The Saddleback Leather Briefcase- Leather for Adventure

These images come from the Saddleback Leather website used with the kind permission of the Jonathan Munson on behalf of the Saddleback Leather Co.

A tribute to Saddleback Leather Co

There are certain companies who through their philosophy and their craftsmanship have defined the experience of the modern Leather Vintager; one such company for me is Saddleback Leather Co. Not only does their website sell some of the best classic leather pieces from briefcases to iphone covers, their service is efficient and friendly, and the site itself is an inspiring resource for a discerning leather aficionado.

They have a fun but apt, tongue-in-cheek tag line: ‘They’ll fight over it when you're dead’ where they guarantee their materials and workmanship for a 100 years; the owner Dave Munson clearly does not mess around.

After checking out their site a few hundred times over I decided to try them out and ordered myself a chestnut leather briefcase. Admittedly, together with postage and the hefty customs fee it was not cheap, but man was it worth it! It is truly one of the most beautiful yet absolutely functional leather bags I own and I have no doubt it will travel with me for my entire life.

I was in a glow of appreciation from the moment it first arrived in that box when I spent days admiring and smelling it and even though it was relatively new I already started receiving compliments when I used it.

Saddleback have managed to personalise and invigorate the process of buying and owning a leather bag. The information, the honest personal stories of Dave Munson, the funny answers to FAQ, the inspiring testimonials, their service and the quality creations made the whole process an experience that I would highly recommend.

But the thing that really stands out for me about Dave’s story and the customer photos that he chooses to post on his site is that they are all about the adventure of travelling and an enthusiasm for life. The photos show his leather bags travelling every part of the world, in many strange and wonderful countries and in some very interesting situations, too. Not only are his bags built to last, they are built to travel, explore and enjoy. This is what I find truly inspiring: superior leather craftsmanship with the spirit of adventure for life.

Rule 7 of the Leather Vintager is to have wonderful adventures and travel the world with your leather.

Check Dave and co out at www.saddlebackleather.com

Self Portrait with my Saddleback Leather Bag.

The combination of a vintage 70's Schott Perfecto Leather Jacket Ramones with a 1968 Merit Leather US Mail Bag looks way cool- that's a true Vintager look.

Bucheimer, Bona Alan and Merit Leather

I began researching and searching for mail bags online and found lots of really cool vintage US mail bags on ebay. They are highly sought after and there seems to be three main makers of these bags: Bucheimer, Bona Alan and Merit Leather. They can fetch anything between US $200 -$900 depending on the condition of the bag. Most of these bags date between 1940 and 1970.

I tried bidding for these bags on ebay, bidding was fierce and I decided that it was going a little beyond my budget. The thing was that I wanted to use the bag and not keep it on display. It just does not seem right making every day use of a 50 year old bag that is more a piece of history than a piece of personal luggage.

I decided in the end to have my own one custom made. That way it would be customised to my own needs. It would be my blank leather canvas for the experiences that I would have and the stories it would tell about me and my travels. It would be a Personal Vintage.

Vintager Leather and Denim

Searching for a Vintage Leather Mail Bag

I was inspired recently by this picture taken from a magazine posted on the Satorialist blog of an old 1950’s US leather postal/mail bag. I loved the its ruggedness and the way the leather had darkened in different places over the years. This was a real-deal Vintager leather bag, built to work under all conditions and last a lifetime. Its the kind of bag that one could carry everything in and take it with you absolutely everywhere you go.

Here in South Africa, postmen too used to have a these big dark brown indestructible leather bags to deliver mail. Isn't it interesting that at the time those bag were not really considered fashionable or even desirable, it was simply a work bag for what seemed to be back breaking job. I remember seeing postmen always walking bent over forwards to counter balance the weight of the mail they carried while at the same time looking out for unfriendly dogs. It did not seem like an enviable job even though we really appreciated getting our mail on time. I wonder what has happened to those bags. Are they lying in a storeroom somewhere? Have they been destroyed? I have never seen one come up in any of the vintage stores that I regularly visit; I would love to track one down.