100 Year Warranty - Have your great-grandchildren talk to my great-grandchildren, and we'll fix it or replace it for free. Only for 100 years, though.
Full Grain Leather - Only thick Full Grain leather; not Top Grain or Bonded leathers.
No Breakable Parts - No zippers, snaps, buttons or any other breakable parts to fail or scratch your gear.
Converts to Backpack - Watch the Beast Leather Duffel in captivity to see how.
Industrial Thread - Stout industrial marine-grade Polyester UV resistant thread. It’s used for airbags, sails, work boots and other heavy-duty applications. I ought to keep an extra spool in my truck for towing.
Fully Tanned Leather - Good tanneries remove natural oils and preservatives from the hide and then replenish them with high quality synthetics and oils. Then they soak and tumble it for up to 20 hours until the new colors and oils reach the middle. Cheap tanneries only tumble them long enough to color the surface and leave the middle to dry up and crack.
Rivets - Kind of killing a fly with a shotgun, but any place that could ever come apart in 100 years, gets a rivet. Even rocks wear away.
Seams - A few large pieces of leather with as few seams as possible. The more seams the weaker the bag because a seam is where the needle tore a bunch of holes in the leather and weakened it. Check out this junk duffel I bought in a moment of weakness and desperation in Mexico made of 85 small pieces of leather
Pockets - Two large open inside pockets on either end of the duffel.
NOTE: Dimensions are for the outside of the bag. Interior dimensions are ¼” (0.6 cm) less to account for stitching at the seams.
Weight
Pigskin Lined - 12.3 pounds (5.6 kg)
Leather - 100% hypoallergenic 4 to 5 ounce (2.0mm to 2.2mm) thick Full Grain chrome tanned leather. Usually, cowboy and work boots are made with 1.8mm - 2.0mm thickness. And, our leather isn't “buttery soft” (fibers separated and broken down by hours of tumbling and stretching at the tannery). It’s your job to tenderize it over the years.
Construction - Made from as few large pieces of leather as possible. Seams are the weakest point and so the fewer the better. It would be much cheaper for us to make it with lots of smaller pieces, but it's the quality details such as this that separates us from the masses.
Thread - The double zero continuous-filament Polyester thread we use is a little thicker than what is used on most boots. It’s impressive and expensive. Common thread is made of short little fibers wound together into one long thread. This thread is made of long continuous fibers that won't fall apart in a strong wind. Polyester thread is also the only thread I know of that doesn't deteriorate with exposure to the sun like Nylon or Kevlar.
Lining - Tough pigskin lining. Pigskin is the second strongest hide in the world, second to kangaroo.
How can I get my spouse to understand that I need this?
Here's your rationale: Buy the best, cry once. It's all about the cost per year. In college, I bought a pair of very expensive shoes for my job as a waiter. I couldn't afford them, but I bought them anyhow. They were really light and comfortable and took me through two years of waiting tables and one year as a limo driver and another year of occasional use. And then they still looked good for a month of Sundays. Cost per year was about $25. Most of the other waiters bought a new pair of $55 heavy and uncomfortable shoes every 6 months because theirs wore out and looked ratty by then. One of the principles the successful in the world understand is this: If one buys quality from the start they save money. Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish. This will be one of the most savvy investments and inexpensive leather pieces you'll ever have. And remember, you must truly love yourself before you can love others. A couple of other things to think about you'll be more popular. Everybody isn't buying one. I'll invite you to my birthday party. What's wrong, you chicken?
Which color should I get?
Pick the one that fits who you are. I've observed what the bag owners tend to be like based on the color they have chosen over the years. The category below that fits you best is probably the color you'll enjoy most. Remember, your first inclination is usually the correct one.
Tobacco Light Brown (Sanguine)
Easy going
Laid back and casual
Likes old Land Cruisers
Forgives quickly
Creative (enjoys writing)
Loves big dogs
Traveler
Never met a stranger
Low maintenance
Lots of random thoughts
Inventor
Funny
Loves the outdoors
Adventurous
Only wears clothes because you have to
Carbon Black (Phlegmatic or Choleric)
You look good in a thick black leather jacket
Rides a cruiser type motorcycle
Wear thick black framed glasses
Drives a Volvo or Saab
Perfectionist
They know your name at the coffee shop
Sci-Fi is your favorite genre
Are very interested in Oriental culture
Prefer cats over dogs
Loves modern contemporary style square furniture
Chestnut Reddish Brown (Choleric or Melancholy)
Professional
Highly educated
Belongs in a Mercedes Benz or Jaguar
Classier than most
Perfectionist
Has excellent taste in dressing and decorating
Great sense of humor
Intellectual
Smokes a pipe instead of a cigarette
Appreciates the finer things
Dark Coffee Brown (Phlegmatic or Choleric or Melancholy)
Loves the outdoors
Is the best friend of many people
Reads a lot of books
Loves big dogs
Intellectual
Loves adventure
Independent
Musical
If you still aren't sure, then just buy all four colors.
Are the animals tortured before they are slaughtered?
Absolutely not ! With some pigs we do use waterboarding and sensory deprivation techniques previous to slaughtering them, but the cows do not require any special handling.
Where can I see one of the bags in person?
I don't have any of the items in stores and we're not big fans of folks coming to our home in San Antonio because of the weirdo factor. My sister, Patricia and her husband (my Chess and Scrabble nemesis), send out the leather from their place near Ft. Worth, Texas, but again, because of the weirdo factor they're not set up to show either. If it helps, everyone tells me that they look better in person.
How much do they cost you, Dave?
Well, I lived for three years in a $100 a month apartment in Mexico with no hot water, because of these bags. My dog, Blue, and I drove for thousands of hours all over the North American continent because of these bags. I had a crooked Federale sent to kill me because of these bags (I convinced him that Señor Alarcon would never pay him) and we became friends). I've shed gallons of blood and tears and sweat and at least a quart of other people's, because of these bags. I've slept in my car or on the rack of my old Land Cruiser at least 150 times because of these bags. I've lost weeks of sleep and have gone hungry for days because of these bags. I was broke for years and even had to trade two of Blue's little puppies for a month's worth of tacos in order to eat because of these bags. I've been detained by who knows how many Mexican police because of these bags. I've thrown away thousands of dollars and made hundreds of mistakes because of these bags. I've been stolen from, taken advantage of and robbed because of these bags (they even stole Blue once, but I got him back). All of these things and more have happened to me because of these bags. They cost me a lot.
Fabulous!
The beast is the only duffle/travel bag I will ever need again...I ill be handing off to one one soon an cannot wait to. See their eyes! Ill e the thing... I love all of the products I have bought, the dry bag, the wet bag, the women's totes, the clutch, the gadget bag, the big wallets, etc.... What a company...what a set of people behind it all! Michele DeMeo
Beauty and The Beast
Not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but truly, this bag is big. No really, sit down and think about it. Do what I did...get a measuring tape and try and find something around the house that has the same approximate measurements. ...and then, I swear, once you get it, you'll think it's even bigger than they say it is. It's too much bag for a weekend trip, honestly. It would be perfect for a week long car trip. Well built, like all SBL products.
No complaints. Yes it's heavy, yes it's bulky, yes it will make you hate that you packed it so full...but that's why you bought it isn't it?
Just go for it. You won't regret it!
The Best/largest Duffel
For all practical purposes I live out of bag. I have looked for a long time for a large duffel bag. I looked at bags from Duluth Trading Company, Shnees, Gander Mountin, Filson, and various other reputable companies. This bag is by far and away the best built of any bag I could find. I unpack almost completly at each move and it has all the room I need. Only drawback is possibly the wieght. The bag itself is almost a work of art, it was definitaly assembled by a craftsman of high skill. Just sitting in the corner it garners compliments on it's looks. People ask/comment on all the time. I am almost nervous to let an airline handle it, (becausee of the chance of loss, not that it won't stand up to thier gentle handeling). No doubt it was not cheap, nothing good ever is. I will update my will to include this item, I believe it will be around longer then me.
It's a monster
This thing is aptly named. My beast is dark coffee brown. We have two daughters and when we go on vacation we were always lugging tons of bags, so I ordered a beast with the goal of getting down to one bag.
The bag itself is massive. On our next family vacation, everything fit into one bag, which posed a few new challenges I wasn't prepared for. One was the weight of the bag...it was easily 40-50 pounds. The bag itself didn't even sweat. No fear of it breaking, tearing, etc, its built like a tank. I'd suggest a hand cart.
The second challenge was also in relation to size. We pretty much live out of our bag and don't put our stuff in drawers. It was tough finding everyone's clothes since they were all piled into essentially a big trunk without compartments. . If you're an unpacker, this is the bag for you. If you're like us, you'd be better off with a suitcase or duffel bag or two with more compartments. Pick the right bag for your lifestyle.
The other thing is people will want to talk about to you about your bag. I got a handful of "nice bag!" comments and even one guy nodding and smiling "saddleback?" This is not the bag for you if you just want to be left alone.
It's perhaps the manliest of man bags.
great ice-breaker
I have taken the Beast on a couple of short trips. I give it a solid 9/10 for utility⦠however, I give it a solid 12.5/10 for street-cred!!! It is virtually impossible for being at an airport and not have people come up to you every couple of minutes commenting on it and asking where I got it from⦠and occasionally asking if I have a body stashed away in it! Like all my other Saddleback products, I love this bag!!!
Great Product
I got the Beast Duffel for Christmas. It is my first piece of Saddleback luggage. This thing is incredibly well constructed as are all the other Saddleback products I have purchased. It's the best I have ever owned.
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