are getting a high quality bison leather piece, handcrafted in the USA. At $299, it’s certainly not cheap, but nothing about this piece is cheap. The Professional is currently on sale for $229, a $70 discount, so snatch one up if you’re in the market for a multipurpose tablet case.’Conestoga Leather Professional Folio 10 Conestoga Leather Professional Folio 7