Messenger Bag

What can I say, just got it 2 weeks ago and i'm already in love with it. The quality is without equal, the smell is out of this world. The side pocket cannot fit your usual Nalgene bottle, but can fit The small size Kor vida water bottle or the Klean Kanteen 27oz one, and give that nice little touch to the bag. I've always been a fan off leather has a material but this is just on a level above.

I received my messenger bag earlier this week, and I totally LOVE IT! I received a ton of compliments on it just walking thru the airport one morning to catch a flight. The leather is so beautiful and smells so good. I know that I will NOT have to buy another bag as long as I live... literally!!!

Thank you, Dave, for creating a spectacular bag!!!!

This bag is amazing. I've had mine for a little over a year and it's still just as fantastic. It's been all over the world and travels extremely well as a carry-on/personal item. As everyone else says, I receive complements on it regularly. I am also a college professor and it meets all my daily needs. I would recommend it to anyone.

I just received my bag via UPS and was so excited to get home to open it when I saw the tracking that it was delivered. This chestnut colored bag filled the room of the great smell of leather(not some dead goat smell like the cheap leather goods you can find online).

This is the real deal. The bag is very sturdy and the hardware is awesome. I am planning to use this for work or wherever my journey takes me. That is exactly how I feel when I have the bag slung over my shoulder. I did shorten the strap with the plentiful existing holes so the bag rides higher more so on my hip and kidney area than the side of my thigh and buttock.

Everything is perfect! The bag was surprisingly more supple than I thought, my perceived perception from hearing other YouTube reviews. The only downside I have was because I was hoping to find a keychain that I saw in so many review videos. Oh well, I guess I can live with the georgeous bag and 100 year warranty sans a freebie keychain. Thanks Dave and Saddleback leather, you have a new customer for a lifetime.

I purchased this because I loved my thin front pocket briefcase I had ordered a year ago and I needed something to travel with that had a little more space. The Messenger Bag did not disappoint! As with all products here it is of high quality and very good looking - I have received many compliments when I travel about the bag. It has plenty of space, and although I generally carry a Surface tablet, it looks to have enough space to hold a full sized PC. The side pockets are great for stuff some of my smaller things, including my phone. Inside there are two pockets built into the side that are great for holding my pens and other small items, although you have to be careful that they are big enough to not fall into the bottom of them - I think you would have a challenge fishing them out. The color is beautiful and the hardware accents the bag perfectly. Very pleased with this purchase.

I purchased the messenger bag on Dave's Deals for a steal, and after 6 months of daily use I still can't figure out what's "wrong" with it. I use this bag as my diaper bag, and while it's heavier than others, the quality is superb. I can easily fit both cloth and disposable diapers, wipes, sunscreen, extra clothes for the baby and his brother, snacks, and water bottles for my toddler and I. The only tricky issue with the bag is trying to get the buckle undone in a hurry while carrying a baby. I've taken to just hooking the first hole without feeding the strap through the buckle so I can get in and out quickly.

Functional AND beautiful! I get stopped EVERY TIME I wear the bag (and my baby! ) and people always want to touch the beautiful leather. I love knowing that this bag will last long after I send my boys to college with it, and that we're supporting a great family business and a great charity by purchasing with Saddleback.

My father-in-law was raised in Leon, Mexico and is from a leather-trade family. Every time he comes to visit, he wants to get his hands on my Saddleback bags and spends over an hour talking about the quality of their design, materials, and construction. I've made a Saddleback convert out of him as well!

This was my first purchase from SBL, I've been waiting a while to take the leap, and I'm not disappointed. I originally purchased the Rounded Satchel but upon receiving the bag I noticed there was no way it could hold a 15" laptop. I took a gamble on the messenger bag and won, it fits beautifully. I like Dave included a spacer, which is important because I'd hate to scratch my laptop. A little small interior, but again that's to be expected, this isn't the Classic Briefcase. This is my everyday work bag and it fits the bill, I can't wait to go into downtown NYC and convert this into a backpack!

I got this off Dave's Deals for a 15% discount in 2013. I still have yet to find out what was wrong with it, and it's been well over 2 years.
I loved this bag in the beginning, but soon found it was not "the perfect bag" for me. I ride a scooter, and this bag was great when used as backpack while riding, but too bulky to fit in my underseat storage compartment. Actually, I could in fact cram it under there, it was just inconvenient. I also noticed it was bit heavy for everyday use for my taste. Overall I realized I needed and wanted a smaller bag. But, I must find an excuse to glorify this bag anyway, because it's still well-built and gorgeous. I used it as weekend bag for a church retreat, and being somewhat a tomboy I didn't care to pack much, but the following fit in there with aggressive encouragement: 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts(using a roll-up method), 3 pairs of socks/thunderwear, a slim travel case with a toothbrush, paste, mascara, chapstick, travel-size face cleanser, washcloth, a pair of flipflops in one outer pocket, and a sunglasses case in the other. With some rope, I secured a rolled up sleeping bag to the d-links underneath. it. was. AWESOME.

I got a chestnut Messenger Bag, I love it! I have to keep an eye on it at work, covetous eyes. The leather is beautiful and smells great!

Bought my bag back in July of 2012. figured I'd write a review that can give people some input based on a long term review. Currently use my bag to carry my work laptop, notepad holder (Not SBL's), eagle creek 1/4 pack for cables and stuff. The bag is still a little stiff on the sides but the corners and flap open up a lot easier. This bag goes from home to car to office and then back most days. Mine doesn't have a lot of scratches but ones that are there are all due to my nails or hitting the car door when I throw it in the back seat.

I have cleaned it every 3-6 months. I use the bag everyday and it has been on trips with me to Scotland, Houston TX and New York. held up great! It finally got a coating of No. 3 water protection. Didn't change the color. (Coffee brown) This leather absorbs leather milk like crazy! It loves the stuff. Next purchase will probably be a Front Pocket briefcase due to the need to carry more stuff. And I feel it will travel better then the messenger bag.
Bottomline: Durable and worth every penny! LOVE IT!

I purchased the messenger bag in chestnut a few weeks ago to use on a field trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield. The bag was a little larger than I thought, but that worked to my advantage. I was able to fit a USGS topo map in a map case, a pair of binoculars, hand held GPS, small water bottle, a couple of Field Notes notebooks, small LED flashlight, multi-tool and assorted pens and pencils.



I purchased it from Dave's Deals with the 15% discount. The "defect" if you will call it that, is a scar on the front flap. I think the scar adds character to the bag and I absolutely love having it. At least I will absolutely know it is my bag if I ever run into anybody who has a Saddleback Messenger bag in chestnut. Do not be afraid to purchase something from Dave's deals. The qualilty of the product is still the same and I know this bag will last me for many, many years.

Scroll down a few reviews and you'll read that of my brother, Mark. I was shocked at how amazing his messenger bag looked when I saw him open it. I already had a front pocket backpack, but when I saw his, I did some soul-searching. I realized that the backpack was way bigger than I needed, although it was incredible. I sold it (It took one hour on eBay). I bought this bag, and now I feel like my life is that much more complete.



It's not heavy, if you're used to a backpack. Compared to your typical fabric messenger bag, yes, it's a lot more substantial. The strap is comfortable without the pads, the design is perfect, and I'm excited to use it until I give it to my son, as soon as he's old enough to use it, so I can buy a new one.



Thanks for the tax and financial advice, Mark.

I was originally looking at the satchels for use when traveling, but wanted something that I could also use for work. Enter the Messenger Bag. I fits my work laptop and other tools of the IT trade, and when it comes to traveling internationally, the slim design makes it perfect for traversing among throngs of people, just like Dave designed it to do. From the Coliseum in Rome to the Oktoberfest in Munich, this bag performs perfectly, allowing me to carry what I need (and saving my wife from being a pack mule) without being too bulky. Keep in mind, this bag *is* pretty heavy, so if you're not used to carrying around a bag, particularly cross-body, load it up with a bunch of stuff and carry it around for a few weeks to condition yourself before your big trip. Oh, and it fits perfectly under the seat of an airplane, even the small aisle seats on the Boeing 737 {glares at Boeing designers}. I'm 100% satisfied with the Messenger Bag and highly recommend it to anyone who needs a great bag for minimalist traveling.

I have a serious problem with Saddleback bags. They're all so good, it's hard to know which of the three I own (Dark Coffee Messenger, Tobacco Large Satchel, Carbon Small Satchel) to use on any given day. I love the idea that this bag in understated. Something this well made draws attention to itself. Don't hesitate. I came to SBL from years of carrying messenger type bags. They may last, but I'm not a bike messenger and nylon is nylon. Do yourself a favor and buy ONE saddleback bag, so you don't have my problem. (If you're asking for my favorite, it's this one, with the large satchel and close second).

I own a small wallet, MacBook sleeve, and a notepad holder. All of them are great, but I didn't have a bag.



Then my brother, who has been keeping track of all my tax and financial advice, decided to pay me in my favorite currency, SBL. He got me the messenger bag in tobacco, which looks absolutely amazing. I think he was more excited than me when I opened it up, and I had to FaceTime the experience. Also, I may or may not have slept with it that first night.



I showed my neighbor across the street, and wasn't even worried when his drool dropped on the bag. He's already got Father's Day, birthday, and Christmas wish lists filled out.



I'm hesitant to take it to church, because I don't want it to distract people from the messages they're hearing. Or is it better to fill the room with that heavenly, inspiring, new-leather smell?



Thanks Dave and team for a great product, and thanks to my brother Ryan for the best gift ever!!

This messenger bag (tobacco) is just phenomenal. Taking her out of the box impressed me with her substance. This is no flimsy bag. Expect it to weigh close to 5 pounds on her own.

I got the water proofing number three and she darkened up but still kept a beautiful color. I've had several compliments from strangers in the week I've carried her around. I will use this to carry and protect my macbook and all future generations of laptops that she will out live.

Thanks for an awesome product.

I wept the first time I saw her, she was one of the most beautiful things I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Her gorgeous lines, smooth brown skin, and delightful aroma completely over-loaded my senses. She and I have been together only one months’ time, and she has already changed my life. She is my constant companion, partner in both business and pleasure. Men gawk at her and ask me how I happened upon such a fine specimen. Women stare in envy knowing full well that what I have, is far superior to what they possess. I know we will spend the rest of our lives together, my messenger bag.

I have been looking for a good quality bag that would last me a lifetime and look better the more it was used and abused. I wanted it to be completely leather (including the straps), no zippers, or other breakable parts??? Sound familiar????



A few months ago saddleback started showing up in my searches,not sure why it took me so long to find Dave's site, but I did and now I am an addict. Dave is doing exactly what I have been looking for.... Awesome!!!!!



Currently only have the messenger bag in dark coffee brown right now. This thing fits way more than expected. I can fit my laptop, my external USB powered monitor, notepad, power supply, mouse and various cables. It is a little snug but it all fits.



Now just waiting on other items I have been eyeing to come back in stock... is there a support group for saddleback addicts, my wife thinks I have a problem :-).

I bought the tobacco messenger bag for my "one personal item" carry on to keep the stuff I needed to access while flying. This thing fits under almost all airline seats and I still have room to move my feet around. I intended to have it in addition to my regular carry on bag, but I find that I can put enough stuff in the messenger bag to last a week. The last few trips I have taken only the messenger bag and it has worked out just fine. I roll my spare clothes, take quick dry skivvies and shirts, buy a few things at my destination if I need to, and travel really light. I also use it for my day to day murse, so I don't misplace all of the things I am starting to depend on like my iPad, glasses, hearing aids, and meds (getting old).



Although quite a bit heavier than the Timbuk2 bag that it replaced this messenger bag provides a lot more protection for the contents. I don't really use the divider for the bag, but it would be good if I carried papers I suppose. I do agree with other people that say that the outside cellphone pocket could use a flap or something to secure the phone. Anything in those outside pockets is pretty available to sticky fingers or other loss. Like others I have some small canvas bags that I put small items in to keep things organized.



The only problem that I had was one of the loops on the shoulder strap fell off right after I got the bag. A quick call to Saddleback Leather got me a return label for the strap and a new loop riveted on to the bag.



Overall this bag is a really good fit for me.

I have absolutely no problems recommending this bag to anyone that would ask me about it. Being as it's a messenger bag, obviously you won't be able to pack it as full as you'd pack, say, the classic briefcase. For some people that's a plus, for others it's a minus. It suits my purposes perfectly well.



On my day-to-day for school, I tend to load it with the larger-sized notepad holder, a large moleskine (covered in the moleskine cover), my iPad (in the iPad gadget sleeve), some pens, a graphing calculator, a few cables in the cell-phone pocket, and a textbook. I thought I'd probably get rid of the divider or use it for something else at first, but I've found that I keep it in because it's ridiculously convenient when I'm pulling out the notepad or the iPad. My bag isn't bursting at the seams with this amount of stuff in it, but it isn't exactly roomy. For me, on my day-to-day, it's a perfect fit.



I got the tobacco color, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Even after just a few days of wearing it, the leather that rubs up against my side is starting to develop a bit of a shine, which I'm extremely excited about.



If you're like me, and your day-to-day carry needs are similar to what I described, go ahead and pull the trigger on this one. It's a bag you won't regret buying.

I'm a long-time addict of Saddleback Leather: medium briefcase, wallet, Kindle case, business card holder, and now the messenger bag. My family calls it my "murse" or "man-purse" or "man-bag" but they can call it whatever they want because they're clearly just jealous. The new carbon black is deliciously distressed, and triple-testosterone manly. Great product. As usual.

I was scouting on Dave's Deals a few months ago for a thin briefcase but it took me a while to decide on whether I should buy the one that was in there. I was disappointed when after a few hours, the bag that I was eyeing was gone. I went to check again after a few hours and I found a Chestnut Messenger Bag. This time, I did not hesitate and bought it right away. I got the bag in 4 days and I was surprised at how good looking it is. It looked bigger than in the video, but I guess it was because Dave, who was 6 feet tall, who modeled it. The leather is so supple and I can see the excelent craftsmanship despite the fact that I got it from Dave's Deals. It is a good conversation piece. In my most recent trip, people would actually stop me at the airport just to complement it. The fact that it converts to a backpack is great because it does not have to dangle on my side as I run to catch my flight.

I know Saddleback fairly well and had a couple smaller items from them before buying this bag. But I was still pleasantly surprised at just how overbuilt and durable it is. It is noticeably heavier when you first pick it up, but once you have all your stuff in it and are carrying it around, you won't notice much difference to any other bag. The leather can be prone to scratches, but that just add character in my opinion. Overall the best (and probably from now on the only) bag I own.

I read about Saddleback in one of those Airline magazines while traveling god knows where and was intrigued. I had been looking for a thin, vertical messenger bag since the untimely demise of what was my favorite bag ever (vertical messenger bag from Kenneth Cole which was perfect for me until it self destructed, literally, after only about 6 months use). After taking a look at the Messenger Bag from Saddleback I asked Santa for it for Christmas. The bag is awesome, the construction is great (sure it is a little heavy but it is a man's bag) and it is exactly what I have been looking for. I'm in my early fifties with a good 10-15 years or so before any thought of retirement but I already know I'll never need another bag or briefcase. Oddly enough my daughter is majoring in Accessories Design including hand bags etc. and is interning at Kenneth Cole right now and is extremely impressed with the bag, its design, the quality of the components and how its put together. I'm a huge fan and would highly recommend this product to anyone although I do like standing out from the crowd which this bag helps me do.

Five stars for good looks & solid construction.

For me, the messenger bag is the Saddleback piece with "enough" capacity without being too heavy or too bulky. Construction and materials are very good, and after a month, my tobacco bag is beginning to deepen nicely in color.

Three or four stars for function.

This messenger is well thought 0ut. But still, a thick leather bag like this isn't for everybody. If you are looking for massive organizational capability and lots of zippered, closeable compartments, or you expect to spend a whole bunch of time in the rain, or you really want to save a pound or two, you will be happier with a high-tech fabric bag. Even if you have to replace it every 5 or 10 years.

My Saddleback messenger has so far seen service in all three modes (briefcase, over-the-shoulder and backpack), and in both business and travel situations. I enjoy owning it and I enjoy using it.