Thin Front Pocket Leather Briefcase

I bought this briefcase in 2020 and have used it daily since then. Overall it's a great product, has held up perfectly, and is developing a great patina that is only enhanced with the addition of leather conditioners. I use it to carry my laptop; its not specifically padded for that type of work, but the hide is thick enough that the computer stays protected for typical levels of handling. The overall dimensions are on the small side (but i bought it for that reason too) so manage your expectations about how much stuff you need to carry. There is no internal divider, but the outside pockets are great for smaller items, and the pencil holder in between works great. The buckles are slow to deploy but look awesome. 10/10 recommend.

I purchased the Thin Front Pocket Leather Briefcase in Chestnut as a Christmas gift for an elderly scholar, professor, and member of the IMF, and it could not have been more perfect. The moment he opened it, the room genuinely went quiet. It has that rare presence that immediately communicates craftsmanship, intelligence, and timeless sophistication.

The Chestnut leather is absolutely breathtaking in person. Rich, refined, and deeply elegant without feeling flashy or overly modern. It looks like the kind of briefcase that belongs in historic libraries, university halls, international meetings, and first-class travel lounges.

What impressed me most was how beautifully balanced it is between professionalism and character. So many modern briefcases feel cold or corporate, but this one feels warm, distinguished, and deeply personal. It carries itself with quiet confidence.

He immediately commented on the craftsmanship, the scent of the leather, and the substantial feel of the hardware and stitching. As someone who has spent a lifetime around quality materials and fine craftsmanship, his reaction alone confirmed that this was an exceptional piece.

The design is incredibly functional while still maintaining a classic scholarly elegance. It holds documents, books, and essentials beautifully without ever appearing bulky or overcomplicated.

Could not ask for a higher-quality bag. I'll be dead of old age long before this thing.

I will take it as a given that the superb craftsmanship and leather quality are known and don’t need repeating.

If you're evaluating this Saddleback bag, the most important decision is balancing the space you need with the bag's closure style.
The Size & Weight Factor
• Look closely at the measurements. Saddleback bags are robust and can be quite large. It's crucial to look carefully at the interior dimensions so you don't buy more bag than you'll actually use.
• The Leather is Heavy. Due to the thick leather, these bags are heavy, even when empty.
• Loaded Weight: Even this "thin" style can get very heavy once fully loaded with a laptop, books, and other essentials. I'm glad I didn't opt for a larger style where I could truly overload it!
The Closure & Accessibility
• Buckle vs. Jaws: Be comfortable with the opening mechanism. This bag uses a traditional buckle and strap closure, which is a bit slower and more time-consuming to latch and unlatch than the style with the folding metal jaws.
• Pocket Access: Note that the two smaller front pockets cannot be opened when the main flap is closed. If you anticipate needing quick access to items in those pockets, this is something to consider.
Structure & Stiffness
• The leather is very stiff, meaning the bag will stand up easily on its own.
• However, the top flap is very heavy and, folds over a long way. If left open and pulled back, it can sometimes cause the bag to tip.
Overall Takeaway: A beautiful, durable, and well-structured bag, but make sure you are comfortable with the weight and the slower buckle closure before buying.

Today I just learned about the hidden front pockets. Talk about hidden! I can see how the tobacco color and hide has aged beautifully and now its even more useful! From Iraq to Sweden and Australia and many countries in between this is a joy!

I was initally concerned with this bag being too heavy and cumbersome, regardless of the timeless design.

I worried over nothing. I carry two laptops, a few notebooks, a laptop charger and additional cables for my commute to work and this has been comfortable to carry on the shoulder.

I think, for the size of this bag, they nailed the design as far as pockets and placement.

I bought my bag off a seller on eBay. Other than some minor surface abrasions, my bag was barely used. Just the right amount of room for my day-to-day stuff and my laptop. You can just feeeeel the quality in this bag, the leather the buckles and the shoulder strap. Everything is just the best it can be. Buy quality. Buy SBL. You'll never be disappointed.

I have been a fan of Saddleback Leather for some time. I purchased a wallet circa 2009 or 2010, and a couple of belts more recently. The quality and durability of the products is as impressive as promised. I have admired the Saddleback briefcases through the screen of my computer since first purchasing my wallet over a decade ago, but never invested in one myself. I’m now entering my third year in my career at a litigator, and my secretary has been hinting that I’m getting too old to be wearing my law school backpack to court. My birthday was in May, and, as a single, adult man, I was burdened with providing myself with a gift. I decided to finally purchase the Thin Front Pocket Leather Briefcase (Color: Chestnut). I wish that I had made the purchase sooner. The Briefcase is lovely, comfortable, and obviously of high quality. So much so that now, upon entering a courtroom, the judge, opposing counsel, and all parties present can’t help but notice the Briefcase, and be duly impressed. I’ve experienced a barely perceptible (most likely subconscious) shift in demeanor, indicating openness and deference to the arguments made by someone (me) who carries such an authoritative Briefcase. I no longer fear the pending apocalypse of white-collar work on account of Artificial Intelligence. An AI could never carry such a Briefcase, because it does not have hands. I therefore remain confident that my clients will continue to trust me and pay for my counsel, at least until the 100-year warranty on my Briefcase is up.

I bought this one to fit a custom wooden writing box that I made in the shop. It does not matter where I go....I invariably get comments from discerning observers on my Saddleback briefcase. Comments almost always involve an expression of envy and curiosity about where I got it. Look, there are any number of average goods that cost 4X what they should these days just because they look cool or seem "retro" but I feel as though I received every penny's worth of durability and value from my Saddleback leather goods (I own their pistol case as well and never go to the range without getting questions and comments.)

My family and friends bought this for me as a graduation gift. I use it every day for work, and I love it! I am always getting compliments on how nice it looks. It's expensive, but it's worth every penny! I'm definitely a customer for life!

I am coming up on two years with this bag. It has traveled on well over 100 flights. The quality and reliability of this bag are unmatched. I receive compliments on the bag every trip. The most significant compliments I receive come from the TSA. I have been to so many airports where a TSA agent grabs the bag to move it onto the scan belt. They always say the same thing “this is such a thick, heavy, high quality bag….who makes it?”
The reason these compliments mean so much is because the TSA has seen and touched more bags than anyone on the planet. For them to stop and compliment the bag speaks volumes about the build quality.

I love this bag! The leather is high quality, and the stitching is very thorough. Just note that it does mark up very easily. Some people like this, but I’d prefer it if it didn’t. Obviously it has no impact on the quality, but it’s something of which to be aware. I don’t want my bag to look like it’s a year old when I’ve only had it a week.

This is the first Saddleback product I have come to own. It was a gift from my wife after I got a promotion at work and she saw me going back to the webpage frequently. I carry it to and from work every day with my laptop, tablet and whatever paperwork I may need to review. I also have a couple of the small organizers and they fit very well and help me keep it organized even more. It’s comfortable, sturdy and clearly well made. I love the look and color, but it does show marks quite easily. I’m trying to teach myself to come to terms with the concept of the more the bag is worn and handled, the better it will look. I can easily see myself using this bag for a very long time.

It's a great bag. Be careful, as my laptop *just barely* fits the width, and I feel it's a pretty standard-sized machine.

Other than that, not a single complaint. Great look, great feel, lots of compliments. I can tell just by looking/touching that it's gonna last a lifetime or two.

Absolutely stunning. Well made, no marks and looks like it will last a lifetime. I bought this as a gift for my nephew whos starting his career and i know hill have it till he retires goregous color 10 out of 10

This one will take me to retirement.

You can bring a carryon AND a personal item on most flights for free, and this works great as a personal item. I can even fit a 16-inch, 2021 MacBook Pro in it, charger in the front pocket on one side, passport and wallet in the other. Back pocket works great for phone charger, etc.

One incredibly minor downside is that the arm strap, if adjusted for easy arm carry, leaves a bit of a tongue hanging off. A second leather loop would solve that, but it's easy enough to tuck away and stops being annoying as you wear in the bag.

This thing is absolutely amazing. It has a separate section for a laptop within the main opening. Fits the right amount of stuff to be effective but not overburdened. Top notch quality.

MY husband has been a big fan of your products and we gave him the briefcase for Christmas. It is beautiful! I highly recommend this product!

I bought this bag because I was looking for something a little lighter than my Classic Bag. This fit the bill and then some. What a great style and bag!

So i purchased this thin front pocket briefcase in Tobacco color on Dave's Deals at 15% off. I honestly did not find anything wrong with the case, Maybe Dave needs to get his eyes checked? I'm a contractor and normally have at least 7 to 10 projects going at the same time, at first i thought all my files would not fit in it at the same time, i was wrong, there's plenty of space inside to at least hold 12 to 15 files. The build quality of this thing is AMAZING, I wouldn't be surprised if a bulldozer ran over this thing and nothing happens to it. You should see the looks and questions i get when i walk into construction meetings, it re-assures me that i made the right decision to order. If your looking for a briefcase to last forever, looks goods, attracts attention and can probably with stand the test of time, then DO NOT HESITATE like i did for 6 months and order this, you will not be disappointed!

I am a busy professional lady who was looking to buy a leather couch several months ago. Before committing to a big purchase like that, I did some research on leather and found Dave's site and his tutorial videos. They helped dramatically when comparing quality leather goods, and now I can LAUGH at ads for bonded leather furniture. Anyway. Fast forward several months and my poor-quality leather work bag's zipper failed. I am a self-taught seamstress in my spare time and thought I could fix it myself. But then, I remembered Dave's site and realized that the leather in the bag was low-quality as well, and just decided to replace the whole thing with something that would last my whole career, or longer. Dave's slogan seemed to fit that goal, so I started doing more research into his bags.



Now, as any lady knows, we are used to bags with complicated inside compartments and zippered pockets and dividers and complex seaming for the sake of design. The extra seams and girly design stuff I can easily do without. But I was worried about losing all of the organizational inside pockets. Ladies, have no fear, the Thin Front Pocket Briefcase may be just the bag you're looking for.



Why I love my bag:

1. It is made to last a lifetime. Watching all of Dave's videos should convince you of that. 'Nuff said.

2. It looks great. OK, so it's not a "ladies" bag. But the front pockets add (functional) visual interest and make it look less, in my opinion, like the standard men's briefcase. Not to say that it isn't manly in the hands of a gentleman, because it is. But I think the styling of this bag says sophisticated no matter who is carrying it. (And yes, I am a Chestnut through and through.)

3. Organization is not a problem, even for all of the junk I normally carry in my purse. I decided on the large, and here's why. My old bag had two main compartments, (and a zippered center divider and a zippered inner pocket...) but otherwise was slightly closer to the dimensions of the medium thin front pocket. By switching to only one main compartment, I decided to overall go bigger to compensate. It has worked perfectly. I can carry several folders of papers, my on-call manual, a pathology reference handbook and my SL Trifold Wallet on one side of the main compartment and still have room next to the books and folders to carry a travel mug and my extensive collection of keys. I have also substituted a nylon pencil pouch in the bottom of the main compartment for the zippered inside pocket of more conventional ladies' bags. This keeps my smaller miscellaneous and random items that I don't need in the front pockets corralled into one place. The front pockets are, of course, wonderful for other small items like my phone and pager. The pen pockets inside the main compartment, unsurprisingly, function as advertised and carry all of my normal pens and marking pens.

4. I was worried about the weight of the bag, but it was unfounded. I am a smaller lady, 5'4" on a good day, and, we'll say a dress size 4. Yes, the bag started out heavier empty than my old bag (also empty), but with the quality of the strap and the wide padding, I hardly notice unless I am trekking back and forth across the hospital for hours. Even when my shoulder does tire, and it would even with my previous bags, I simply switch it to cross-body to re-distribute the weight.

5. I thought I wouldn't like all the extra D-rings, since I don't really plan to use them to carry bedrolls or tripods or whatnot, but they don't bother me at all, in fact I hardly notice they are there.

6. Another feature I was wary about was the buckled closures, since I am used to zippers or magnetic snap closures. It does take more time to get into it than a zippered bag, if the buckle is closed. However, I am getting faster at this, and most of the time during the day I simply keep it open or tuck the strap into the keep without buckling it. I think the few extra seconds it takes to fasten or un-fasten it outweighs the potential to have a zipper break.

7. As I said, I am on the shorter side, so I was worried that the shortest setting on the carrying strap, 34", would be too long. Luckily, it is the perfect over-the-shoulder carrying height for me! The tail of the strap is long, though, so with some patience, I was able to tuck the end under the fixed loop to keep it snugly tucked up out of the way of rolling-chair wheels and car doors.

8. Did I mention it's gorgeous and fantastically well-made and will last for my entire career and longer?



So, there you have it. I am one satisfied lady with a Large Thin Front Pocket Briefcase in Chestnut...and you can pry it out of my cold, dead hands.

I have carried this bag daily to/from the office and on business trips for several years now. I could not be happier with the function, quality and the patina I've earned over the years. Very high-quality piece!

Fantastic product!

Bought this as a gift for my husband completing his Master's. He absolutely loves it.

Beautiful!!!! I am a female and love the size and look.