Looking for a leather bag.....?

Crag the Brewer

Crag the Brewer

I make Nice, boring knives
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2018
Messages
7,530
Hello.....
I'm not ready to buy, just yet/close.... but I'm researching for a purchase of a nice, simple, rugged, quality leather MENS bag. In the style of a field bag, a covered tote of sorts. With a shoulder strap. Almost like a messenger bag.....maybe, idk? I don't want tons of zippers to fail, I want it to last Forever.
No Backpacks!!!! I prefer American made, but I'm willing to look elsewhere if it fits what I want.

Probably looking for "the Grail" of bags..... Ha! Not too big, not to small.
Something that looks good in town, or out in the country. Not flashy, Not drawing attention to it.
Maybe for walks out of town, roadtrips, farmers markets, beer fests, parks, fairs, whatevers.....

I'll probably put Too Much into it......stuff like
Water bottle
Large knife
Sunglasses
Binoculars
Flashlight
Edc tools
Fire/smokes
Sm. First aide/sanitary wipes/etc.
Laptop/tablet or the like.
Notebook/pens
Lunch
Extra mags
Room for More.....etc. etc

I understand quality leather isn't cheap, but I want to keep it reasonable.

The knowledge and wisdom of BF never surprises me....I know allot of you must of went down this journey..... What do you recommend???

thank you.
 
SaddlebackLeather is a good place to start. Guaranteed for 100 years and having that rugged look due to the tanning process they choose to use and extremely functional. There are more refined looking bags (not so rugged looking) due to the tanning process they use but from the sounds of things your looking for the chrome look vs the vegetable tanned look. Just pay close attention to the size and overall weight and you should be good.
 
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Go to overland.com and filter on men's bags and wallets, page 2 has one by Princeton. Ps. They also have a nice suede goatskin vest with inside pockets
 
I tend to go with companies that offer lifetime warranties and that's one of the reasons I recommended SaddlebackLeather. I figure 100 years to be as good as a lifetime warranty for my purposes. Satchel Page is another although their vibe is a lot different because their bags are vegetable tanned and I don't think they are really what you were looking for. , They also use zippers where Saddleback Leather does not. I have their weekender bag and although there are many out there very similar SatchelPage for the price and the fact it has a lifetime warranty that's the reason I choose to go with them. I have Saddleback Leather Flight Bag which is a good size for what I need although I think it may be a bit small for your purposes..
 
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Check out Moore & Giles also. Maybe the reclaimed messenger bag.
 
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Dddrees said:
I tend to go with companies that offer lifetime warranties and that's one of the reasons I recommended SaddlebackLeather. I figure 100 years to be as good as a lifetime warranty for my purposes. Satchel Page is another although their vibe is a lot different because their bags are vegetable tanned and I don't think they are really what you were looking for. , They also use zippers where Saddleback Leather does not. I have their weekender bag and although there are many out there very similar SatchelPage for the price and the fact it has a lifetime warranty that's the reason I choose to go with them. I have Saddleback Leather Flight Bag which is a good size for what I need although I think it may be a bit small for your purposes..
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The rounded satchel, the Indiana, and the Little Bigmouth backpack are close.....

Do you have any user pics of Yours?
 
barleywino said:
Go to overland.com and filter on men's bags and wallets, page 2 has one by Princeton. Ps. They also have a nice suede goatskin vest with inside pockets
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I'll check them out, thank you!
 
Dddrees said:
I tend to go with companies that offer lifetime warranties and that's one of the reasons I recommended SaddlebackLeather. I figure 100 years to be as good as a lifetime warranty for my purposes. Satchel Page is another although their vibe is a lot different because their bags are vegetable tanned and I don't think they are really what you were looking for. , They also use zippers where Saddleback Leather does not. I have their weekender bag and although there are many out there very similar SatchelPage for the price and the fact it has a lifetime warranty that's the reason I choose to go with them. I have Saddleback Leather Flight Bag which is a good size for what I need although I think it may be a bit small for your purposes..
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I'm not sure about what vegetable tanned leather, vs Other is?
 
Crag the Brewer said:
I'm not sure about what vegetable tanned leather, vs Other is?
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Vegetable tanned is going to look much more refined or better described as shoe leather you would wear with a suit vs chrome tanned being more suitable for wear with more casual wear or even jeans. I think if you compare pictures of bags from Saddleback to those from Satchel Page you should be able to see what I am talking about.
 
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Just a quick FYI, Saddleback is not made in the USA, but it is made in America, so technically fits your description. I've got a couple of their bags and other items and they hold up very well. I haven't bought any recently because of their large price hike.
 
Crag.... Buy once. Cry once. Saddleback makes incredible bomb-proof leather, in many many forms. You cannot be disappointed.
 
Mongo said:
Crag.... Buy once. Cry once. Saddleback makes incredible bomb-proof leather, in many many forms. You cannot be disappointed.
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Typically it's not the leather that's going to fail. It's the zippers, fasteners or what not that will. Either way I figure it's always best to go with a company with a good solid reputation that builds a great product and a great warranty. I'm willing to pay a bit more for all these things because there's a better chance I'll only have to buy once instead of multiple times.

For their price range SaddlebackLeather and Satchel Page meet these criteria in my opinion. I'm sure there is better but I think you might have to pay twice as much if not more to get it. I wasn't looking to pay that much. Besides a vast amount of bags that cost twice as much don't come with that lifetime warranty. Some of the bags Tumi sells would be a good example of this. They can cost a lot more but they don't have a lifetime warranty. I don't want to use it but I'd rather have it in case I have a need for it.
 
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I have the Satchel & Page Mailbag.
I've also had Saddleback bags before it, and consider them way too heavy, overbuilt, complicated, and gimmicky
with all the D-Rings, straps, and buckles to be really usable. Sure, they're high quality; but I like the Satchel & Page aesthetic and build better.
Plus it has a lifetime warranty. They use Veg Tanned leather which is absolutely gorgeous and bomb proof. Not sure what type of tanning Saddleback uses.
BTW, no zippers here.

bag.jpg
 
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Lenny said:
I have the Satchel & Page Mailbag.
I've also had Saddleback bags before it, and consider them way too heavy, overbuilt, complicated, and gimmicky
with all the D-Rings, straps, and buckles to be really usable. Sure, they're high quality; but I like the Satchel & Page aesthetic and build better.
Plus it has a lifetime warranty. They use Veg Tanned leather which is absolutely gorgeous and bomb proof. Not sure what type of tanning Saddleback uses.
BTW, no zippers here.

View attachment 1579289
Click to expand...
Yeah.....that's a look I like.
Do you find the strap latches secure.....and may I ask how much weight you have comfortably carried?

Can we see the inside?
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Yeah.....that's a look I like.
Do you find the strap latches secure.....and may I ask how much weight you have comfortably carried?

Can we see the inside?
Click to expand...
I thought you said messenger bags were too "Manhattan"? But you also wanted something to carry a laptop in?
 
barleywino said:
I thought you said messenger bags were too "Manhattan"? But you also wanted something to carry a laptop in?
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The mailbag look simple and clean, yet durable..... hopefully it's unlined?

I must of mistakenly looked at different ones from them, idk?
 
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