Side Pocket Duffel

Wow... What a fantastic duffle bag! Thanks to my wonderful sweetheart for this Christmas gift! I have been shopping for a duffle and without a doubt Saddleback is the best! This is the ultimate bag.... all leather, rugged, no zippers and opens fully at the top. Just got it, but would highly recommend this duffle! Yes, my kids will be fighting for this starting tomorrow... and long after I am gone! LOL Thanks Julie!
Charles

This bag is absolutely beautiful. I've had quite a few compliments on how the bag looks, which is great. But I love it because of the versatility of it. I think it is a perfect bag for a weekend trip. It's awesome. Thanks Saddleback!

Got my Duffel right before I went on a week vacation. WOW! fit everything I needed for the trip. I did not think I could, but packed right and it all fit and then some.

Bag is really beautiful and it just works. If your needs require a bag for travels, this is it. Go get one.

This is my second big SB piece. I absolutely love the briefcase I have owned for quite a while and I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago on this duffel bag. I take it to my local gym. The pigskin is tough as nails! I bought a couple of waterproof bags to store used clothing. Works like a charm. Lots of space, it looks awsome and I love that leather smell!

I highly recommend this bag. You will not regret the purchase!

The side pocket duffel was my first piece. Then came the older model square backpack with the toggle fasteners on the side. Then a dopp kit. Then a wallet. Then a gadget sleeve. Then the old bull belt. Then I purchased a side pocket duffel for a gift to my son...then a dopp kit for a gift to my neice as her future medical bag for housecalls...more symbolic and supportive than anything else (she was 9 years old at the time) but you get the point. Then I recieved the gadget bag as a gift. So yeah...I'm a big time fan. Whenever I travel, no matter where I am or which piece I'm carrying I always get at least one "woah, neat bag, where did you get it" question. So I refer them to SBL!...actually...sometimes when I travel I loop the strap of the dopp kit or gadget bag through the D rings on the backpack and make it a modular system of sorts. I've also used the backpack straps on the duffel too so there are lots of configuraions you can make up for yourself.

First the good: You can't hurt this bag. In fact, if it falls off the back of a trailer, the strap gets caught on the license plate, and you drag it a quarter mile on pavement, the worst that's going to happen is you'll rough up the straps and corners and you'll scrape the chrome plating off the main buckle. Trust me on this one--I speak from experience.
Now the so-so: It's not as big as you'd think from the dimensions. Fine for a week in the summer where you don't take too many clothes, too small for a week in the winter.
Now the bad: It's no fun lugging this through an airport because it weighs a ton even when it's empty. If you wear it cross-body, don't bother trying to carry a briefcase. I'm a barbell boy and carrying it by the handle gets old real quick, too. If you're a 90 lb. weakling, admire it at a distance but don't buy it.
This is one of the few Saddleback items you can't turn into a backpack and it's the one that needs that feature the most.

I ordered two large classic utility duffle bags. They came two days apart. One was correct--DCB large utility but the other one was a side pocket duffle bag with the new suede lining. Anyway, wow, the new suede lining is great. I would have never ordered a bag with a suede lining, but I really like it better than the regular lining. I called customer service to report the order coming wrong, but they said I could keep it or return it. The side pocket duffle is about $70.00 more than the one I ordered. It looks like it would be easy to clean too with a damp rag. Anyway, I'll hope you convert all of your products over to the new suede lining. It's beautiful and presents better than your regular lining IMHO.

This is one of the best duffle bags available. At first I thought that the inside was on the tight side compared to the size of my Waterbag. The side pockets more than make up for the difference. I like the compartmentalizing ability of the Side Pocket Duffel. It is the perfect size for a quick weekend trip. I am not sure what the best part of owning one of the Saddleback products is; the smell of the leather or all of the comments that you receive when people see the product. When the bag showed up at the office one of my Construction Managers came into the office and had to give the duffle the detailed inspection, after he left I had a steady stream of people wanting to look at the new luggage. Word of mouth travels fast and the few business cards that were sent with the bag disappeared quickly.
You need to look at the bag as an investment not an expense it will give you a lifetime of enjoyment. And after you get one it will not be your last.

No need to mention quality, we already knew it would be there. When I received the duffel I was worried due to the size but needless to say I still impressed myself on packing. Crammed 4 days worth plus a winter jacket along with SB's travel case and still had the side pockets remaining which I filled since I'm going away for 2 days. Why limit yourself when you have plenty of room, right?? Highly recommend this and all their other items which I'm accumulating has I type. Wow,wow,wow is how I feel, very impressed.

I recently purchased not only the classic briefcase but also the matching Side Pocket Duffel. This is a piece of luggage that I have no idea how I have lived without until now. (Where have you been my whole life!!!) My normal business trips are of 2 to 4 day duration. I can pack casual clothes as well as three suits in this incredible bag, and I am not a small guy. Granted I may need to have them pressed upon arrival however this is the only bag i use now. Side pockets are ideal for toilet kit and back slot is fantastic for newspaper/ mags/ ect. for easy access. Durable? Uh yes! I actually had it run over by my wife in our driveway (that is a story much too long for this post) and it did not skip a beat. Actually the scuffs it incurred actually improved its appearance. I would suggest any owner run over it several times just for appearance. Buy it now, close your eyes at the price tag and just buy it...now. You will not be sorry. BTW, the inside pocket is not as intrusive as previous posts have reported, at least for me. I can see the utility of it if i use it for vacations etc. They are not kidding, Dave makes these to last, forever. BUY IT NOW,

After a heart-wrenching week of making a decision, I settled on this bag for my new (and likely last) luggage purchase. It was between the suitcase, the waterbag and the utility duffel. I decided on this one for a handful of reasons, primarily the side pockets and the fact that it'd easily strap to the tall sissy bar on my Harley; for them long rides out of LA. (Full disclosure - I'll still probably wind up getting one of the suitcases anyway; they're just too pretty)

Its first journey was to Hawaii; complimented by my Saddleback thin briefcase. Within 10 minutes of being inside LAX, I was getting compliments on them. One fella at the security checkin stopped me - I thought, oh great ... here we go - only to be asked "Man, that luggage is amazing. What is it? All I ever see here is Louis Vuitton and such."

"Well, it's Saddleback - the best damn leather ever."

The size is absolutely perfect for me. I generally travel light, but was able to easily fit a week's worth of shorts and shirts and the like, my golf shoes, bathroom stuff and other items. The wraparound design of the straps is perfect as I was able to fit more stuff bought on the trip (including a couple pounds of delicious Kona Coffee beans) and just wrench it all together; fitting perfectly in the overhead bin on the plane.

If you want a simple design that just WORKS; can't go wrong with this bag.

I love the look of this bag and how rugged it is. I throw it in the bed of the truck and beat on it pretty hard. When mine arrived I was wondering how I would like it. As time has progressed I have found good and bad uses for this bag. Do to its size it is obviously not a bag for long trips. I initially purchased it as a weekend bag anyhow! for that is about as many days of clothes I can stuff in it in every possible place!. I am not fond of the sleeve inside the bag but have used it on occasion to keep things separated, even though I have considered removing the separating sleeve pocket. I am 6'8" (throwing this in because all Dave's videos state he is 6'2") and packing enough pants and shirts for more than 3 days is impossible, with other needs for a weekend but it was not designed for that! like I said I use it for a weekend bag, small and light even stuffed with all I need for a 3 day trip, and it still fits as a carry on in most cases! overall I love this bag! like I said I beat on it pretty hard bouncing it around in the truck going where ever the road leads. I even had extra gear in this bag earlier this year on a fishing trip! I want to thank all the folks at saddleback for building me one of my longest lasting pieces of luggage, since I first started traveling. I have had this bag almost since it first appeared on the website! I also want to thank them for the great design of this bag. The outer pockets give me a place to keep the dirty stuff from the clean! its a great design! Hope everyone else who has purchased this likes it as much as I and hope there bag gets to see as much air miles as mine.

First off, the pictures do not do the bag justice. It is an absolutely beautiful bag. I received the bag just in time for a trip to the Guadalupe River. The inside seemed a little small when I opened it, but I was able to fit three days worth of clothes along with toiletries and some other random stuff comfortably. I didn't have and problem with the inside pocket like some other people have talked about. It was super floppy right out of the box and pushed up nicely to the side. Even though it got rained on pretty good, everything inside stayed dry and the bag still looks great. The only thing that is kind of annoying is that when all the buckles are undone, it opens if you try to pick it up. Buckling just the front one keeps this from happening. All-in-all, this bag is awesome and I can't wait to use it again. Can't go wrong with it.

This is by far the best bag I ever bought. I debated with myself several weeks about paying this much for a bag. It is worth every single penny if your hesitating don't you will be very happy the quality and craftmanship put into this lovely bag. I will be ordering more pieces!!!!!!!!!!!

This bag is constructed very well like the rest of their products. My two complaints would be that I tend to fly southwest and it doesn't fit well in their overhead compartments. Also I'd rather it not have the big inside pocket. They say it will fold up against the side and get out of the way if you don't need it but I find it very obstructive. If I ultimately keep the bag I might think about cutting that flap out.

I am real picky and a quirky perfectionist! I bought this bag at a 25 % discount and the only thing I can see is that possibly the top cover on one side drops less then a quarter inch lower on one side. Which will disappear onece packed. It adds a special personality to the bag. I noticed this after turning the bag around and around up and down. I was SEARCHING for a defect! For $165.00 discount I am exstatic about my purchase.

I often travel with my duffel and matching classic briefcase. I get compliments on them every single time. It's a beautiful bag that's made very durably. The only issue I have is with the stiffness of the inside pocket. I don't use this pocket and the stiff leather doesn't easily fold flush with the side to be out of the way. Creates a small amount of unusable space for the way I use the bag.

I've been searching for quality Australian leather products for the last few years and unfortunately there are none (I'm an Aussie). Everything in my country seems seems to be either Chinese or stupidly expensive. I'm currently holidaying in Napa with my American wife and stumbled across your website. What a breath of fresh air it was to find. The fact that Saddleback includes links to all it's direct competitors says so much about the company. I've watched all of the videos including the ladies tote bag! The honest, unpolished and thorough product descriptions were a joy to watch. It makes choosing the correct bag so much easier. It was a toss up between a backpack and the duffle bag. My wife bought the duffle for me. I've now decided to purchase the backpack as well when funds allow. In regards to the duffle bag itself it's everything that the video explains it to be. I absolutely love it. The bag wreaks of quality. Initially, I was wondering why it was necessary to include the opening of the side pocket straps in the opening/closing of the bag but I'm sure that it was part of the design process and is this way for a reason. It's part of the bags character anyway.

In summary, I'm very very impressed and I will buy from Saddleback again. Maybe a tote for my wife. It's really not necessary to look at these products beforehand as the detail on the website is more than enough. I don't find these products expensive at all considering what you get for your money elsewhere.

I'm 46 years old and have never written a product review in my life. Just felt compelled to do so in this instance.

Thanks Dave

Andrew

I'm a big fan of saddleback and I own several other products and they are all worth the money.
This bag is the best looking product among them but the least favorite for a single reason, the accessibility to the side pockets. Once you buckle up the bag fully, you cannot open up the side pockets fully unless you open up the whole bag. This is surprising because all other products were extremely well designed. The top cover extends out to protect from rain, but that case probably is a lot less frequent than accessing the side pockets.
Looking great, and everything else is as expected. Thanks.

I am probably one of your biggest fans, purchasers and advertisers. Seriously, nearly everywhere I go, either on camp here in the sandbox, or flying back and forth to the states, it almost never fails that someone will approach me and ask "where did you get that bag"?...whether it's in airports or here on camp, this happens almost every day. Outstanding quality speaks the loudest and in the land of the cordura nylon backpacks, my stuff stands out for many reasons. I've referred one of the bus drivers here on camp to your site and she purchased alot of her family members some of your products. I have the duffle and the backpack that I'll travel with. In camp I use the backpack for my laptop and the duffle for my workout gear...helluva nice gym bag huh...lol. I have the small dopp kit that I'll use if I'm only shaving that day (hot water runs out quickly during the winter...lol) and I just got the large "Gadget Bag" that I use to take everything to the common facilities when I shower, shave, brush my teeth, etc. in the event of having enough hot water. I have the phone sleeve for my BlackBerry and I have the wallet that I use as well. So yes...I recommend SBL.

I have had the bag for a little while now, and have already kicked the crap out if a little traveling here in Afghanistan. This thing is built to last and has no problem being tossed around in the rugged terrain that I move around in. It's been kicked, dragged, thrown, crushed, and soaked. It just doesn't give up. I love Saddleback.

I have an older version of this bag - the one where the side pocket buckles were atttached to the main compartment lid. I thought this was inconvenient at first; but after having traveled quite a bit, I actually prefer this design.

The duffel makes an excellent carryon for travel in the U.S.A. (where most carryon restrictions are size based), and also checks very well if traveling internationally (where carryon restrictions are often weight based). My main wish for this bag was that it had a backpack option like the waterbag and the beast duffel bag.

I have added this piece to my repertoire. I ordered in tobaccp brown.
Seems like a good size. Typical Saddleback quality and construction.
I plan to use this as a carry on with my front pocket backpack (I should be able to carry quite a bit.
I may use as a smaller camera bag. Options are endless.
I love this piece. Not sure how this would carry as a backpack as suggested in previous review as the top has potential spaces to allow gear to slip out.
No regrets for this purchase.

I am a huge Saddleback Leather fanatic This duffle bag was my second piece, and it is safe to say I have been more than impressed with it. When I bought it, I was torn between the duffel and the waterbag. I went with the duffel because I really like the "structured" look of it over the waterbag. However, like I said, I am a fanatic, and I have since purchased the waterbag as well.

I have owned the duffel bag for about 2 years, and in that time I have taken it on quite a few long trips (planes and automobile - no trains... Sorry ,John Candy), as well as numerous weekend visits (the bag gives a perfect amount of space for a 2-3 day trip). It is holding up superbly, and I know it will look beautiful well past the 98 years left on its warranty. It's acquiring some scuffs and rubs along the way, but they really do just make the bag look more incredible.

I highly recommend this bag (as well as all of SBL products) to about anybody/everybody I run into. I have had many TSA reps at the airports compliment me on my bag and ask me where I got it. That's how you know you have something great - when your bag jumps out to somebody who sees THOUSANDS of AVERAGE bags!

As a fair warning, I advise you NOT to buy this bag if:

1) You do not enjoy people admiring, commenting on, and/or coveting your bag,
2) You hate well-engineered, quality products that will last several lifetimes,
3) You dislike your possessions being overly-protected in a sturdy piece of art during your travels, or
4) You want a bag for just a few years until it breaks, so you get the lucky opportunity to buy another one.

Perfectly engineered, perfectly constructed! Wouldn't change a thing!

How many products do you own that you stalk the company's website 4-5 times a week hunting for the next purchase? Outstanding Quality and craftsmanship do not come close to describing this bag. Buy this bag and you will not regret it.

I have had this bag for 4 months and it is great. I travel alot; about 100-120 nights a year mostly by car and at least one trip a month by plane. I was worried this bag would not be big enough. The first thing I did after I got over the initial coolness / beauty of this bag was to take my fully loaded airplane overhead luggage and empty the contents into this duffle. I was excited when I quickly found out that not only does it have enough room but there was room to spare. Also, it is ideal as a carry on because you can place your toiletries in the side pocket for easy access without opening the entire bag.

Dave is right! Stop thinking about the one time purchase cost and focus on how long you are going to own this bag. If this bag is your first purchase from SB it will not be your last. It took me about 60 days before I ordered a matching briefcase. In fact, I ordered mine off of Dave's Deals and I can assure you that Dave is much pickier than I am because I am still not sure what the issue was for my bag (10% discount).

It is amazing to see, watch, and hear the response when a friend or a traveler notices your SB bag. The most negative question I have ever gotten was, "Are you afraid someone is going to steal it?" Yes, Yes I am!