Marlondo Leather Double Space Briefcase - Full Grain Leather, Solid Brass Hardware (17.5", Dark Brown)

One word for this bag:Wow.This has got to be the best briefcase/ man-purse I've owned and I'll tell you why:Quality: Out of this world. 10/10. This bag uses vegetable tanned leather, which not only ages better than chrome tanned leather in terms of looks and feel, but vegetable tanned leather is also eco-friendly and is can be recycled rather than chrome-tanned leather. Stitching is top notch too. I think they use some sort of heavy-guage nylon stitching, which should last anyone hundreds of years. Plus, the bag uses as few leather pieces as it can, making rips and tears near-impossible. The metal pieces are also made of brass that shines like gold.Functionality: This bag is a tank and I'd imagine it was designed to carry anything, anywhere. This bag is not only fashionable, but it is also very durable. It has plenty of pockets, and can carry a laptop comfortably in the back compartment, as well as a bunch of loose items in the front (has a key-leash for keys too). I also love how it doesn't have any "breakable" parts like zippers or buttons. All buckles with this one.Price: Worth. Every. Penny. In fact, I think this might be borderline theft in terms of the price/ quality ratio. It is objectively better than any leather briefcase out there. And as said before, it also uses vegetable-tanned leather which looks better, feels better, and ages better than the 95% of bags out there that are made of chrome-tanned leather. It's a more expensive and time consuming process, but I am glad they use this method and not the economic alternative. It shows not only an extended vision and obligation for quality, but for the environment as well.Sizing: The only thing I would worry about with this bag is sizing. Make sure you get the correct width for your laptop if you are planning to haul one around. I have a 15" Macbook Pro, and when I ordered the 14" the laptop bulged out on the sides a bit. It was a snug fit, but a little too much for me personally. I ended up returning it and going with the 16" in the end. It now fits perfectly.Here's my personal size guide for these bags:(height opinions are listed so that no person is seen with a disproportionate bag)* 14" Briefcase * Medium sized bag * Holds up to a 13” MacBook and most 13” laptops * Good for people who are less than average height (<5’8”)* 16" Briefcase * Large sized bag * Holds up to a 15” MacBook and most 15” laptops * Good for people who are around average height (5’9” - 6’1”)* 18" Briefcase * Extra-large sized bag * Holds up to a 17” MacBook and most 17” laptops * Good for people who are above average height (>6’2”) * Also good if you are Big Foot or a one man office armyHow to Rock: This bag can be taken anywhere, an overnight stay, from meetings with clients, at college, in the courtroom, in a plane, in a train, in a box, with a fox… this is an anytime/ anywhere bag with a huge range of formality. Although it was meant for documents and computers, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw someone carry tools in it to a construction site. It has a very classic design with an elegant profile. In terms of colors, if you want to convey the most "seriousness", black is the way to go. If you want that "Indiana Jones/ most interesting man in the world look", I'd go with the light brown, as it would patina well. Dark brown is a very beautiful middle-ground between the two and would be a nice gift for any legal professional.Other notable mentions: Packaging is superb--everything is padded properly and wrapped three times. They also give you some complimentary leather polish and a sticker. I was also impressed with their customer service. Replies were almost instant, and their representative Tim was such a pleasure to work with. It was very easy to get an exchange process going with them.So in conclusion, this bag is phenomenal. Rarely do I give a 5/5 to anything (or rate anything at all in general), but this product gets all of my attention, my business, and all of my stars. I was beyond impressed. Thanks Marlondo![P.S. if you are thinking about getting a Saddleback bag in this style or from another competitor, I urge you to reconsider. I was a victim of buying a sub-par bag for the price of an arm and a leg. You cannot go wrong with these gents.]

BAD ASS. I get so many compliments. Its like a Harley-Davison saddle bag on your shoulder.

Hi, I am 6' 2" and 240 lbs., so carrying larger bags is more common for me. This bag is heavy. Period. It is heavy when it's empty. If you put something in it...be prepared to do some counter-balancing as you walk.But this is what I wanted. I was tired of bags tearing apart, broken zippers, fuzzy fabric, low capacity, cheap straps.. This is not that bag. This bag has leather that is 3/8" thick everywhere and plenty of it. You can polish it and buff it. You can have it detailed in the parking garage while you are shopping. If someone shoots you and hits this bag..i think the bullet will stop in the bag somewhere..like in your laptop. I doubt it will come through.You just have to understand what this bag is for. It is a heavy, quality, durable, lifetime bag. Anyone who rates this bag lower because of weight is wrong because they did not consider this before buying. This is a tank, not a toy.Ok, so the bag arrived early. Packaging was awesome. My house smells like a baby cow. Nobody will try to steal this bag unless they are driving. I got several compliments on this bag in the airport and in my office. Jealous envy, yea.!I added some of my own brass fittings to make the bag more awesome. I rate this bag 10 out of 10 !

There are relatively few reviews of Marlondo bags and having relied on reviews over the years for our many purchases on Amazon I wanted to provide feedback for others—particularly since many considering a Marlondo bag are also considering purchasing a Saddleback bag.This is an initial review and I plan on following up in about 6 months and then at least on a couple of more occasions.I have owned my Marlondo bag (Water Buffalo, 16 inch double space briefcase, brown in color) for approx. five months. I believe Marlondo is phasing out Water Buffalo chrome tanned leather and focusing on other vegetable tanned leather. I am hopeful, however, that this review still will be helpful since Marlondo features the same style and design in this and other bags.Let me initially say that I am extremely pleased with this bag. I really love it. It is exactly what I was looking for and Marlondo’s customer service has been excellent (I asked Tim, the owner/manager, a few initial questions about the bag and possible modification—he quickly and thoughtfully responded to my e-mails). I ordered directly from Marlondo (holiday special), shipping was quick, and the bag was extremely well packed.And, the rest of the story…Here is some more detail. I am an attorney and am in court on a regular basis. I was looking for a leather bag to hold my computer, the occasional paper file (most of my files are electronic), and a few odds and ends. I really was looking to use a bag more like an attaché case, not as a portfolio style bag that would be stuffed with items. Nor did I think I would need to have buttons, zippers, small pockets, etc.Like many, I had been eyeing a Saddleback bag. I have seen a few Saddleback bags “in the wild” and they are extremely nice. A couple of colleagues have the “classic” Saddleback bag (which is similar, if not identical in style to this and my Water Buffalo version).There are a ton of reviews for Saddleback bags and the company maintains a really nice website. After reading countless reviews on the internet I have seen comments stating that over the last couple of years the cost of Saddleback bags has gone up somewhat arbitrarily and the leather now is of slightly thinner or lower quality. The Saddleback website, in my opinion, has an infomercial feel to it, but in the end the bags I have seen are of extremely high quality and my colleagues really like their Saddleback bags.I came across Marlondo in my research. Their line of bags seems clearly meant to compete with Saddleback. There are a limited number of reviews for Marlondo bags, but if you search you will find a handful of detailed written and video reviews. I read and watched enough of the limited number of reviews to take a chance on Marlondo. The various reviews described Marlondo bags as being of comparable to Saddleback quality, but at a more reasonable price point. I took a chance on Marlondo and am very happy that I did.Is this “Saddleback Style” bag for you? Well, I love my Marlondo “Saddleback Style” bag. I use it daily. As noted above, I generally pack my notebook (and power brick), a paper file or two, and a couple of odds and ends—cell phone, wallet, pens, etc. in it (an expandable folder which will hold an 8.5 x 11 pad will fit in my 16 inch bag, but a larger expandable folder will not; also, an 8.5 x 14 legal pad will fit in my 16 inch bag, but not in a legal size expandable folder).If you frequently open and close and access your bag or briefcase each day, and perhaps have to go from meeting to meeting or class to class or otherwise need to frequently open and close the bag, this “Saddleback Style” may not be the best choice. For me, I wanted a bag in which I could take my notebook computer to and from home—and to and from my office and court. A meeting here or there, as well, but otherwise fairly simple tasks for the bag (I do not use the backpack feature).I do not have the bag stuffed and I am not pushing its capacity. These bags have a belt style closure and the pockets inside are very basic (there is a small pocket outside for a cell phone or keys and an open flap style pocket on the back of the bag for a file or magazine or a quick place to put your cell phone). There are a couple of internal pockets or compartments that are somewhat useful, but if you need to regularly go in and out of the bag and have lots of small items this kind of bag may disappoint. For me, however, this is exactly what I was looking for. It has the function I need and the look that I really like.The 16 inch bag that I have fits my Dell Latitude E6440 notebook in a sleeve (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CD8AFFW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)My wife’s 13 inch Macbook Pro in a sleeve also fits. If you have a 15 inch notebook (which are often 15.7 inches or so) or a 15 inch Macbook Pro it will be a tighter fit (and a 15 inch pc notebook may not fit, at least not in a 16 inch version of this bag).When I purchased the Marlondo bag I also purchased Marlondo leather conditioner, which is similar to the Obenauf’s conditioner I use on my Chippewa boots:https://www.amazon.com/Obenaufs-Heavy-Duty-4oz-Preserves/dp/B003SKCARK/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1520978020&sr=8-13&keywords=leather+conditioner+for+bootsI used the leather conditioner shortly after I received the bag. Not because the leather was dry, but this kind of conditioner provides a film that gives a bit of water and stain resistance. This filmy feature of a waxy leather conditioner, for leather which than has grain and texture—as the Water Buffalo does—can be a downside, however, as you will continue to see a white film here and there until you finally touch up the bag over the next few months (the wax gets into all of the nooks and crannies of a textured leather, as opposed to a smooth/flat finished leather). For a perhaps once a year/every couple of years conditioning I likely will use Bickmore Apache cream (I also use this on my Chippewa boots):https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E6MOTL4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1Or this Obenauf oil:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q907QU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1The Obenauf and Bickmore Apache products will darken the bag. Keep in mind these products will soften the leather a little. I may end up using the conditioners more often since we live in the Northeast in the United States and heat our home with wood. So, our house is very dry and the weather up here can go from very hot to very cold.In the end, I am very happy with the Marlondo bag.Pros:At least on initial use and after five months—the leather appears well made and the bag has strong hardware (rings/buckles).The double space bag stands up well, like an attaché case, since it has a nice wide baseThe bag is heavy, but not overly so—a thick leather bag will have some heft to it; this comes with the territoryCons:More of an observation than a con, but this is a minimalist type of bag that requires using at least the main belt buckle to open and close the bag (there are two smaller belts and buckles on either side of the main one) and does not hold small items inside in a “neat tucked away” manner unless perhaps you also use an additional portfolio/organizer:I did buy this for pens/pencils/markers, though:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017K0FFZM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1So far, no other appreciable cons that I can think of, but I will follow-up with updates.In some ways, think of this as a pick up truck or older style SUV. It looks cool and for certain tasks it is great. A minivan does not look as cool, but is more useful. We have a great minivan and an SUV. I love our SUV, but the minivan is wonderfully convenient. For what I wanted and needed, I prefer my SUV Marlondo. For me, its form and function are exactly what I was looking for.And, I purchased on etsy a custom made leather luggage tag with a brass plate and have attached it to one of the rings on the bag. Looks really nice.Oh, and you will regularly get compliments.Any questions, let me know. I will do my best to check my review from time to time.