best travel bag? saddleback leather vs filson

[Esetter]

I've had the Filson for years, and I'd replace it in a heartbeat if it wore out.
But I really think it's going to outlive me.

 

[D1dad]

I couldn’t imagine lugging a big heavy bag through the airport on a regular basis. I won my luggage and it came with a weekend bag which holds about as much as a spinner carry on. All these years later I’ve maybe used it a half dozen times. Sadly a several hundred dollar bag has no use for my needs.

 

[Doc4]

I have a problem with the Saddleback "classic" briefcase, in that while it is designed to be capable of being filled to capacity, it's not designed to be carried (well) when filled to capacity. Looking at it from the end, you can see its "empty" shape is essentially a triangle, and in that configuration it can be carried well. Fill it up to "triangle capacity" so you don't change the bag's shape, and it still carries nicely.

But stuff in more stuff until the bag is actually full, and the bag (from the end-view) now looks like a rectangle rather than a triangle, and the handle is no longer over the centre of the bag but off to the side. So carrying the bag becomes awkward and uncomfortable, as the bag doesn't hang straight, but juts out to both sides.

For Saddleback briefcases, I much prefer the "slim" model.

 

[kelbro]

I have a problem with the Saddleback "classic" briefcase, in that while it is designed to be capable of being filled to capacity, it's not designed to be carried (well) when filled to capacity. Looking at it from the end, you can see its "empty" shape is essentially a triangle, and in that configuration it can be carried well. Fill it up to "triangle capacity" so you don't change the bag's shape, and it still carries nicely.

But stuff in more stuff until the bag is actually full, and the bag (from the end-view) now looks like a rectangle rather than a triangle, and the handle is no longer over the centre of the bag but off to the side. So carrying the bag becomes awkward and uncomfortable, as the bag doesn't hang straight, but juts out to both sides.

For Saddleback briefcases, I much prefer the "slim" model.

You are right but for travel, I like the large SB. I open it up, fold my raincoat and close the top over. The buckle catches the last hole in the strap. I only use the shoulder strap so the handle position is not an issue.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Don't purchase either. You will unnecessarily spend hundreds of dollars more than you need to. Go with what I bought back in 2016 and am extremely pleased with -

View attachment 814411
Here is the Amazon link to the leather travel bag -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAMD76M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have actually had people come up to me at the airport and compliment me on this leather travel bag and ask where it got. Then, they are floored when I tell them I picked it up for around $200 rather than the $700 to $1400 you will pay for the higher-end Saddleback or Filson brandname bags.

Tim

That's more like what a bag like that should cost. In 1994 I paid about $120 for my Eddie Bauer satchel, which looks much like yours and has been with me through rain and snow and hot sunlight. A markup of ~$500 for an equivalent bag, even taking into account 24 years of inflation, is insane. My only problem with it would be that the buckles and straps are real, like belts, not quick-release tabs like on my current bag. But that could be customized.