Saddleback v. M&W Traveler

[dalej]

I hate to say that I have just sat here on Christmas day and read every post in this thread and have made the decision to purchase the Saddleback bag in the near future.
Thank you for both the entrainment and the information to make my decision.

 

[chenc]

http://www.waldenbags.com/ I finally settled on the Walden Maverick, but I must say Saddleback customer service was superb.

 

[ridders]

Done-

Bid on and won a Large Dark Coffee Brown via the Saddleback ebay store last night. I hope it's not tooooooo big but given the size of the bag i've been using for years, I think I should be alright. I can't wait. Merry Christmas to me.

Thanks for all the information everyone.

 

[srivats]

Originally Posted by chenc

http://www.waldenbags.com/

I finally settled on the Walden Maverick, but I must say Saddleback customer service was superb.

Please share your comments once you get the bags. The Walden bags look very solid.

 

[ShirazAddict]

FWIW I own the Saddleback Messenger bag & I love it. I didn't like their briefcase, nor their laptop case as they seemed a bit too rustic & western for me. I primarily use my Messenger bag as a wine case, as I am in the wine biz, and it works really well. I also can put my laptop in it w/o any problems & use it for day trips on biz. Its well built, and I like the heft & utilitarianism of the bag.

 

[IndianaGeo]

test

 

[IndianaGeo]

Have you considered Custom Hide? I hear they make great bags at a reasonble price point. They have a number of styles that might fit what you're looking for. I bought into the Saddleback hype a while back. Bought 2 bags, Both had defects, one of which was super obviously a defect in workmanship. I harped about it and got nowhere. I also don't like their self-hype and all around arrogance and religious self-righteousness.

Also if you want a fantastic bag, I understand the workmanship of a Walden bag is excellent. The guy is a craftsman. Swaine Adeney Brigg in the UK is another option but super expensive. Best of luck.

 

[ridders]

Thanks again for everyone’s advice on this thread and the forums in general. The day after christmas I bid on, and won an auction for a large Dark Coffee Brown briefcase. With the New Years holiday and all, I received it the around January 6th or so and have been using it as my daily commuter ever since. It’s an incredible bag.

I’ll back up everyone’s previous comments about the weight of the bag, it is heavy but not cumbersome. I’m not a very tall guy (5’7) so perhaps the large was more bag than i should have purchased, but looking at the pictures I could find of the med, I was not happy with proportions--the bag just looked too tall for the length. I’d say that’s still the case with the large. If I could magically have a custom Saddleback bag, it’d be about 2 inches shorter but still 16 inches long.

If Saddleback has had quality control issues in the past, they’ve certainly solved them now. While I have never owned a leather bag is this sort before, the craftsmanship on the bag is evident. The leather is just incredible. I have the 3 rivet middle strap version and I think it looks great--the symmetry of the 3 straps and 3 rivets looks pleasing to me.

I’m coming from a Jack Spade messenger bag, so to have a real briefcase is a bit of a transition-this bag wants to be held (err using the handle, not hugged...well maybe a little bit) the balance when loaded is perfect. As a wee little man, I’m having trouble getting the shoulder strap right where I want it in both “shoulder” and “messenger” mode. Even on the smallest setting, the bag hangs about 3 inches too low for my liking. I’m temped to put some more holes in the strap (any suggestions on how to do this? power drill?). A side effect is that i also have about a foot of shoulder strap flopping around past the buckle. I’m currently trying to get it to loop back through the rest of the strap.

The color of the leather is rich and wonderful, it’s starting to loosen up and scrape very nicely. I knew that Coffee would show use more easily than the other colors and I’m happy about it. I’m sort of anticipating when the bag overall starts to loosen up-though i’m wary of the “floppy bag” complaints I’ve read on various sites. I suppose it will happen either way so there’s not much use in dreading it.

Finally, while i’m not a particularly religious person, i’m starting to believe in karma-I was pretty proud of the deal i pulled off with auction vs purchasing retail via the website: I’ve since lost a $100 pair of head phones out of the external side “pocket” and an umbrella trying to pull off the cool “umbrella under the straps” look. Moral of the story: keep your stuff inside the bag.

sorry for the long winded reply: net net it's a great bag and i can't wait to grow old with it, well unless Saddleback does really release a more "professional" model, but until then....

 

[ridders]

Wow what a difference a year makes... pretty much right after I recieved my SBL Classic, I was given new responsibilities within my job that put me on the road more. I'm no road warrior by any stretch, but over the last 8 or 9 months I have stated to realize that perhaps the Saddleback is not the right bag for me.

The tipping point was when a gate attendant gave me the evil eye as I walked past the gate check bracket on a packed flight back east from SFO.

I have had no problems with the quality and design of the bag, I've hauled some pretty weird stuff in it comfortably-- but it's just not meeting my needs right now. Oddly enough I've extremely tempted by the MW steerhide laptop brief. Has anyone gotten their hands on one?

Also anyone intrested in a 14month old, just starting to break in nicely, Large Classic Dark Coffee Brown Classic SBL let me know.

 

[countcount]

Originally Posted by ridders

when a gate attendant gave me the evil eye as I walked past the gate check bracket on a packed flight back east from SFO.

What prompted this? the size?

 

[ridders]

yes, I had it pretty stuffed, I have to admit- plus it was a very crowded flight with tons of people with rollerboards. I was able to get it under the seat, so it wasn't an issue. It's somewhat amusing though- with my 20 inch travel pro suitcase it's almost the same size as the SBL!

to be clear it's never been a real issue- but something about the situation made me rethink the bag as well as my packing habits...