Saddleback Leather Thin Briefcase Review – $474

If a bag is something you use every day, then sooner or later you’ll come to realize that it’s worth the money to invest in something of better quality. One year ago I was in this predicament and I finally decided to bite the bullet and spend a little more on a leather briefcase. I wanted something durable that would last, as well as something functional and easy on the eyes. When the mail arrived with my Saddleback Leather Large Thin Briefcase I knew I had made the right choice.

After opening the clear plastic packaging and slipping the briefcase out, I immediately noticed the aroma of the fresh leather. You know the smell. Before I examined the bag any further, I had to first bring it close to my face and take a few seconds to enjoy the scent–something I’ve repeated many times since.

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Aesthetic

Saddleback Leather is known for their classic briefcase. It is a beautiful design, but at 9 inches deep, it is a little too big for my tastes. The thin briefcase is a 4 1/2 inch deep version of the same design, minus the cool belts that wrap around the whole bag.

I originally got the medium, but as soon as I opened the package I knew it was too small. At 15 inches wide, it looked too small in my hand and too small over my shoulder. The carrying capacity was fine; I was able to snuggly fit my 15 inch Asus laptop in it, but it just didn’t look right to me. I am not a huge guy (I’m about 5 feet 10 inches tall with broad shoulders), but it looked like a mini briefcase on my frame. So I contacted Saddleback and exchanged it for the large, which their customer service made very easy for me.

As soon as I saw the Large Thin Briefcase, I knew I had made the right decision. It’s 17 inches wide, 12 1/2 inches tall, and 4 1/2 inches deep. Like all of Saddleback’s bags it’s made from full grain leather and doesn’t have any zippers, snaps, or anything like that. Instead it’s all straps, buckles, and D-rings.

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The aesthetic is classic and the design is functional, but it’s not for everyone. I don’t necessarily see it as a slick accessory for an executive in the boardroom. It is more suited to a photographer lugging gear around the city or a young professor carrying documents across campus. However you choose to use it though, be prepared to get noticed and receive compliments.

The more I have used this bag, the more beautiful it has become. Over time, it has collected scratches, scuffs, and wrinkles that make for a beautiful patina. As the leather softens and develops more character, it only adds to the classic and already attractive design of the bag. And with Saddleback’s 100 year warranty, you’re guaranteed to be able to use this briefcase for a lifetime.

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Construction

Some other bags you’ll come across will have seams at the edges of the bottom, or a seam down the middle of the bottom, which binds multiple smaller pieces of leather. But each seam is a potential weak point, which is a problem for someone who wants their briefcase to last a lifetime. Saddleback’s thin briefcase is made up of only four main pieces of leather: the front flap going around all the way down the back, the front panel, and the two gussets that run the entire length of the bag.

It is all double-stitched and the stress areas are reinforced with copper and brass rivets, as well as hidden polyester strips. The hardware is nickel-plated brass and can hold up well against any abuse you’d give it.

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On the inside it’s made up of two main compartments, with a pigskin pocket and two side pockets in the front compartment, and a simple open compartment in the back. The inside is lined with pigskin, which is incredibly tough stuff made to reinforce the already tough full grain leather. An additional full-sized pocket runs along the back of the briefcase. There aren’t a ton of compartments, it’s more of a minimalist approach, and with the lack of zippers and pockets it might not to be to some people’s liking.

Functionality

It’s surprising how much can be packed into this thin briefcase. I carry it with me every day and it is typically filled with my laptop, notebooks, lunch bag, pens, knife, folders, and often much more. The more you pack in, the more the leather stretches and bulges to accommodate a full capacity. Is it heavy? Yes–compared to many of the other options out there, especially a canvas bag. But it’s tough leather and in my opinion looks much better, so it’s a trade-off you’ll have to consider. Do not expect this briefcase to float in the air behind you, but it will not bend your spine, either.

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This briefcase has been used almost every day back and forth from my house to my office, and the leather has softened considerably, especially in the front strap and shoulder strap. The front flap in particular has developed a lot of wrinkles, but there is not any cracking, nor anything that is not natural for leather.

You can put it in backpack mode by running the strap through the large O-ring on the back, but I never have a need to use it that way. I removed one of the shoulder strap pads because I only wear it across the body over my shoulder. Except for a little bit of fuzz on the handle, the stitching has held together well. And despite getting a heavy amount of usage, there are no signs on the hardware of wear, weakness, or anything broken.

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Best Leather Conclusion

Ultimately I’m very happy with the Saddleback Leather Large Thin Briefcase and I recommend it to anyone who relies on a briefcase or bag to carry their stuff around on a regular basis. It’s a little bit heavier and might not have all the compartments and zippers some like, but it’s strong leather that will carry your gear for decades to come, all while developing a beautiful patina. If you don’t have a briefcase from Saddleback Leather yet, I recommend either going to buy one or start saving.

Check out the thorough 1-year-later video below.

Saddleback Leather Small Bi-fold Wallet Review – $47

Saddleback Leather has multiple styles of wallets to choose fron. This review will cover the Saddleback Leather Small Bi-fold Wallet in Tobacco and Black (and it seems they do not even have the black color available any longer). The wallets come in two other colors; chestnut and carbon (a grayish color). I do plan on purchasing the other colors to see which I like best, especially after they have developed a nice patina. Patina is a shiny or dark surface that forms naturally on something such as wood or leather that is used and or worn for a certain period of time. Here is a great example of patina. DSC00750.jpg Upon the six month and year follow up reviews there will be pictures posted so you can see the developed patina.

Packaging

Some companies have awesome packaging that somehow sends you back to your favorite Christmas, yet this is not so with Saddleback. But even though the packaging may not be overdone the product you receive certainly will be.

Some Initial Details

The first thing that stood out was the smell. That true leather smell is so delicious. Among many things, the smell was what I kept showing and telling people about. Then after some odd looks I would explain that the wallet only cost about $36. I could not get over the fact that I had purchased a full grain leather wallet that people were raving about for less than 50 bucks. Saddleback did not disappoint. The wallet has aged for about three months and the smell, unfortunately, has worn less pungent than I would like. Yet as the smell has declined the quality of craftsmanship is really starting to show off.

Aesthetic

When you receive your wallet do not be shocked by the stiffness of it. This is how a lot of good leather starts off before the user breaks it in. At first, barely any bills fit into the slot (unless you put some strength and finesse into it); yet that has slowly gotten easier over the last three months. The bottom right corner on the face of the wallet has “Saddleback” stamped on it and the bottom right inside flap has Blue, Dave Munson’s (the founder and owner of Saddleback Leather) late dog stamped on it.Saddleback Leather Bifold Wallet Tobacco Review3

Function

Six cards can barely fit in each card slot (more will go in if you really want them to). There are two card slots. When accessing cards be aware that you might be tempted to take out all of the cards, shuffle through them, and then pick which one you want. It is possible to leave all the cards in the slot and nimbly pick through them depending on how many cards you are going to put in each slot. The wallet is geared more toward a minimalist tool and I normally carry four cards max in each side and it fits them perfectly. Currently I have four bills in the bill slot with 4 paper punch cards, one stamp, and a receipt from Papa Murphy’s. All of it fits great with room for more. The bills have enough room to go deep enough as to not stick out, which is admirable. For those of you who usually put a giant rock-sized thing called a wallet in your back pocket, this might be the cure the doctor has for you to minimize the things you carry and be a little easier on your body. When I received it I definitely had to go through and prioritize the things I actually need to carry.Saddleback Leather Bifold Wallet Tobacco Review 308

Quick Aside of Dave’s Deals

So how was this product obtained for only $36? Dave’s Deals. Since his products are hand made (another star for him) sometimes small mistakes are made, usually in the stitching. He will then mark down the product by as much as 25%, depending on the flaw. Each flaw will be different. On the wallet I purchased, the only flaws were about four places where the stitch must have been messed up so they re-stitched it. Now it looks just a little thicker than the normal stitch. There is slight fraying from one of the stitching flaws but if it ever breaks I will happily let them uphold their warranty.

BestLeather conclusion

I will add some thoughts and updates as time goes on to see how this wallet ages but these three months make me think that there is going to be much enjoyment of this great product for years to come. My family just might fight over it when I am dead. This is a great purchase for a wallet especially since it is in the lower price range for such a good quality product, Dave’s Deals or not. Make sure to check back in the following months for updates and let me know your thoughts if you own or have had a significant encounter with the wallet. Overall the Saddleback Leather Small Bi-fold Wallet was a great purchase.

Click here to see everything that is discounted on Dave’s Deals today.

 

Saddleback Leather Side Pocket Duffel Review & Giveaway (Winner: Nick S.)- $655

[Congratulations to Nick S. for winning this beautiful Saddleback Leather bag out of 13,000 entries. He told me he would be using the bag for traveling and overnight trips!]

The Saddleback Leather Side Pocket Duffle is a redesigned weekender bag from Saddleback Leather. The very first thing I noticed when opened up the box was the rich, beautiful color. I own several SBL pieces in chestnut, but when I saw this one, my jaw dropped. It is positively gorgeous. I thought my other pieces were great looking, but it shocked me to see an exemplar of this idyllic hue in the real world. My other chestnut pieces are beautiful, but the color on SBL’s updated chestnut is somehow even richer.

For all of its beauty, however, there is what (initially) seems like a huge red flag: the strap containing the buckles that secure the side pocket flaps is fixed to the main pocket flap. It is just one long strap across the top of the bag that gets threaded through loops on the side pocket flaps and buckled to the side pockets themselves. This means that you cannot open the main pocket without the side pockets being unfastened. Either you travel with your side pockets unfastened, or you have to open three buckles every time you want to get into your main compartment. Opening the main flap all the way requires you to unthread that strap from the side pocket flaps. If you were opening the bag many times per day, this could get quite old.

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When I first saw this, I was surprised. Saddleback is typically very thoughtful in their designs.  SURELY, they know best and there is some brilliant reason for this that I will love once I figure it out. SURELY, they would not offer a bag with such an obvious design flaw. It seems that Dave uses his prototypes for something like 20 years to perfect them, sending a complimentary bag to Jesus of Nazareth by angelic courier via Jacob’s Ladder, and offering the remainder for sale to the rest of us.

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Then I remembered that this is luggage! The majority of my Saddleback Leather products happen to be everyday use items (like my backpack). But not so much with this one; you will put all your travel goodies in it and only open it up when you arrive.  More than likely, it will stay open on the hotel bed until you depart.

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As usual, you can see pictures and a 3D model of the bag on the Saddleback website, and you can see Dave handling the bag and commenting on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcf_gd-QNUQ. Also, as is par for the course, there are a number of reviews floating around on the web. The reviews on the site and on Amazon are standard SBL fare—the kind of glowing testimonials you would expect on an SBL piece.

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One issue that kept coming up is whether or not it fits into the overhead bins on various aircraft. One reviewer said it did not fit “easily” into an overhead bin on an aircraft flown by Southwest, though I assume that it ultimately did fit. Another said it fit easily into an overhead bin on a Jet Blue airplane, and a flyer in a Delta MD80 did not have any issues. In the video, Dave basically says it fits until it does not, in which case it fits below your seat. Based on the dimensions on Saddleback’s website (20.25” x 10” x 11.25”), it should be well within most airline carry-on size restrictions. If you are truly worried, you can lookup the dimensions acceptable to your airline for your upcoming flight at www.seatguru.com.

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For all of my complaining about the top flap, the five straps do add more security for checking the bag if it is unable to be a carry-on, and the flap is generous enough to keep out heavy precipitation (the lack of which on my Rustic Leather mailbag—despite how much I love it—plagues me).

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Users also seem to disagree about the utility of the interior pocket. In the video, Dave explains that it is for muddy sandals, sweaty clothes, or seashells (basically, anything you’d rather keep separate from your other garments). I say brilliant. Cut it out if it truly bothers you. It’s supposed to be floppy, but, being constructed from that nice pigskin, the one in this bag is fairly rigid (for now).

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It’s nice to see that the interior pocket is merely pigskin, and not the leather/pigskin sandwich that used to be used for literally every panel and pocket everywhere. I have an older version of the backpack, which I love, but it is quite heavy. A lot of the pigskin is just unnecessary, and it seems Saddleback has become sensitive to that. This duffle, like the newer backpacks, is constructed using a more appropriate use of pigskin (for example, the side pockets are unlined), which keeps the duffel a bit lighter.

Another deliberate aspect of the design, which I was glad to have pointed out to me, is the flat handle. I love the round briefcase handle and wish my backpack had the same. For me, it is much more satisfying to hold the rigid, round handles than the flat ones. However, they can cause problems for a bag of these dimensions when being stuffed into an overhead bin.

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From a practical standpoint, this bag should have enough space for the average adult to comfortably pack for a 2-3 day trip, minus any speciality equipment or bulky warm clothing. That said, you can fit your blueprints, map tubes, or harpoons right underneath the top flap of this bag and still fasten it closed, if you run the top strap through slits designed for this purpose. The side pockets can fit about three cans of beer.

BestLeather conclusion

This is a nice bag that is excellent for travel, but does not seem designed for the everyday grind (unless yours is at 35,000 feet in between investment property visits). Aesthetically, it is a knockout and the construction is the standard robust Saddleback Leather fare.

Check out the Side Pocket Duffel on Saddleback Leather’s website here.

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Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack & The Tank Comparison – Episode Three

Transcription:

Hey folks! This is TJ with BestLeather.org and today we’re going to be taking a look at the original Saddleback Leather Tank Backpack and the newer Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack. We’ve also got the new tobacco leather here.

So why would you want either one? The Tank is discontinued. You can get it cheaper on eBay, between $350 and $400 as opposed to nearly $600 for the new Squared Backpack. There are some comfort differences and capacity differences and I want to show you those real quick.

With the original Tank backpack, you’ve got a piece of leather that goes around it from the top down to right here in this seam. This seam is about half an inch and it is pretty brutal on your lower back after a while of walking. This backpack is more than a year old. It’s been used every single day and you can see it right here where it’s formed to the back, but this hasn’t broken in at all. It’s just still as brutal as ever. Also, the shoulder straps—these little ridges right here—those can get uncomfortable after a while. It’s also a bit narrow so these edges, if you have a wider body, can rub and dig into your skin as well.

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On the other side, with the Squared Backpack, is an update and evolution from The Tank. You’ve got one piece of leather that goes from this flap all the way around to right here. Now there’s no seam here and you can see, as I can push on this, that it’s pretty flexible. This will mold to your back quite nicely. There’s a nice patina right here. There’s also a piece of foam embedded in the leather. So as far as your lower back goes I have absolutely zero complaints. I’ve carried this hiking for hours, I’ve taken it through airports, long trips, and it’s been very comfortable. The shoulder straps are also a lot thinner and are a lot simpler. They’re more comfortable; they’ve broke in very quickly. I think it’s just a better design, a simpler design than these more complex, heavy-duty straps on the Tank.

However, I will admit that there’s a real classiness to The Tank with these straps and with the rigidity of the design. Even though it’s got some flaws, it looks really sharp. So if you’re willing to put up with those things, I think it’s still a great backpack and it was designed with durability in mind for sure. You can see massive seams of leather going on here.

The Squared Backpack isn’t designed any less ruggedly but there are some good things that really make it more functional. It’s also bigger. It’s got about 1,400 cubic inches of internal capacity whereas The Tank has about 900 cubic inches. So you’ve got more capacity and the flexibility makes it a little bit easier to work with.

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You can see right here with this strap—this is something that I would change if this were my design. I haven’t used these straps at all since I got the backpack because I don’t see a reason to. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe somebody can point out in the comments what the real purpose is for and what they use it for.

It seems to me that this front flap totally encloses that main compartment. I’m not worried about water or anything getting in there, especially when you cinch it down to the lowest level. But with this flexibility here, it folds a little bit. You see how it’s crinkling right there. But when you put that flap down, sometimes it closes a little bit crookedly and it looks like it wasn’t made correctly. I think they should make this a little bit stiffer but that’s the only thing that I would change thus far.

Pockets-wise, usability, they’re pretty close. Identical pockets—you’ve got one up front, two in the sides, you’ve got slots where you can fit stuff in, pens and whatnot, between the pockets and the main compartment, pockets inside the main compartments here and then two here. They’re a little bit larger on the squared backpack because of the larger dimensions than on The Tank but they’re still very good.

I think this is one of the best backpacks that you can buy on the market if not the best. I’d really like to see another backpack that can compare. We’ve got an article coming out on the Marlondo backpack versus the Saddleback Squared Backpack and it just really doesn’t compare. There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into this. For working with the limitations that leather has, I think they’ve done a really good job.

I like the new tobacco leather also. You can see we’ve got some patina going on right here. It looks fantastic. It’s definitely more rugged than the chestnut—chestnut being my personal favorite—but it looks good and it’s wearing well. This one doesn’t really have any scars on it that I can speak of, but I like the used look of it. It’s fantastic.

So we’ve got pros: It’s (Tank) sharp-looking, it’s cheaper, but it doesn’t have quite as much capacity. Whereas this (Squared) has got more capacity, it’s more expensive. You’ve got this flexibility up here that I don’t really get.

So that’s about it. Thanks for watching. We’re going to be doing some more videos here upcoming and hopefully some giveaways. So subscribe and stay tuned. Also, I’d like to hear from you guys with these backpacks and what you think of them, especially people who have had The Tank and have upgraded to the Squared Backpack. What do you think about that?

I know some of you are considering this; you have Saddleback Leather Tank Backpack and are considering the Squared Backpack. I would encourage it. I think it’s a good switch. The pros are worth it. Hopefully that is helpful to you. Have a great day!

Check out the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack here on the SBL website.

Search for Saddleback Leather Tank Backpacks on Ebay.

Saddleback Leather MacBook Sleeve Review – $93

The Saddleback Leather MacBook Pro Retina Sleeve is a simple product meant to house and protect the Macbook Pro. I already had an inexpensive, foam type sleeve for my 15″ Macbook Pro.  I decided that my beautiful Macbook needed to be sheathed in something more worthy, something a little more elegant, so when I found the Macbook Sleeve from Saddleback Leather, I did not think twice and bought it.

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Function

The sleeve is obviously pretty simple in it’s function – to house and protect your Mac.  The function goes a lot deeper than that though.  A sleeve or bag is pretty worthless if it does not protect your computer in the case of a drop, or bump, or coffee spill. The Macbook Sleeve from Saddleback does all of these things well.

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As is Saddleback’s forte, they use thick four to five ounce leather, and then slap a layer of pigskin on top of that.  For the Macbook Sleeve, they used three pieces of leather – a strip about one and a quarter inches thick that runs from one side down the bottom to the other side.  That strip is connected to each side by a large piece of leather.  This combination of thick leather and method of construction means that you have very thick edges, which serve very well to protect the computer, in the case of a drop, though I have not purposely tested this yet.  Maybe when my macbook is on its last legs I can do some serious drop tests.

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The other thing I noticed is that the leather seems to have a bit more padding than what normal leather would provide.  You can read on Saddleback’s site that they actually sandwich high density neoprene between leather on some of their products for extra padding, like in their desk pad.  This neoprene helps to act as a shock absorber, in the case of a fall.  This certainly gives the sleeve a lot more function than without it, and doesn’t detract from the aesthetic of the Sleeve.

Form

Another thing that I liked about the Sleeve is the attention to small details.  The top of the sleeve, where you slide the computer into, leaves about one quarter of an inch between the leather and the computer, which further serves to protect the computer on the top side.  I appreciate this attention to detail, which lesser quality products don’t have.

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Also, the computer slips snugly into the sleeve without a lot of effort, but also keeps the computer in the sleeve without easily slipping out.  Anyone that has made quality leather goods themselves, knows that this is not easy to make a product so precise, that an eighth of an inch off either way could mean a product being too tight or too loose.  It has to be just right every time.  To further improve the Sleeve’s aesthetics, it is double stitched with tough polyester thread all the way around the Sleeve.  Though the Sleeve would probably be sufficiently tough without the second layer of stitching, the second layer adds to it’s beauty.

Price

At $83, the Sleeve is not a cheap case, of course, but for what you get, it has high value.  You can find other leather sleeves for less, and a number for a lot more.  The price point is actually quite attractive considering you are getting a sleeve that is made out of the best possible leather, looks as beautiful as the computer itself, and will last the life of the computer, and many more after that.

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Critique

I don’t have any major criticisms to levy at the Macbook Sleeve, but if there was a suggestion box on Saddleback’s site, I would recommend a strap to ensure that your Mac never comes out of its sleeve, in case of heavy jolting, or if the leather stretches a bit over time.  I understand that there would be a tradeoff to the svelte appearance of the Sleeve if that were the case, but that’s a tradeoff I would take.

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BestLeather conclusion

The Macbook Sleeve looks gorgeous and makes a serious fashion statement, while keeping a very attractive price point.  If you’ve got a Macbook Pro, and you want a beautiful piece of housing, you won’t be disappointed with the Macbook Sleeve from Saddleback.

Saddleback Leather MacBook Pro Retina Sleeve

Review of The Beast – Saddleback Leather’s Large Duffel Bag – $907

“Holy Cow”!  I think those were the first words I uttered when I opened up the oversized box and pulled out The Beast.  I purchased The Beast Duffel bag from Saddleback Leather as a Christmas present to myself.  It is a bag meant for hauling serious gear, and can be found in Saddleback Leather’s luggage section.

Continue reading “Review of The Beast – Saddleback Leather’s Large Duffel Bag – $907”

Saddleback Leather “Tank” Backpack vs Marlondo Leather Backpack Review

Editors Note: This is an out of date review. The latest Marlondo Leather Backpack compares quite favorably against the SBL backpack.

Prolegomena: a discursive introduction

I impressed it upon TJ that I retain the full copyright for this piece and TJ is permitted to use it so long as he publishes it in full. He is a good friend to me, and an excellent human being, in my judgment–and he let me borrow the backpack for the review. I insist on full disclosure, and not all of what I am about to say is positive. I would rather write something and have it never see the light of day than to have it shred to pieces by an editor as if it were the American constitution and he were an American president in the late 20th or early 21st century.

Disclosure: Conflict of Interest and/or Bias

I own an older Saddleback Leather Backpack in chestnut. I am the guy in this review. The data reflects a strong correlation between owning the Tank and liking it. Therefore, due to my background, my interest in reviewing the Marlondo Backpack as objectively as possible conflicts with my unavoidable confirmation bias.

And, in the spirit of full disclosure, at the risk of adding unnecessary details, I should also tell you that I own an SBL chestnut iPad case and a chestnut portfolio. I’m sure I’ll be smeared as an overly loyal SBL fanboy by that one obnoxious dude in the Facebook forum. I forget his name. But at least now you can’t accuse me of hiding it. So go pound sand, obnoxious guy whose name I can’t remember and prefer not to look up (for obvious reasons).

“There are no solutions, only tradeoffs.” -Thomas Sowell

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the SBL Backpack
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the badass sporting said backpack

Silver Lining?

The good news is that I am in a good position to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Marlondo piece in light of extensive use of a rival bag. And in fact, rather than attempting an uninterested, context-insensitive review of the Marlondo bag, I think I’ll take the liberty to review this backpack as it relates to my specific use cases. For those who can’t relate, tough. There will be someone out there who finds that this review provides the exact insight he or she needs, right when he or she is at the decision- making stage of the sales funnel. And you, my good sir or madam, are welcome.

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Should you buy this bag?

It is my assessment that this leather backpack represents a remarkable value given its retail price. Whether it is the most beneficial leather backpack option for you, given what it costs you personally, is contingent on data and subjective qualitative states that I neither have access to, nor any interest in attempting to evaluate.

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What could you use this bag for?

This bag is good for going to the gym, going to the beach, traveling (casual affairs only; and it should be ok as a carry-on), toting your study materials and gym clothes around campus, and day hikes. In terms of utility, it is 1. lighter, 2. more flexible, and 3. has a greater capacity than the classic SBL backpack (I understand Best Leather has a forthcoming review of the newer SBL Square Backpack, so stay tuned for a comparison there).

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Leather is good.

Let’s get one thing on the table. Leather is beautiful. It smells good. It is durable. When I saw this piece, it was a delight. The point is that this is a good bag and it is made of leather. It is 1. beautiful, 2. fragrant, and 3. durable. I would rather own it than not own it. It bears some finite, nonzero quantity of value.

What’s more is that the Marlondo backpack is unique. The Saddleback backpack is unique too, but that’s a red herring. So given that 1. leather is good and 2. the Marlondo leather backpack is unique; therefore the Marlondo leather backpack gives off an eerily deceptive allure.

I will proceed to rip this thing to shreds and say that the SBL backpack is far superior (it is), but there is a part of me that already misses this bag. There are aspects of it that are uniquely attractive, even if, net of everything, I still prefer my current bag. It is a strange disposition to articulate, but there it is.

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Misc. Initial Observations

• I do like the appearance of this bag. I like the overall visual impression it gives, and I really like the profile of the bag when worn. My model of SBL backpack has a well-known tendency to dig into the lower back and lean away from the shoulders of the wearer. The leather on this thing has a remarkable matte texture. The leather on my SBL BP is further toward the shinier end of the spectrum.

• The hardware on this thing is not shiny at all. I strongly prefer the shiny nickel-plated brass on the SBL goods.

• The pigskin liner is significantly different than the SBL material. Thinner and more flexible. The interior of my SBL bag feels like a smooth football. I hardly noticed that this bag had a distinct liner.

Complaints After Use

1. Lack of External Hardware.

2. Lack of Convenient Exterior Pockets.

3. Lack of Interior Pockets.

4. Flexibility

5. Narrow Closure Piece

6. Short Distance Between Closure Loop and Closure Hardware

7. Skimpy Top Flap

8. Rucksack Drawstring Thingy

9. Seams Not Double-Stitched

10. Lack of Detail

11. Lack of Hardware

1. Hardware adds weight and utility.

I like to do things like hang my sunglasses and my keys from the d-rings on my SBL backpack. This Marlondo piece has none such. It’s lighter for it, but if there is a use case for the d-rings and the trade off is worth it to you, take heed.

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2. Lack of Convenient Exterior Pockets.

I keep a microfiber cloth on the keyboard of my MacBook when the clamshell is closed to keep the screen clean. When I first sit down and open it up, I swipe the cloth from the keyboard and stuff it into one of the exterior pockets. I was thrown off when I went to do this with the Marlondo bag and discovered that it didn’t have any always-open exterior pockets. After this I started realizing how much I take those pockets for granted. Buyer beware.

3. Lack of Interior Pockets.

When I first got my SBL backpack those two interior pockets got in the way. They are a bit rigid, especially when they’re new, and if you already have half of the bag full, vertically, the interior pockets make it difficult to fill the space beneath them. This is a problem for me because I utilize all the space in the bag. That said, I started relying on them to carry my Magic Mouse, USB cable, external hard drive, etc. It’s nice to have them at the top of the bag, and it’s nice to have them in leather pockets that prevent them from banging around and scratching each other. The bag has become slightly more flexible with use and I’ve molded my packing workflow around them. The Marlondo bag has none such pockets, and it changes the way I have to pack the bag. I actually had to introduce smaller pouches just to carry these pieces, and I never got comfortable with it.

Oh! I also used the flat pockets on the sides of the interior of the SBL backpack for business cards and writing utensils. I have no good place for that stuff in the Marlondo bag.

4. Flexibility (AKA lack of protection from rigidity)

The pigskin on the classic SBL backpack is fairly rigid and the general construction of the bag results in a fairly sturdy structure. One time I had an older MacBook in a Jansport and, upon entering my Toyota Corolla, I lost my grip on the bag and it slid down a couple of feet and met the road. It did $900 worth of damage.

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Flash forward a few years and I have my current machine in my SBL backpack on top of a stack of luggage in the back of a shuttle in Las Vegas. The driver opens the rear door and my backpack rolls off, drops about five feet, hits the road, and rolls another five or so. “Whoops,” he says, and smiles. I was furious, but I kept my cool. Anyway, the bag and it’s the thousands of dollars worth of contents, were all entirely unscathed. As if it never happened.

I can tell that if I dropped the Marlondo bag on the street it would damage my laptop. I feel like I need a case for my computer while it’s inside the bag, which 1. eats into the available space, 2. adds weight, and 3. adds expense to the setup. It also gives me one more thing to handle when I need to retrieve my laptop and setup for work.

But again, it’s a tradeoff. The flexibility of the bag may be an advantage for certain use cases.

5. Narrow Closure Piece

This strip of leather is slightly wider than the ring through which it must pass. This makes inserting it and extracting it more difficult than necessary.

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6. Short Distance Between Closure Loop and Closure Hardware

The short distance between the closure loop and the closure hardware makes it difficult to insert ones fingers in order to pull the closure piece out when opening the bag. This does not reflect usability testing.

What other issues might this bag have due to lacking usability testing that I haven’t yet discovered?

And, actually, the closure loop is surprisingly thin. Given than I carry very expensive cargo, which I use to earn my living, I can’t tolerate this kind of thing.

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7. Skimpy Top Flap

For the generous capacity of this bag, its cover flap sure is skimpy. I live in the Pacific Northwest, where encountering rain and snow on the three-to-four block walk to my car from the café where I work is not uncommon. I need my goods to stay dry in my bag.

This flap makes me nervous.

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8. Rucksack Drawstring Thingy

Not impressed. It feels cheap, it’s inflexible, and it’s insecure. It bothers me that, given the large mouth of this beast, it is drawn together with this sorry excuse for a closure and immodestly covered to boot.

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9. Seams Not Double-Stitched

The double-stitching on the SBL bags looks strikingly handsome. 20% of the people who come within 20’ of my SBL backpack approach me with compliments.

The batting average of the Marlondo backpack fell somewhere between a Jansport and the SBL.

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10. Lack of Detail

You get what you pay for.

The SBL backpack is meticulously assembled. Compare and contrast:

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While we’re taking pictures however, note that the older SBL “overstuffed” straps use leather so thick that it can’t comfortably conform to one’s shoulder. In order to bend, it creates bumps that are fairly hard and uncomfortable. This is unfortunate. They may wear with time (20-100years?) and there may be workarounds, but still.

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Also, the seam that rubs along your lower back can be extremely uncomfortable after a while.

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Over-engineering comes at a cost. All of the touches SBL wanted to put on their straps added up. There is some added functionality/aesthetic value due to some of these little touches, but the end result is a lot of added thickness and weight and price.

The Marlondo straps lack the detail, but aren’t plagued by the thickness and weight. They were fairly comfortable. Also, significantly cheaper.

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So there you have it.

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Buy Marlondo Leather Backpacks

Saddleback Leather Backpacks on Ebay

Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack & New Tobacco Leather Review – Episode Two

This is a continuation of my ongoing review of the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack which I am doing in video form. The text below is the transcript of the video. You can see/read episode one here.

I have been out hiking for a few hours now. You can see the sun is starting to go down. It’s really gorgeous down here in the middle of this stream bed. I wanted to give you some details on the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack.

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comfort on a long hike

It’s been impressive so far, the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack, especially compared to the last Classic Backpack. These straps here are a major improvement over the classic. You notice when I bend this shoulder strap there’s no giant nodules. Those nodules would have made things pretty painful when you’re hiking or going for long distances with the Classic Backpack, the tank. But this, there’s a lot less of that leather scrunching up. And this leather is also a lot softer. It’s a much more comfortable shoulder strap.

They’ve got some padding right there that they’ve sown in (on the bottom of the backpack for your lower back) and it is a massive help. I have not noticed, really, any discomfort except for a shoulder scapula injury that I’ve got but unless you’ve got that sort of injury you shouldn’t be having much of a problem.

Leather products aren’t known for being ultra-comfortable. This is no sophisticated hiking backpack. I’m using it outside of the normal realm in which people would use it, but I wanted to give it a good test.Saddleback Leather Square Backpack Review1

I’ve got about 15 pounds of gear in here with food and water for a couple of hours of hiking and it is doing really well as far as comfort goes. And obviously there’s plenty of space to get more stuff in here. You could travel for a few days out of this backpack. Over time you will get soreness in the tops of your shoulders. I think some of my pain is from a lack of hiking lately.

The build quality is just showing itself to be quite immaculate. They have really done a great job. You notice that this front flap of leather goes around to the back and all the way to the bottom. This is all one piece of leather, which is just remarkable. That’s a large piece of leather. In the classic there is a seam and this right here, along with this extra piece of padding—you can kind of see an outline there—is much more comfortable. No seam digging into your back and much more flexibility.

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compared to the Classic Backpack “Tank”

I’ve got a friend with a Classic Backpack (we’ll be comparing these two backpacks soon) and he’s used his for a year now or more than a year —this back area has formed to his back given enough time. But with the added flexibility of this Squared backpack, and extra width, I’ve noticed that the Squared Backpack just forms far more easily to your back, much more easily than the Classic Backpack. So there’s none of these big seams that are digging into your back.

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leather & the main compartment strap

The leather is just doing really well. You’ll notice it’s acquiring some scratches just from use. Another thing which is interesting is when it’s sitting up, because it’s not as rigid as the Classic Backpack. See how the top flap is crooked. That’s because of this strap adjustment here so you can close up the top. This is now more flexible than the Saddleback Leather Classic Backpack. And sometimes when the front flap is buckled over it it will sit crooked, depending on how you’ve got this top strap tightened down. So I don’t have it tight at all but I did want to mention that because some people have asked me if it was actually made incorrectly or if it was sewed crooked but no. It’s not sewed crooked, it just collapses the top of the main compartment a bit which makes the front flap buckle down crooked (as shown in the photo below).

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UPDATE: I have since decided I do not like the leather strap on the main compartment since I cannot determine any good purpose for it. The front flap sufficiently covers the main opening so that water can’t drip in so I don’t know why one would want to tighten the main compartment up. It’s not going to make the backpack any smaller since the front flap is still the same size. The strap and the flexibility just makes that front flap crooked way too much of the time. I was going through a lot of my photos of the backpack and noticed it is crooked in a majority of them.

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So yeah, the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack is doing well. I’ve got another couple of hours to go on my hike so we’ll see how she does. Perhaps I’ll have more thoughts. I would say, basically what they’ve done here is they’ve taken the classic and the benefits of it, the good pockets and what not, and they fixed all of the problems—limited capacity. It’s very narrow yet deep so you could put stuff way down into it and you kind of have to stack your stuff. Another problem with it was that seam on the back. That was a major comfort issue. And the shoulder straps. But I’ve think they’ve done a good job of fixing these problems.

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conclusion

You can tell that there’s a lot of design and a lot of thought that’s gone into fixing those issues.

If you have any questions, feel free to put it in the comments and I’ll try and answer you on any questions that you might have for the use and comfort of it.

I hope you guys find this useful and if you have any  questions, feel free to be giving me a call. ‘Til then, I’ll catch you guys later!

Shop the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack

Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack & New Tobacco Leather Review – Episode One

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This is the first video review in a series reviewing the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack. The text below is the transcript of the video. You can see/read episode here two here.

Hi folks! This is TJ with Best Leather and for this review I’m going to do something a little bit different. I received a Saddleback Squared Backpack. Saddleback sent me one to review and I think I’m going to do some videos and walk you through what it looks like to live with it, to use it frequently, the pros and the cons—there are always cons when you’re buying something this expensive. Hopefully it will give you a really good understanding of why you’d want to spend so much money, nearly $600, on an item like this, or you wouldn’t.

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So this is also a backpack with the new tobacco leather and there’s been some controversy as to the quality of the leather and whether or not Saddleback is saving money and not passing those costs onto consumers. So we’ll also take a look at the quality and see how that stacks up against some of the older stuff. I have access to a Tank Backpack, Saddleback’s classic backpack, and will be able to compare it there. So let’s dive in.

cost

This is the Saddleback Squared Backpack and I want to go through and show you guys a few details on it. This backpack retails for $582 and I’ll show you some of the features and reasons why it’s quite so expensive. The classic backpack was actually what got me into Saddleback leather and quality leather products elsewhere. I had a friend who had one and I couldn’t believe that it was $600. The more I researched into it, the more I realized it cost a lot to make these bags. I think there’s—maybe this is a little bit of a guesstimate – 12 square feet of leather here.

If you are looking at leather prices, you could be spending $100 just on leather, not to mention hardware and the time to make it. These people have to be craftsmen because there’s a very high level of precision required for leather working. You don’t want to waste this leather.

comfort

So let’s go into some of the details on this. I’ve had this backpack for two days now and so far it’s been a very enjoyable process. The first thing I want to show you is the straps. Now these straps are different than the Saddleback classic backpack straps. A little bit different design there. I’ll show a picture of the old straps there. The problems that they had was they were very thick, they were very padded and they would scrunch up so you can see how it’s scrunched up there. You’ll notice that those bumps there can get really uncomfortable. It’s worse on the old one. So that’s nice. Those are pretty comfortable straps, surprisingly. The first day that I was using it I was kind of stretching it and twisting with my hands to help it break in a little bit quicker, but it’s been very comfortable so far.

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Another aspect that’s helping the comfort, as opposed to the tank, the classic backpack, is right here there was a seam. That seam would irritate your lower back if you wore it quite a bit and people would get pretty severe chaffing. So this is actually one piece of leather that just goes right around that corner. And that has not posed a problem whatsoever. Now I haven’t worn this for an extended period of time. I’m going to try and do some hiking with it. I’ll go out with 4 or 5 hours and see what kind of issues may come up but so far I’m really enjoying the straps.

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Another detail on the straps is the flexibility and how easy it is to change the strap sizes. So on the old one there was all sorts of straps to undo, one strap that was very long and you’d end up with—if this is the old one you’d have layers and layers and layers of strap, a lot of extra weight. So they’ve really trimmed that down. These are very easy to change and adjust. It took me about 10 seconds to get it right for my size. So definitely the shoulder straps are very nice. I haven’t noticed any problems with them at all.

new tobacco leather

So the next thing, the elephant in the room for some people, is the new leather. This is the new tobacco leather. You’ll notice if I do a close-up here that it comes with kind of a patina. Now I like this. I like this patina because as much as the backpack looks used, it’s still in very good condition. The leather is just as strong as it’s ever been. I don’t notice any things that I would consider blemishes—deep scarring or anything like that. It’s just unique. You see stuff in leather that I think you should see. It’s not one mass-produced product and I kind of felt like the older leather that they were using; it looked like it had been coated in plastic. It didn’t feel that great. Well their tobacco was just kind of a muted yellow color. So this is kind of a more true tobacco and I quite like it.

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Now like I said, there are no scars. Part of the controversy is that scars are decreasing the value of the product and Saddleback isn’t lowering the price of their products. I don’t think I can speak to that because I haven’t seen any scarring or anything on this. So maybe in another product we’ll get to check that out. But I’d say as far as the quality of the leather goes, it’s top notch. However, when I first got it, you’ll notice there are some spots here. Those are actually bug bites but when I first got them I thought, “Oh boy. This backpack has had water damage.” It hasn’t. These are just bug bites but it is something to note. If you’re looking to have a leather product that doesn’t have a unique character to it in the leather, something like the old tobacco, then you’re better served by going on e-bay or going on one of the Facebook pages and buying one on there. You can buy some really great, lightly used, older tobacco-colored leather. It pretty much looks immaculate when it comes. It takes quite a bit to wear it in. This looks very nice. I really enjoy this leather.

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usability

So the last thing I wanted to talk about here was the pockets. Now when it comes to backpacks, Saddleback is I think one of the best in terms of options. You’ve got a lot of pockets. You’ve got 7 pockets total. You’ve got this one here and a matching one on the other side. This front pocket here will hold a small laptop. I don’t think I can get this off of my hand. There we go. Alright. So we’ve got this front pocket here and that will fit an 11” laptop, maybe a 12” and a mouse pad. That one’s from Urban Cow on Etsy. They did a great job with that. So you’ve got a lot of pockets. You’ve got one, two, three, four interior pockets. And I like this because you can really use this usably, every day. So if you’re going to class or you’re going to work and you’re looking for something that has a lot of class, a lot of style and is going to last a long time looking good, this is a good option.

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new pigskin lining

I should also mention the pigskin. This is very interesting pigskin compared to what it was. It used to be very dark and I thought it looked rather inorganic. I think it had been treated, died, most likely. But this has a very nice, soft feeling to it. It’s not very rigid like the older pigskin. And I very much like it. You can see little spots, not only the hair spots. I’ll try to fix it so you can see there that there’s some little hair spots where it’s been de-haired but if we look carefully we can find a bit of scarring. I don’t know. I can’t tell if that’s a scar or not but there are slight, minor issues but that’s what happens when you work with leather and animals that run into fences and whatnot.

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durability and weight

You can see we’ve got lots of rivets everywhere. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to tear leather that’s riveted together. I encourage you to try, but don’t get a hernia doing it because it is tough. This leather is thick and these are big rivets. So I don’t know what the world’s going to look like in a hundred years but I think if any leather product that I’ve seen so far is capable of lasting a hundred years, it would be the Saddleback products because they’re pretty much just over-engineered. That’s ridiculous. They’re using high-quality thread here, they’re double-stitching it. I think they’re going to do a good job of lasting. They are using hollow rivets and that’s so that you can apply them more easily. They go on with a foot press and these aren’t solid rivets. I don’t think that’s going to be a strength issue. If you had a lot of sheer force on these rivets it might be an issue but it shouldn’t be an issue at all with these. It also makes it a little bit lighter. Lightness is kind of an issue. Once again, it goes to pros and cons.

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So if you want a really light bag, don’t get this bag. It’s 8.5 pounds or so which honestly I think is well worth the cost but carrying leather items there’s always pros and there’s cons. The pros are it looks really classy, it will last a long time, and you won’t need to buy a new item for very long. But the downside is you don’t want to get it stolen because the replacement cost is really high and it’s heavy and it can be a little bit bulky or awkward. You have to decide whether or not you want to put up with something like that in order to have a bag like this.

conclusion

So those are my first initial thoughts on the bag. I’ll be doing more as the coming weeks come up and hopefully you’ll enjoy it. So feel free to put comments and tell me what you’d like to see. If you have any suggestions on video editing or cinematography I’d love to hear them.

Check out the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack here.

Continue to episode two of the Saddleback Leather Squared Backpack Review.

Examining The Saddleback Leather Screw Clasp Issues

In late 2012 there was a stir among some of the Saddleback Leather owners regarding the introduction of new shoulder strap clasps which, on a relatively small scale, would come unscrewed. This resulted in some heavy bags being unexpectedly dropped, often with very expensive laptops inside and in some reported cases causing some physical injuries when these larger loads shifted. Continue reading “Examining The Saddleback Leather Screw Clasp Issues”

Saddleback Leather Keychain Giveaway!

Saddleback-Leather-Keychain-Giveaway

Saddleback-Leather-Keychain-GiveawayThere is this dark coffee brown Saddleback Leather Keychain that’s been languishing unused for some months now. Time to do something with it!

UPDATE: The winner has been chosen from the comments. Congratulations Rust!

To win this keychain and all the glory and fame that comes with it you must simply post below a link to your next leather purchase and why you like that item so much. The winner will be selected at random. It will be interesting to see what everyone is planning to get next!

The drawing will conclude on April 21st, 2013 where the winner will be announced to claim their rightful and prestigious place in history as BestLeather.org’s first giveaway winner.

 

Traveling With The Saddleback Leather Medium Waterbag

I really enjoyed traveling with the Saddleback Leather Medium Waterbag along with my Saddleback Leather Medium Thin Briefcase. I didn’t have any problems except for one small plane where the waterbag didn’t fit in the overhead compartment and had to be checked. I could easily carry a weeks worth of clothes.

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If I had to express one concern it would be the weight. Trying packing the waterbag from A concourse to D concourse at DFW, I don’t suggest it unless you are hardcore (which I am, I don’t mind at all). It can get tiring.

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What would really be nice is if the medium and large sizes came with the same sort of backpack conversions that the briefcases come with (update: it does).

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