By the way, I got the Laptop Case a week ago. In dark tobacco. I applied Kiwi Mink Oil not so much as to darken it as to “get the nap down.” I don’t know of a better way to describe this: often even smooth leathers will have a slight nap, almost like suede. This gets pressed down and the leather turns glossier with time and wear. Think of a well-worn saddle. More shiny.

On light-colored leather, this is more of an issue. (As a positive for light-colored leather, it looks more like Old West gear, and shows scuffs a lot less. Not that I mind scuffs, but dark leather definitely shows this more.)

The Laptop Case is very nice. It comes with the very small Pouch. Weird pricing, though. The pouch alone is listed at $130 (or was before the slight price increase), while the Dave’s Deal price on the Laptop Case was $162. So, if one considers the Pouch to be fairly priced, then the combo deal gives a (possibly slightly defective) Laptop Case for just $32 more. Something doesn’t quite compute here.

Anyway, I’m using the Pouch just to store an extra laptop charger, which I keep in my car. (For use with a DC-to-AC inverter, or for other travel uses). It clips conveniently to the Laptop Case. (Widening the Case to allow for a charger brick would also mean separate padding, to reduce the chance of damage to the laptop screen, blah blah blah, and then the Case would be the size of a Briefcase.)

By the way, I don’t use a second sleeve for my Mac Book Pro. The Case itself has a layer of neoprene, plus the leather edges are stout enough to give additional protection should a drop or major bump occur. I feel my laptop is much better protected than it was with a “Wetsuit” kind of thin nylon bag with neoprene in it. At greater weight, of course.

Of the two bags, I think the Messenger Bag has more utility and it’s the one I would get if I were only getting one. But the Laptop Case is good for when I ONLY want to carry my Mac Book Pro (15″) and a few papers. The option of not carrying the charger works in a lot of mobile situations.

I’m less interested in the Duffel because I don’t travel often. And when I do, el cheapo nylon bags have a lot of advantages. For avoiding theft, sometimes looking cheap is the best way to go. This is one reason I chose to put more money into what I will be carrying often and using often. For airline travel, a nylon duffel from Briggs and Riley works pretty well for me.

The Satchel may be interesting if the new Apple Tablet is actually what some rumors say it may be.

Sorry for the length here. I can’t abide the short notes of the Twitter Age, but maybe my items are too much on the other end of the spectrum.

“L8er. +3″

–Tim May

Christopher, I think your math makes sense. In my mind, it is only a question of the other bills and money needs that tug at my wallet as well–there’s no question the value is high, it is only a matter of whether there is money to be spent on another daily bag (my duluth pack field bag is sturdy as well.)

I’ve been coveting the overnight bag as well, and fits a bit more of a need for me. Either way, I’d bet within the year I’ll have two or three items from this fine company.

Thanks to Tim for the tip about Dave’s Deals. You’ve got to check back regularly because they go fast. Ebay also has a few items for sale at all times it seems. Raising the value per dollar even higher.

Great stuff.

My next bag is probably going to be the overnight dufflebag – also in dark coffee brown. Don’t think about how expensive it is initially; I spent about $100 on a backpack in 1991, and I’ve had (and used) that bag since; that works out to about 1.5 cents per day. If this bag lasts as long, that will work out to about 5 cents per day – pricier, but still about what I spend on about five potato chips.

In it I carry a MacBook Pro, 15-inch version, a small kit of essentials (including a spare pair of glasses), and a journal or notebook. Or both. (The journal being like a diary, the notebook for my business and technical jottings.)

I was so impressed with the quality that I decided to order a “Sleeve,” which is really like a mini-briefcase. Meant to carry a laptop and a very few papers and not much else. It hasn’t arrived, so I can’t comment.

My thinking is that quality stuff like this is pretty scarce. So I wanted to buy it before it’s not available, should the worst occur.

I’m 57, so I really do expect they will outlast me. But if I’d seen this kind of quality gear when I was working, years ago, I’d've enjoyed having this (at 1980s prices of course!). (Instead, I had some El Cheapo Samsonite cases, then some ballistic nylon things from The North Face and others, all of which tended to look rattier and rattier as time went on….I expect these Saddleback pieces will look better and better, not rattier and rattier.)

Look at the “Dave’s Deals.” I got my messenger bag for about $260, a good discount over list. Mine was in Light Tobacco. A bit light on arrival, as expected, but a treatment of Mink Oil (Kiwi) darkened it and also gave it a lived-in look. Nice!

My laptop case is in Dark Tobacco, but I can’t comment yet on how it looks.

–Tim