It should be no surprise to you that I love the look of leather accessories. They’re simple, classy, stylish, and crazy functional. The main problem I – and most people – have is that there are just so many leather accessories out there to choose from. And they range from the kind that will fall apart after a month of light use to designer quality with a lifetime guarantee.
I’ll warn you right now, this compilation of mini-reviews is for higher end bags that are created by smaller scale craftsmen. If your budget is less than $100 then you’ll have better luck checking out some of these bags on Amazon than reading about the ones highlighted below. I personally like the look and feel of the bags in this review because they’re both durable and incredibly classy looking. But we’re all in different places in life, and no matter how cool they are, it isn’t worth not being able to pay the bills in order to have a snazzy leather bag.
However, if you are looking for higher end stuff then this is the place for you. These brief “summary reviews” will give you the lowdown on three of my favorite places for leather laptop bags, starting with the one that’s most affordable.
Pad & Quill
Name: Valet Macbook Cases
Colors: Chocolate, Chestnut, Black
Price: $100-$170
Product Description
There’s no denying it; this bag is gorgeous. Personally, I think that the stitching, in particular, is really eye-catching, and the bookmark-style closure really pulls the whole ensemble together nicely. There’s an effortless elegance to the bag that I’m convinced would complement every look, from suit-and-tie to casual Friday to a working vacation.
Aesthetics aside, the bag is thin and lightweight at only 1 lb, which will make your arms breathe a sigh of relief. I was impressed that Pad&Quill managed to create a bag that was so light but still had the capacity to carry pretty much any day-to-day necessity. With all the pocket space they’ve included, it’s not difficult to fit a charger cord, two pencils or pens, and maybe even your tablet or a small notebook inside with your laptop.
Even though it’s lightweight, Pad&Quill hasn’t sacrificed any durability, as evidenced by their full-grain leather and parachute-grade stitching. The bag also comes with a 25-year warranty, so it’s safe to say it’s going to last a while. And it’s made with leather from American cows (God bless them). Unfortunately, this bag is made almost exclusively for MacBooks, which is a real bummer for those of us who own PCs that are too thick to fit inside it. It’s also a minimalist bag, so if you’ve got lots of things to carry and can’t really travel light, then this is not the bag for you. This is especially true if your stuff is heavy because the front flap can come undone if you overload your bag. Depending on your needs and wants, the 25-year warranty might serve your purposes, but if you’re looking for an heirloom-type piece that you can pass down to your kids, you might want to take a look at our other options.
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Specifications
Jackson Wayne
Name: Attache Laptop Case
Colors: Tan, Brown
Price: $299
Product Description
By far the most aesthetically outstanding part of this bag is its simplicity. If you’re going for a sophisticated look that easily fits in anywhere, this is your bag. Jackson Wayne touts the leather’s rich color and beautiful natural marbling, and they’re right to do so – it’s obvious that they’re using the highest quality materials to make these and boy, does it show. The bag is made from large, continuous sections of hide, which means that there’s hardly any weak points because the number of seams is kept to a bare minimum. And the thick, full grain leather only contributes to the bag’s durability.
The double buckle flap provides a lot of safety for your expensive laptop or important documents. Sure, it takes a couple seconds longer to fasten them than a simple button or clasp, but once they’re buckled there’s no way they’re coming undone, no matter how heavy you load it. That’s reassuring for someone that has a heavier-duty laptop or has to carry lots of things. They’re not kidding when they say it’s designed to last; the handle and buckles are stitched so thoroughly that you’d be hard-pressed to remove them even if you wanted to.
One downside of this bag is its lack of organization. There’s tons of room in the main pocket for a laptop and a notepad and a charger cord and the book you’re reading for fun to fit with room to spare. But there’s only one pocket for extras like pens, pencils, USBs, and other small things that you may need to have on hand. With only one place to put them, they’ll all mush together in that small space. However, that may not be an issue if you don’t need a lot of organizational space for small items. The price makes this bag more of an investment, but one that’s probably worth it if it fits your needs.
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Saddleback leather
Name: Thin Front Pocket Leather Briefcase
Colors: Tobacco, Dark Coffee, Chestnut, Black
Price: $639
Product Description
I’ll admit, the price tag on this one is a little daunting. But the adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is an adage for a reason, and this bag is no exception. Saddleback guarantees this briefcase for 100 years, so you could easily pass it along to your child, grandchild, nephew, niece, etc. if you wanted to. And odds are, it would still look great as well as being entirely functional. This bag is also made from large pieces of continuous leather, requiring fewer seams and therefore having hardly any weak spots. And the seams that are necessary are stitched with marine-grade thread. There’s no doubt in my mind that this bag really is going to be functioning for the next hundred years.
This bag is also very versatile. It can be carried by its handle, the shoulder strap, or fashioned into a backpack. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend wearing it like a backpack because it’s honestly not very comfortable when it’s carried that way. But it is doable. And the bag really does look awesome; if we had a compliment counter it would be putting up some great numbers from our jaunt down the street. Family, friends, acquaintances, and even random passersby all seem to love it! There’s also so much storage space that I didn’t really know what to do with it all. But if your job involves carrying a lot of stuff, this can fit it all. And if you’re a frequent traveler, this could happily function as your personal item.
One of the drawbacks of this bag is that it weighs in at a whopping 5 lbs. empty. Yes, it takes some getting used to and your shoulder will feel it at first. Additionally, it’s all but impossible to access anything in the front pockets of the bag without undoing the giant main pocket first, so quick access is not a strength here. Overall, if you’re looking for an extremely durable piece that’s also super stylish and can carry your entire office in it, this is the perfect option. But if cost, convenience, and weight are issues, this may not be the right bag to buy.
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Specifications
Did We Miss Anything?
There are so many awesome leather places out there that it’s hard to get them all. If you know someone who makes awesome leather stuff, let us know in the comments so we can feature them on LeatherFacts.
Tell us what you think of the review, whether in the comments section or by using the star rating system below. And as always, feel free to share this with your friends!
What a well-written and thoughtful review! When you’re in the market for a well-made and fashionable leather laptop bag the number of options can make it seem impossible to find the right one. While they all say that they are durable, convenient, stylish, etc, you just don’t know what you are going to get, no matter how much research you do. This article made me feel as though I was able to try these bags firsthand.
I love that this is unbiased, with you stating good and bad on each bag. The link to some less expensive but still good quality bags at the beginning is great as well. Many people don’t consider the fact that dropping hundreds of dollars on a bag just isn’t feasible for some.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Jolyn! Later on, we want to do a review of a few lower priced bags for people on tighter budgets. I’ll let you know when that one is up!
These are so beautiful! They make my soul happy. Putting these on my ‘one day’ wishlist haha. Great reviews!
I like that you brought together several different styles here for people to look through, and although they are a little higher end for pricing, I don’t think they’re as highly priced as they could be – especially since they’re such high quality. Either way, they’re beautiful! My favorite was the Saddleback – I love the casual style!
Saddleback is all about the casual style. One of their product images on their site has a pistol stuffed in one of the front pockets. They are not a very formal company.
This is very in-depth guide. I didn’t know you could write that much information about leather cases! It’s cool that you took the time to analyze and outline the specifications, pros and cons of each type of leather case. I don’t know if I’ll ever get one but if I do, I know which guide to read!